The Witches Of Eastwick Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Something wicked this way comes.
Three beautiful Witches, One lucky Devil
Three Beautiful Women. One Lucky Devil.
Alex, Jane, and Suki are three bored New England women left to live without their husbands. They innocently conjure up a mystery man, who could satisfy all their desires. A new man moves into town - and he fits the bill perfectly. Daryl Van Horne is filthy rich and wild eyed, and within days the three women have all discovered almighty power within themselves. Will good triumph over evil, or will Daryl continue to have his evil way with his witches?
| Michelle Pfeiffer | Sukie Ridgemont |
| Jack Nicholson | Daryl Van Horne |
| Cher | Alexandra Medford |
| Susan Sarandon | Jane Spofford |
| Veronica Cartwright | Felicia Alden |
| Richard Jenkins | Clyde Alden |
| Keith Jochim | Walter Neff |
| Carel Struycken | Fidel |
| Helen Lloyd Breed | Mrs. Biddle |
| Caroline Struzik | Carol Medford |
| Cynthia Ditmars | Ridgemont child |
| George Miller |
6.30 out of 10 (12613 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Jack Nicholson carries this movie
posted on 14 Jul 2009I bought "The witches of Eastwick" on dvd because I saw that Jack Nicholson was in it, and I am a fan of him. Jack Nicholson plays a character called Darryl Van Horne, which is the Devil himself. He delivers an absolutely brilliant performance. The story in itself is also pretty interesting, but the movie probably would not have been so good if it had not been for the presence of good old Jack.8/10
Definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen !
posted on 23 Jun 2009A delightfully wicked comedy with a lot of smooth talk from the Devil himself! I love Daryl van Horn's techniques for wooing a lady. I wish I could be like that (dream on). There's lots of larfs and a strange ending. A DVD worth every penny....
Miller Is God
posted on 23 Jun 2009IMHO: George Miller is the best director that money can buy. Of course, you can't buy Miller, because his experiences with the two producers on this film were so traumatic that he swore off Hollywood and returned home to Australia, where he contented himself for a time with smaller budgets. Smart man.It's a testament to Miller's talent that Fox is now underwriting the fourth film in the Mad Max series -- despite the fact that the entire saga has not even grossed $100 million. There isn't another filmmaker in the world who gets that kind of respect in this business.... Well, maybe there's one.Anyway, by George Miller standards this movie is a bit of a mess. Still, it rates an 8 out of 10 on my scale. If you give a damn about movies at all, you'll watch all his films. For a sense of how he stacks up against some of the better known names in Hollywood, rent The Twilight Zone movie, which Spielberg co-produced. It's Miller's piece that sends you out of the theater -- and not by accident, either.Best moment in Witches: that clown toy bobbing back and forth with blood splattered across its face.There are some actors who could hold your attention just by reading the phone book. Extending the metaphor, there are only about three or four directors in the entire world who could manage the same trick. Miller's one of them.
A Bewitching tale with something for everyone
posted on 08 Jun 2009This is a genre blending film I found at Fry's Horror section for only $2.49 retail. It can be described as a supernatural Battle of the Sexes with horrific, comedic, and dramatic elements with a bizarre love story/ orgy at the center of it. The 3 "witches" (Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer) make a request for the perfect man who is delivered to them in the form of Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson) aka the Devil. According to Daryl, when a man is encountered by a strong woman, his manhood goes limp. The woman is called a "witch" and set on fire. This is used to make women scared of men and scared of themselves. Daryl's attention allows the 3 women to embrace their sexuality, fertility, passion, and ambition. Eventually, they realize they no longer need men for anything, including Daryl. This culminates in the ultimate showdown with man vs. women.The SFX quality was good enough to win the BAFTA Award in 1987. The music by John Williams earned him an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Nicholson gives an incredibly over the top performance that was good enough to win both the NY & LA Critics Choice Awards.There is a lot of back story to this as well. Bill Murray was originally set to play Darryl and Cher and Sarandon switched roles once they walked onto the set. The studio execs hassled the director so much that Miller halted production. When they threatened to replace him with another director, Nicholson said he would walk away from the production. This ended the feuding.Favorite Quote: Almost all the dialogue. Cher asks Nicholson's character if he is married. To which he responds, " I don't believe in it. Good for the man, bad for the woman. She dies, she suffocates. Then the Husband complains that he is f*cking a dead woman and he is the one that killed her. Where is your Husband?" Cher replies, "Dead."DVD Extras: Full Cast & Crew Bios, a set design feature entitled " Conjuring Eastwick", a "Bewitching Look Back" at the history, Awards, Commentary, Interviews, and a Trailer (which indicates there are deleted scenes missing from the DVD. There should also be the numerous alternate endings they had shot).Bottom Line: Bewitching tale (pun intended) with something for everyone.Rating: 8.5/10Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com MySpace.com/HorrorYearbook
Not Anamorphic Widescreen!
posted on 24 May 2009Although this is absolutely a fabulous tour de force and treat to see 4 competent actors, unlike the drudge and hacks we have to put up with in today's Hollywood, I just wanted to let anybody know that has taken a gander at the Product Details and advise them that this movie is not in anamorphic widescreen as it is alledged to be described. It is in fact nothing more than a re-issue of the 1997 snap case. Only differences, snape case 1997, keep case 2006. Original theatrical movie poster used for cover art 1997, cast photo used for cover art 2006. Different pics on the back of both dvd cases from different scenes in the movie. As for the most important piece of noteworthy evidence, the statement on the back of both dvd cases, quite literally reads exactly the same, "STANDARD VERSION: Formatted from its original version to fit your screen. WIDESCREEN VERSION: Presented in a "letterbox" widescreen format preserving the "scope" aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition. Enhanced for widescreen TVs." I would intend that to be that the aspect ration in question is 1.85:1 non-anamorphic and that it is not 2.35:1, which is anamorphic.
Hope this helps any cinephiles out there with their decision to invest in this newer release.
i always like a little pussy after lunch...
posted on 21 May 2009Alex, Jane, and Suki are three bored New England women left to live without their husbands.They innocently conjure up a mystery man, who could satisfy all their desires. A new man moves into town - and he fits the bill perfectly.Daryl Van Horne is filthy rich and wild eyed, and within days the three women have all discovered almighty power within themselves.Will good triumph over evil, or will Daryl continue to have his evil way with his witches ? the only reason i wanted to see this movie, was for Nicholsons supposedly maniacal take on the devil. imagine my surprise that instead of getting something i thought would be a cross between Jack Torrance and The Joker, i get a dirty old man instead.it's dated very badly, the special effects are not very special, and the leads just don't really do the story much justice.the darkness of the movie does not fit with the light hearted scenes, and instead of the film being a little nod toward feminism, it just wreaks bad taste all the way through.the script is mediocre and the ending is a little rushed, and is too fast paced to go well with the first two acts.i cannot understand how a film this mediocre got to become as big as it is today.no sympathy for the devil here.
Exaggerated but enjoyable fantasy comedy/drama
posted on 27 Apr 2009This is probably THE weirdest film I have ever seen in my life. Despite being bizarre, it was a very good film to watch. Three renowned Americans star as the "witches", Cher, Pfeiffer and Sarandon. All perform well in an enjoyable strange story as they all one night recap their lives and wish for them to be turned around, that's when Van Horne, played brilliantly by Nicholson (One flew over the cuckoo's nest, as good as it gets) arrives in their home town. The story is exaggerated and unrealistic at points but regardless it is an engaging plot. You are always wondering what is happening and why, its strange but its gripping. It's a well thought out story with great acting from everyone involved. The pace and tension are key but also the relaxation and mystery surrounding the story make it enjoyable and ironically heart-warming.Some of the scenes involving the witches actions seem poor and deliberately stupid. Nicholson's character is phenomenal, a sensational character who is juxtaposed with the three witches to create a tense and interesting scenario. He is very seductive, mysterious and manipulating and therefore is simply great to watch. I was really unsure about the ending; I personally thought it was poor, completely over exaggerated. However it did leave many questions open and therefore encourages audiences to think carefully about it which makes it an interesting ending. There are many ideologies of sex, families, children, and a strong idea of religion encoded. Religion is a key issue in this film, the way people believe in heaven and hell. The use of story telling is also very powerful and influential to capture the character's views on life etc. Apart from the ending and some very unrealistic scenes it is an engaging story, worth watching once but not an essential watch. The characters and setting are amazing with an acceptable storyline. 7/10
excellent
posted on 18 Apr 2009This movie was fantastic it couldn't have been better. They all four looked their best Jack Nicholson looked really young and great he fit this part fantastic of course he always does and susan sarandon looked great she was pretty and she pulled this part off she was great and cher was really good she was pretty and she pulled it off to. Michelle Pfeifer did it great she's pretty their all pretty no one could have done it better than them. I thought he looked good with susan sarandon the best. And i loved the part where they were doing voodoo on him and he went into the church and threw up cherries hilarious. But at he end they shouldn't have gotten rid of him but the movie was fantastic over all.
A classic we all love.
posted on 03 Apr 2009I just re watched this film and fell in love with it all over again. I guess its the cast of Michelle Pfeiffer, Cher, and Susan Sarandon, and Jack Nicholson. This movie is funny, crazy, silly, sexy, and just plain great entertainment. It should teach all men not to cross a woman cause you just may not know when you're dealing with a witch. When powerful women get together things happen and men beware. This film shows these women in their normal lives and then when they get together the powers unfold. So fun to watch things happening to Jack Nicholson....his acting is brilliant as usual. The chemistry of this cast works great and I love the personalities.
Diabolically Funny!
posted on 12 Jan 2009This movie is worth watching if only for the performance of Jack Nicholson as Daryl Van Horne, conjured up by three lonely women from the small town of Eastwick (Michelle Pfeiffer, Cher and Susan Sarandon) as the answer to all their problems, who then discover that getting everything that they want in a man isn't necessarily a good thing! Nicholson is absolutely hilarious as the self proclaimed "horny little devil" who runs amok through the streets and churches of Eastwick, until the girls finally figure out a way to get their revenge. He will have you rolling on the floor with laughter here. It's hard to pick out any one scene of Nicholson's that particularly leaps out, but his seduction of Alex (Cher) is priceless and his performance in the church ("when God created women was it a mistake? Because if it was, maybe we can fix it!") will have you in tears.Cher, Pfeiffer and Sarandon were all good playing what were essentially straight roles here, but they were overshadowed by Veronica Cartwright as Felecia, who understands that evil has come to Eastwick and is driven insane by it, much to the chagrin of her husband, poor Clyde (Richard Jenkins.) Cartwright was almost as hilarious as Nicholson.As funny as it is, the movie has its serious moments. I think particularly of Daryl slicing open a fruit to cause severe pain to Sukie (Pfeiffer). That was actually quite unsettling; made even more so by the overall hilarious tone the movie set.This is truly an excellent movie; a must-see in my opinion.10/10
It IS anamorphic
posted on 19 Nov 2008Contrary to the other review on this site, Witches of Eastwick (a movie I really love) IS in anamorphic widescreen. It's presented in it's original aspect ratio as well. What it isn't, however, is remastered. It sorely needs a full remastering of picture and sound.
Underrated Gem
posted on 16 Nov 2008I liked this movie more on repeated viewings, when I began noticing subtleties that I had missed the first time. It's an understated adaptation, certainly reading the book would help but I think it tells the story quite well on its own, and it's full of clever touches that the second and third time around made me smile and think "that's just perfect", with lots of dry humor scattered throughout. I disagree with the comment about it being a "hash". Being about the power of the unconscious and supernatural (or more precisely the primal power of nature, specifically feminine power and nature) it works well as a mood piece, and the sparse plotting leaves the viewer who is open to it to join the three women on their inner voyage of discovery. For example, they were all shocked and frightened (as we were) at the earth cracking under their feet during their argument. The conclusion is subtle but powerful; male and female forces in a fragile balance, with the women really in charge.
Morality tale with, very funny scenes.
posted on 16 Nov 2008Some of the points in the movie are left unexplained. It seems a little discontinuous. Assuming these three gals are witches, haven't they ever noticed it before? Why are they attracted to the repulsive Nicholson? How did they acquire the power to suspend themselves in midair? A couple of things like that, but they're not too important.We know the story is looking into peoples' relationship with God, not just because the movie shows us this but because we know that John Updike, who wrote the novel, has been absorbed by spiritual issues throughout his career. In case we don't know about the novel, many of the most important scenes take place in the local church, which cue us in.Not that the church scenes, or any other scenes, are particularly solemn or preachy. We're distanced from everything that's going on because it's so clearly a fantasy and sometimes an outrageously funny one. The cast could hardly be improved upon. In most of his scenes Nicholson is into his self-consciously ironic mode -- that fake smile seems to sit on his face whenever he's not speaking. But in two key scenes, when Cher confronts him while he's ironing and at the climax, he puts effort into his performance and it clicks. The three babes are great and complement each other perfectly. There is an overhead shot towards the end when the three of them are running barefoot at dainty full speed across the marble floor of the mansion, their loose silk robes billowing behind them, their fluffy curly mops of hair bobbing (one black, one amber, one blond), that seems to turn them into three mice or gerbils or fairies. A delightful shot. The director is fond of overhead shots. (God is a major player in this movie.) They're used well. Veronica Cartwright must be mentioned too, since she gives the closest thing to a serious dramatic performance in the film. She's driven mad by the devil and, what with her clogged nose and croaking voice, evokes pity in us. She's the only person in town who sees exactly what's going on, and she dies for it. Her husband has a difficult role but handles it well, a necessary balance between his rage at his wife's insane behavior and the need to smile and chuckle and treat these preposterous troubles as nothing more than a slight perturbation in their normal orbits. He blows his stack at the end. Also his wife's stack.Some scenes linger in the mind more than others. The harmonious foursome frolicking in a sea of balloons while "nesun dorma" plays from a boom box. (Some of the sound, including this aria, is irritatingly tinny.) The song in its operatic context combines heartbreak with ecstasy. (It's used to the former effect in "The Killing Grounds" and for the latter here.) The scene in which Nicholson coaches Sarandon on the cello then leaps to the piano and bangs out the accompaniment is thrilling. No wonder the cello smokes! The climax at the mansion is an extravaganza of special effects, but it's not the most funny or meaningful scene in the film. That takes place a bit earlier, when the three witches blow Nicholson's devil into the church, then practice more voodoo on him. First he vomits a couple of gallons of cherry pits in some glucous fluid onto the clothes and upturned faces of the congregation, dismissing the event with a casual, "Pay no attention. A cheap trick. Anyone can do it. I TAUGHT it to them. Just a little domestic problem." In this sea of people staring at him and moaning with disgust, he's staggering around in a filthy robe covered with ice cream and feathers while he launches into HIS idea of a Sunday sermon. "Did God make women deliberately or was it a mistake? Huh? Whaddaya think? You think God doesn't MAKE mistakes? Sure, when we make a mistake we call it 'evil' but when HE makes a mistake (he strikes a bizarre port de bras with arms pointing towards heaven) we call it 'NATURE'." (He and Updike have a point.) Then he gets into a riff on how women are a deliberate curse and the sooner we realize it the better because then we can do something about it. (He's really warming up to the sermon at this point.) We can find a cure -- or invent a vaccine. "Build up our IMMUNE system or sump'n. Get a little exercise! Twenty push ups a day and they disappear!"It's not all that funny, and it's not a horror flick by any means. Evil is seductive, but ultimately destructive. It can be overcome by human rectitude. it's an engaging film, a good job by everyone involved (except the sound man), including John Williams who did a sprightly loopy main theme. Devilishly clever.
Underestimated and underachieved
posted on 17 Oct 2008I say this film is underestimated. Not only is the story quite handsome, the actors act their finest - especially Jack Nicholson who, given the right script, lets fly his brilliance every once in a while. The story of the devil's arrival and his impact on a small community in general and three of its women in particular, with a twist of eroticism and self-indulgence, is at its best in this movie. The ending, however, bears a striking resemblance to The Golden Child, and should have been reworked.
This movie was made almost 20 years ago and all the female
posted on 05 Oct 2008actors look almost the same, hows that for witchcraft and a good plastic surgeon. Jack, however, hasen't faired as well, but he'll always be the devil to me. He's just so good in every movie he does. My favorite line in this movie was, Jack was having tea with Susan Sarandon, she was explaining to him that the estate he just bought had a dark history about
witches, Jack scoffs at this and says, " The whole witchcraft scare was invented by the male medical profession that wanted to get midwifes out of the child birthing business" Made a lot of sense to me. Enjoy!
A CAULDRON FULL OF FUN
posted on 02 Oct 2008That old Jack magic has us in his spell in the ultimate Nicholson part -- old Scratch himself. He is undisputably the star of "The Witches of Eastwick," despite formidable competition from his unlikely coven of modern day Rhode Island witches played delightfully by Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon.
One dark night over Cheez Whiz and martinis, the three women lament the lack of good men, wishing idly for the ideal lover -- "a dark prince, traveling under a curse, on a dark charger." They clink a toast to a thunderclap. And suddenly out of the wet New England woods, something wicked their way comes -- in a speeding black Mercedes with extra running lights and the power to leap potholes. Daryl Van Horne, cloven hoofs hidden under his Lakers high-tops, makes his entrance into quaint, colonial Eastwick. He's a supernatural cutup, equal parts blasphemy, brimstone and catnip.
When John Updike wrote his risque' 1984 best seller, he was definetely dancing on the edge of antihereo in Van Horne. Screen writer Michael Cristofer compounds the chaos with a beguiling brew of satanic spoof, sexual bickering, monster mash and Gothic slapstick comedy. If Hawthorne were alive and well in the '80s and inclined to caffeine abuse, he might have penned this frantic genre-bender, with its uninhibited exploration of repression's fruits -- political and physical -- with Daryl as devil's advocate to the women's movement. The sly chauvinist is against liberation, unless it's sexual. But he is not above using feminist propaganda to flatter and seduce the trio who inadvertently summoned him. Naturally, they find him irresistible. (Each of them manless and sorely oppressed in Eastwick.)
With its white steepled church and lawns more pristine than AstroTurf, it makes the perfect Puritan theme park. We fly down into this manicured doll town with its Halloween orange trees, aboard a cinematic broomstick, swept up in the fractured fantasy by director George Miller who directs this eccentric fairy tale with his customary flair and adolescent gusto. His proportions are outsized and the mood is demonic Disney. With a sky full of chubby, children's-book clouds and a dance number in an explosion of pink balloons, you think this is how the Devil would romance Mary Poppins -- provided Poppins would not be put off by cherry vomit.
Nicholson hasn't frothed like this since he cut loose in "The Shining." His Daryl, unlike Devils of yore, arrives in sartorial disarray. He's a reactionary womanizer who makes man's men like Bruce Willis come off like closet quiche-eaters. Curiously, the allegedly independent women Daryl woos are easy catches, more willing even than Stepford Wives.
Cher, is first to succumb, as widowed sculptor Alexandra Medford. All it takes, in fact, is a little empathy. Daryl, wriggling like a kitty, invites Alexandra to join him in his king-size bed in a manner that may not be repeated here. "I appreciate your directness," says Alexandra. "But I am sure you are the most unattractive man I've ever met ... You're not even interesting enough to make me sick." "So which do you want, the bottom or the top?" asks the unflappable Daryl, who immediately mesmerizes her with a speech about macrame' and coffee makers.
Pfeiffer, as a small-town journalist with a half-dozen kids and a husband who deserted her, can't wait to join the magical me'nage. "I'd love to be a woman," whispers Daryl. "Look what you can do with your bodies ... make babies, make milk to feed the babies." We might gag at this ourselves, but Pfeiffer's Sukie Ridgemont is taken in, being inordinately proud of her fecundity. Sukie was the beginning of more substantial parts for Pfeiffer, who is exquisite and sweetly intent.
But it's Sarandon who makes the greatest impression in her transition from retiring wallflower to ravishing vixen. As recently divorced cellist Jane Spofford, she fleshes out the cartoon role as a repressed redhead who gives herself to the Devil in a smoking, bow-stroking musical interlude. After a duet, the sheet music bursts into flames, the cello burns and the lovers are equally consumed. From then on, Jane gives up her glasses and takes to wearing little girls' socks with her high heels. And we all know what that signifies.
But almost all are upstaged by the insanely underrated Veronica Cartwright, a former child star who plays the thirty-ish Felicia Gabriel, a prophetic pillar of the community who senses the Devil's presence, becoming ever more paranoid as the merriment progresses. It's a prissy part that's even harder to play sympathetically than Nicholson's, but Cartwright does so handily. She's terrific. Richard Jenkins is also a small marvel as her long-suffering husband.
The battle between the sexes escalates and the fantasies get nasty as we near the frenzied finale that finds Van Horne, covered in chicken feathers and pink slime, demanding of a congregation of Eastwick Christians if "God knew what he was doing when he created woman? You don't think God makes mistakes?"
Some purists will say that the film has very little to do with Updike's original novel, and they would be right. (The script was rewritten by award-winning playwright Cristopher on a daily basis.) But all that is small potatos when one views the final product. With outstanding performances, amazing art direction and cinematography, the film holds up as fun, diverting entertainment with a standout over-the-top Nicholson (in a role he was born to play!) There is also a lush score by John WIlliams that captures with amazing dexterity, both the witchy playfulness of it's subject and just the right feel of a small New England town.
This film was a big hit in theaters during the summer of 1987 and deserves to be seen again and again. One can only hope that Warner Brothers has plans to honor THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK with a well deserved 2 disc special edition with a magnificent pristine print and enough bonus extras to equal the pull-out-all-the-stops finale of the film.
An amazing movie.
For the ones who like witch-craft...
posted on 30 Aug 2008"The Witches of Eastwick" is recommended for all the ones who like to see things about witch-craft. If you watch the TV show "Charmed" or liked "The Craft", you can't miss this one.The story is quite simple: three single women, unhappy with their lives, beg for help using the black magic. Suddenly, the women (played by Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon and Cher) meet a man named Daryl Van Horn (Jack Nicholson), and then things start to change- for good... or bad.With much black-humor, a good story and many dark elements, "The Witches of Eastwick" turns into a very good film.
Absolute Filth
posted on 11 May 2008If only I could rate this stinker much lower.
So it was family movie night, and my Mom unwittingly picked this to be our movie because it was in the Halloween pile at Walmarts. I was ready for fun and adventure, so what did we actually see?
It starts out like Desperate House Witches who don't know they have powers, and they all sit around in a house talking about their lusts, fantasies, and what size they prefer. Right from that moment I started feeling uncomfortable watching this with mom and dad. I asked to not watch anymore, but they wanted to ride it out.
Then, their lusts bring in this freak played by Jack N. who nobody knows who he is, except for this one Christian lady who said his name and then was tossed down a flight of stairs (later on, she dies in a malevolent way). I again asked for it to be stopped, but Mom was interested to find out if the witches will discover their power.
Then each of the three witches sleep with this guy one at a time and all end up living in the huge mansion. Absolutely disgusting!
Then more happens of this same nature, but I will reveal no more as I may reveal crucial plot points. HA HA! As if there was one. Hardly a plot and very bad acting from actors who I KNOW have ecclectic acting abilities that were definitely not exploited!
And the swearing/slang was downright annoying in this movie. And for you Christians out there, there was over 50+ times the Lord's name was used in vain and abused as well.
On the box it said this movie was [PG-13], but seeing it here, it turns out it is indeed [R]. After the movie ended, I was appauled. Anyways, this certainly isn't a movie for those who have families out there, and how anyone can give this movie more than 1 star is beyond me! To bad Wal-marts doesn't let you return movies after they have been opened.
Lousy Packaging
posted on 04 Aug 2009The movie is worth 3 or 4 stars. However, when the DVD is shipped in paper thin cardboard (that cannot even be fastened closed) so that the customer must go buy a plastic DVD box to protect the DVD from damage, the rating of the DVD goes down. A real exception to the usual high quality of Amazon.com products. If Amazon.com cannot insist on consistency from their suppliers, perhaps the "Product Details" can warn the customer that they are getting a DVD without a useable package.