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 ...

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

Three Beautiful Women. One Lucky Devil.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to George Miller, producer Jon Peters suddenly decided he wanted aliens to appear in the movie, even though it didn't make sense with the story. Miller thinks that Peters was influenced by the box-office success of Aliens (1986). He even showed up one day on-set with a stuntman dressed as an alien, and told Miller to put him in a scene, any scene. Miller and Jack Nicholson then left the set until Peters gave up on his fixation.

---

Goofs

A wire controlling the movement of the tennis ball is visible in subsequent shots while the witches and Daryl are playing tennis.

---

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.

---

Connections

References Labyrinth (1986)

---

Soundtracks

Feodora
Composed by Carel Struycken

User Reviews

What fun Nicholson must have had with this!

What fun Nicholson must have had with this! He really hams it up here. Very good supporting work by Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfieffer, and Veronica Cartwright. The plot is a little bit impenetrable. The "witches" are at first unaware of their power. I suppose I should read Updike's novel, but the one book of his I did read sucked. Anyway, I recommend the film, for it seems a bit different than normal Hollywood formula.

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