Review – The Witches of Eastwick

Now here’s a combo you don’t see every day: a big-budget, star vehicle horror movie with a feminist slant. Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer and Cher star as three single women dissatisfied with the small-town New England hand life has dealt them. Enter Jack Nicholson as a devilish figure who delights in helping the women get out of their ruts. The trio abandon their demon lover when he starts to play a little too rough, and from there things escalate into an effects-intensive denouement. While it’s nice to see Hollywood pony up for a cast and some production values in a horror flick every once in awhile, this particular sample seems to have been so dummied down that “drama” or “comedy” might be better words for it. In the final cut (especially after preview audiences nixed a lot of the gore), the most horrible thing in the whole movie is Nicholson’s shameless scenery-chewing, excessive even by his usual standards. Mildly amusing