Culturess
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25 of the creepiest Disney movies ever made

By Sarah Crocker

TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT - Pixar Animation Studios presents "Toy Story That Time Forgot," featuring your favorite characters from the "Toy Story" films, airing THURSDAY, DEC. 12 (8:30-9:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. (Disney/Pixar 2014)REX, BUZZ LIGHTYEAR, WOODY, TRIXIE
TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT - Pixar Animation Studios presents "Toy Story That Time Forgot," featuring your favorite characters from the "Toy Story" films, airing THURSDAY, DEC. 12 (8:30-9:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. (Disney/Pixar 2014)REX, BUZZ LIGHTYEAR, WOODY, TRIXIE /
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Something Wicked This Way Comes (Image via Walt Disney Productions)

25. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Something Wicked This Way Comes was released in 1983 after Disney had reevaluated its path and before it hit the vaunted “Disney Renaissance”. As such, it’s often ignored. After all, Disney was never really known for its live-action films, at least not amongst today’s casual Disney aficionado.

That’s a bit of a shame, really, because there are some genuinely interesting and even, dare I say it, good movies made during that time. At the very least, you could argue that a few were at least daring enough to generate something more than a bored yawn.

Something Wicked This Way Comes was based on the Ray Bradbury novel of the same name. If you’re at all familiar with Bradbury, then you know that the science fiction author created works that are beautiful and lyrical, yet laced with a menacing darkness. Bradbury lures you in with poetry, then wallops you over the head with wickedness.

In Something Wicked, you could almost be fooled into thinking he’s lost his touch and Disney has followed suit. Everything starts out so idyllic that it’s as if you’ve fallen into a Norman Rockwell painting. In the film, protagonists Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade (yes, Bradbury is sometimes a little on the nose when it comes to names) are best friends. They come upon a lightning-rod salesman, who tells them about a strange traveling carnival that will arrive soon, despite the late season.

Soon enough, Mr. Dark, a tattooed Illustrated Man, leads a procession through the town at midnight. He and his crew manage to set up their carnival in what seems to be a matter of seconds. Though many of the townspeople don’t get the hint and partake in the carnival, many soon learn its true nature the hard way. A carousel changes some people’s age. A mirror maze is menacing and predatory. The legendary Pam Grier plays the mysterious “Dust Witch”. And Mr. Dark himself watches over all, intent on claiming the town for his own nefarious purposes.

Only Jim, Will, and Will’s father stand between the forces of evil and the townsfolk. It’s heady stuff even for Disney.

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