The Witches (1990)

The Witches parents guide

The thing to know: several jump scares and light gore, more than a PG usually carries. Beyond that, a few tense moments and mild language.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

Several

More than a couple of sudden jolts.

Gore

Light gore

Some blood or injury, briefly.

Violence

Some violence

Some fighting or peril.

Sex and nudity

None flagged

It is a horror title, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.

Language

Mild

Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Witches scary?

Only a little. The Witches has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is The Witches?

Light gore and some violence.

What is The Witches rated, and is it OK for kids?

Not for every kid. The PG undersells several jump scares.

What is The Witches about?

While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga, a young boy named Luke inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch reveals a plan to turn all children into mice via a magical formula. When they discover the eavesdropper, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of Helga and hotel manager Mr Stringer, Luke the mouse must fight back against the witches.

Cast and crew

More like The Witches

• Roald Dahl's The Witches (2020)Mildly scary · no gore · measuredA young boy and his grandma face a coven of stylish, sinister witches in a darkly-comic fantasy.
• Addams Family Values (1993)Big broad humor · darkly comic · family watch · mildly scaryA darkly-comic family struggles with a new baby and a murderous nanny in this campy, whimsical comedy.
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)Wholesome humor · whimsical · comfort watch · measuredA dark wizard's escape casts a suspenseful shadow over Hogwarts, blending whimsy with a measured, atmospheric dread.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)Whimsical · family watch · mildly scary · measuredA whimsical, darkly comic fantasy unfolds as the king of Halloween tries to hijack Christmas.
• Monsters, Inc. (2001)Wholesome humor · whimsical · family watch · mildly scaryA giant furry monster and his wisecracking sidekick discover heartwarming chaos when a human child enters their world.
• Shrek (2001)Big broad humor · whimsical · family watch · mildly scaryA grumpy ogre and a chatty donkey embark on a brisk, whimsical adventure to rescue a princess.
• Hocus Pocus (1993)Big broad humor · whimsical · family watch · mildly scaryThree campy sister witches return to Salem, unleashing broad, darkly-comic mayhem for a brisk, whimsical Halloween.
• Gremlins (1984)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · briskA darkly comic Christmas gift unleashes malevolent, mischievous creatures on a small town.

The Witches is on our Cozy fall; Horror, not scary; Horror on Peacock; Family on Peacock; and Fantasy on Peacock lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a fun halloween movie, not too scary”
• “a horror movie that's actually scary”
• “scary but not gory”

Lists with the same feel: Family night and Comfort watches.