The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Three single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted, at a cost, when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

John Updike (novel), Michael Cristofer (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson	...	Daryl Van Horne
Cher	...	Alexandra Medford
Susan Sarandon	...	Jane Spofford
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Sukie Ridgemont
Veronica Cartwright	...	Felicia Alden
Richard Jenkins	...	Clyde Alden
Keith Jochim	...	Walter Neff
Carel Struycken	...	Fidel
Helen Lloyd Breed	...	Mrs. Biddle
Caroline Struzik	...	Carol Medford
Michele Sincavage	...	Ridgemont Child
Nicol Sincavage	...	Ridgemont Child
Heather Coleman	...	Ridgemont Child
Carolyn Ditmars	...	Ridgemont Child
Cynthia Ditmars	...	Ridgemont Child

Storyline

All three previously married but now single, best friends sculptress Alex Medford, cellist Jane Spofford and writer Sukie Ridgemont are feeling emotionally and sexually repressed, in large part due to the traditional mores overriding their small New England coastal town of Eastwick. After their latest conversation lamenting about the lack of suitable men in Eastwick and describing the qualities they are looking for in a man, mysterious Daryl Van Horne and his equally mysterious butler Fidel arrive in town. Despite being vulgar, crude, brazen and not particularly handsome, Daryl manages to be able to tap into the innermost emotions of the three friends, and as such manages to seduce each. In turn, the three women blossom emotionally and sexually. After an incident involving one of the town's leading citizens, the ultra conservative Felicia Alden, the three women begin to understand how and why Daryl is able to mesmerize them so fully. The three decide to experiment with some powers ...

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Plot Keywords:

divorced woman | male objectification | windstorm | verbose speech | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

Three Beautiful Women. One Lucky Devil.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of three theatrical movies released in 1987 that featured Jack Nicholson. He appeared briefly in Broadcast News (1987), as evening news anchorman Bill Rorich; in the lead role as Francis Phelan in Ironweed (1987); and as the devil Daryl Van Horne in this movie. Cher also appeared in three films this year; Moonstruck and Suspect were the other two. All of the aforementioned movies were box office and critical hits.

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Goofs

Support wires holding Jane as she falls off the balcony.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Carol Medford: You don't have to come today, you know, I mean, if you don't want to.
Alexandra Medford: No, sweetheart, I want to, it's just that I have a million things I have to do first.

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Connections

Referenced in DVD-R Hell: Doorways to Danger (2017)

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Soundtracks

Nessun Dorma
from the Opera "Turandot"
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Luciano Pavarotti with John Alldis Choir (as The John Alldis Choir) and London Philharmonic Orchestra (as The London Philharmonic Orchestra),
Conducted by Zubin Mehta
Courtesy of London Records, a division of PolyGram Classic, Inc.

User Reviews

A great guilty-pleasure.

Subtle, it ain't but George Miller's film version of John Updike's "The Witches of Eastwick" is extremely entertaining. Jack Nicholson, in a role you feel he was born to play, is Darryl Van Horne, 'just your average, horny little devil' who, it would appear, is conjured up by three New England women, (Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer), one stormy night and whose presence in their lives turns them into 'the witches' of the title. He's magnificent and very funny but the movie goes to pieces before the end. What starts out as a satire on New England prudery and what, I suppose, could be called 'the battle of the sexes' just becomes another Faustian horror-comedy about selling your soul to the Devil but, at least on that level, it's great fun, (and you do get the impression that these witches are having a ball). Throw in Veronica Cartwright as one of those New England prudes who sees Nicholson for what he is and not just a great lay with supernatural powers and you have a female-centered movie of the first order. It may be no classic but it's a great guilty pleasure.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Witches of Eastwick

Filming Locations:

Abbott Hall - 188 Washington Street, Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,454,238, 14 June 1987

Gross USA:

$63,766,510

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$63,766,510

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., The Guber-Peters Company, Kennedy Miller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1