A whole new generation is about to get spooked by The Witches.
On Friday (October 2), HBO Max premiered the first trailer for the highly anticipated reboot of the 1990 classic children's movie The Witches, which is based on the novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. Revamped and retitled as Roald Dahl's The Witches, the 2020 version stars Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanely Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth and Chris Rock. The spooky flick is set to debut on HBO Max later this month.
Here's the official synopsis for those who might not be as familiar with this cult classic story:
Reimagining Dahl’s beloved story for a modern audience, Robert Zemeckis’s visually innovative film tells the darkly humorous and heartwarming tale of a young orphaned boy who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks our young hero away to an opulent seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world’s Grand High Witch has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe—undercover—to carry out her nefarious plans.
Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, called The Witches "a wonderful reimagining of Roald Dahl’s classic tale that combines world-class filmmaking with fantastic performances. It’s fun for the whole family and ideal for this time of year" in a press release about the remake. Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer for HBO and HBO Max, chimed in, as well, saying: “this film, with its stellar cast, is outstanding. We are thrilled to be able to use our platform to deliver timely, relevant and engaging new content during this time when the theatrical experience is not available to everyone.”
Roald Dahl's The Witches will be featured in HBO Max’s “Halloween is Here” spotlight page, alongside a curated roster of more than 140 movies, series and Halloween-themed TV episodes, hand-picked by HBO Max’s dedicated editorial team, according to the press release. The spotlight page features over 300 hours of Halloween-related content.
The film will make its debut on HBO Max on October 22 and will be rated PG for scary images/moments, language and thematic elements. Following its streaming release, Roald Dahl's The Witches will also be released in theaters internationally beginning October 28.
Photo: HBO Max