The Witches (1990/2020) side-by-side comparison

A side-by-side, shot-for-shot comparison between The Witches (1990) and The Witches (2020), both adapted from the book by Roald Dahl. This side-by-side comparison in intended to show the variety of choices made by two different groups of filmmakers when adapting the same written work.

edited by Matt Skuta

[MattSkuta]

For the first time ever, I'm letting viewers in on the process. This includes voting for, suggesting, or even demanding the subject for the next Side-by-Side video.

The first poll for January 2024 is already set, if you'd like to vote, become a $3 member today!

Peter Pan (1953/2003)/Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)

Lolita (1962/1967)

Oldboy (2003/2013)

Forrest Gump (1994)/Laal Singh Chaddha (2022)

The BFG (1989/2016)

[JMKDragon]

This is why I love old movies. Practical effects are waay better and more convincing than cgi. Looks more realistic.

[surreal-riley]

1990: Creepy disfigured looking monster
2020: Bald Shark Woman

[wolfsrain]

The eerieness of the original is unbeatable. That painting story is so scary. In the new one the girl turning into a chicken was just an excuse to use CGI lol

[elviravizcarra]

The girl trapped in the painting was so scary! It still gives me goosebumps
:(

[sanbell]

Perfect example of how technological advancements doesn’t guarantee a better product.

[davidkonevky]

The reason the witches from the other version were so scary is because when they take of their disguise they didn't have smooth skin and poorly made CGI, they had weird contact lenses, crooked and broken teeth, ugly scars, big hairs coming out of places they shouldn't, etc. All made practically, making it look super real. The way they do close ups of the witches give you this claustrophobic feeling, making you uncomfortable too. Also, the witches don't have this over the top voice, they sound creepy but realistic

[ARobinStory]

Something interesting is that the 1990s version offered much more realism. Like the mouse dragging the bottle with his tail instead of standing up and holding it in his hands like a human would. In an insane story with witches and kids turning into animals, those moments grounded in a reality we can accept are so important. It's the difference between being afraid of a scene or laughing at it.

[Skibidivm_Latrinae]

Reasons why the original is better:
1. No CGI
2. Scarier
3. Mr Bean was in it

[delrey]

I love Anne Hathaway, but no one can beat this role of Anjelica Huston.

[gravelock]

The original witches looked so scary, I don't know why they didn't make an effort on them in this remake.

[jhfholliexxh]

Let’s think about the core message of the film for a second, and that is that children should *never* trust strangers, since not everyone is as nice as they seem. The witches represent child predators, since they appear to be beautiful at first glance but when they’re alone, their true horrific, ugly nature is revealed through the removal of their wigs, shoes etc. All things that are designed to make them blend in with non-predators/witches.

Now that we’ve established this, when handling such a dark subject matter and spreading it to children, it makes sense for the movie to realistically be disturbing and creepy, so children will remember the core message of it and be extra wary around strangers.

The 1990 version does an obvious better job at doing this. The story about the girl trapped in the painting, the grand high witch looking like a disfigured, horrifying monster, the beginning scene of the witch trying to lure Luke down from his treehouse etc. All terrified me when I was little. The movie was still watchable however from a few comedic aspects, but it still left me thinking about it for days after I’d seen it.
As for the reboot? The use of CGI which looks quite frankly goofy takes away from the creepy factor of the original, the grand high witch looks more like a real person who has disfigured hands than a revolting monster, and the focus being more on the comedy and a CGI mice chase for the climax take away from the actual message that’s supposed to be told here. In the original, Luke had the help of his grandma - an adult - to defeat the grand high witch and used his brains to defeat her. This is more realistic to what would happen in real life compared to the reboot, since the the reboot, he gets into an “epic” chase with the grand high witch which results in her getting killed by a cat.

No child is able to physically have an advantage over an adult in real life, so it made more sense for Luke’s grandma to have more of a role in the grand high witch’s downfall, since it was previously shown how helpless he was without her. Luke isn’t a hero, he’s just supposed to represent a normal kid, which the reboot doesn’t understand. The point is: if you want someone to get the true message of this movie. Watch the original.

[LuzMaria]

The original is way better because I was actually scared! Anjelica Huston played Morticia Addams too! She’s incredible!

[Liztastaney]

The old version was scarier than a scary movie. The actress really had that old wise grandma feel who did everything she could to bring her grandson revenge. It was edge of the seat... New one is just effects.

[Aesopartemis]

I don't know why I loved the 1990 movie. Guess the prosthetics scared me more than the 2020 CGI

[maruruinku]

The Witches of 1990 looks and feels more genuine than 2020's!

[ambusched]

1990 The Witches, can't be beat, a classic and the visual effects are timeless

[diangun]

the witches in 1990 is a horror film and the 2020 version is a comedy film

CHANGE MY MIND

[Dan-kyes]

Angelica Huston is still the more frightening and effective Grand High Witch.

[Tombbistol]

The old one looks scary and convincing, the new one looks like something a make-up artist did to put on her Instagram.