--- title: "The Witches of Eastwick" year: 1987 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-witches-of-eastwick" fi1m_id: "the-witches-of-eastwick" imdb_id: "tt0094332" tmdb_id: 6069 wikidata_id: "Q785087" fi1m_score: 73 critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-10-04T20:13:33.406112+00:00" updated: "2026-10-04T20:13:42.763315+00:00" region: "IL" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Witches of Eastwick (1987) Directed by George Miller · 1h 58m · Comedy, Fantasy, Horror ## Identity The Witches of Eastwick - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-witches-of-eastwick - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-witches-of-eastwick - **IMDb ID:** tt0094332 - **TMDB ID:** 6069 - **Wikidata ID:** Q785087 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094332/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/6069, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q785087 **Fi1m score: 73** · Critics 64 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* Jack Nicholson behaves as though the entire film has been arranged for his personal amusement > George Miller’s supernatural comedy is worth seeing for its four leads, especially an unrestrained Jack Nicholson. The effects grow tiresome, and the women deserve more than a screenplay that too often settles for types. ## Synopsis Alexandra Medford (Cher), Jane Spofford (Susan Sarandon) and Sukie Ridgemont (Michelle Pfeiffer) are the three women at the centre of this supernatural comedy. Jack Nicholson plays Daryl Van Horne, the man alongside them in a fantasy about relations between the sexes. Felicia Alden (Veronica Cartwright) and Clyde Alden (Richard Jenkins) are also part of the story. George Miller directs an adaptation of John Updike’s novel, with a screenplay by Michael Cristofer. Comedy and horror accompany the sexual tensions, with the four leads sharing a film that runs for 118 minutes. ## Review George Miller’s *The Witches of Eastwick* is an entertaining, uneven supernatural comedy whose actors are considerably more engaging than its effects. It wants sex, laughter and horror to share the same space, and for a while that crowded arrangement is part of the pleasure. The trouble is that the spectacle becomes insistent before the characters become substantial. We would still give it an evening, provided the attraction is this cast being allowed to misbehave. Jack Nicholson understands the invitation. As Daryl Van Horne, he makes excess itself funny, carrying on with a confidence that would be exhausting without such evident comic judgement. We laughed at his shameless self-importance, because he makes Daryl’s belief in his own appeal both ridiculous and oddly persuasive. There is a limit to how much of this a film can accommodate, but he is seldom the reason a scene feels overdone. Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer keep the film from becoming a prolonged solo turn. As Alexandra Medford, Jane Spofford and Sukie Ridgemont respectively, they bring enough assurance and comic intelligence to suggest women with more going on than the screenplay can be bothered to explore. We enjoy their company; we also keep wishing they had been given something equally interesting to do. Their performances make the shorthand bearable, but the difference between Daryl’s opportunities and theirs remains conspicuous. Michael Cristofer’s screenplay, adapted from John Updike’s novel, has a workable comic subject in the negotiations between women and men. Its willingness to find something funny in sexual appetite gives the actors plenty of licence, and the film would be poorer without that untidiness. Yet too often it lets broad character types stand where individual women ought to be. When the writing stays this sketchy, the competition for our attention becomes more interesting than the relationships it is supposed to illuminate. Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography gives the fantasy a sensual polish, and Polly Platt’s production design helps make its extravagance inviting. The film looks welcoming enough to make its lapses into coarseness more jarring. The care in the images is a considerable pleasure, although it also makes us notice when the comedy has settled for something easier. There is enough here to reward the eye during the weaker stretches, but the handsome surroundings cannot supply the detail missing from the women’s parts. John Williams’s music is comfortable with this scale of mischief, though the film hardly needs further encouragement to make a fuss. Editors Hubert C. de la Bouillerie and Richard Francis-Bruce have a less enviable job: keeping the comedy moving while the effects demand more attention. The heavier the spectacle becomes, the less room there is to enjoy the performers’ timing. We grew impatient with that excess, especially when the cast had already shown how readily it could hold our attention without it. For a comedy that flirts with horror, the imbalance is frustrating rather than fatal. A little ugliness belongs here, and George Miller is right not to make the whole thing polite; the mistake is in assuming that more effects will keep making it funnier. Anyone drawn chiefly by the supernatural business may find the comic performances more satisfying than the promised spectacle. Choose it for the company, and allow for the film’s tendency to outstay its funniest ideas. *Fi1m score 73, published 4 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is The Witches of Eastwick worth watching?** *The Witches of Eastwick* is worth watching for its four leads and unruly supernatural comedy, and we score it 73 out of 100. Nicholson’s shameless self-importance makes us laugh, while Cher, Sarandon and Pfeiffer deserve fuller characters; choose it for the performances rather than the increasingly tiresome effects. **How long is The Witches of Eastwick, and what is it rated?** *The Witches of Eastwick* runs 1h 58m. It is a comedy and fantasy film. **Where can I watch The Witches of Eastwick in Israel?** *The Witches of Eastwick* is not on any streaming or rental service in Israel at the moment. It is available in 34 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is The Witches of Eastwick, and is it suitable for children?** *The Witches of Eastwick* carries a UK 18 certificate and is not suitable for children. Its comedy mixes horror, sexual tensions and coarseness, making it an adult choice rather than family fantasy; we find the effects more tiresome than rewarding, but that is not reassurance for younger or sensitive viewers. **How does The Witches of Eastwick compare to Daisies?** *The Witches of Eastwick* offers star-led supernatural mischief, while [*Daisies*](https://film.one/film/daisies) follows two women causing deliberate chaos in a comedy less interested in pleasing men. We favour *Daisies* for its willingness to let women run the comedy, despite its repetition; *The Witches of Eastwick* suits those drawn chiefly to Nicholson, Cher, Sarandon and Pfeiffer. **Is The Witches of Eastwick based on a true story or a book?** *The Witches of Eastwick* is adapted from John Updike’s novel, with a screenplay by Michael Cristofer, rather than presented as a true story. We recommend it on the strength of its cast without requiring familiarity with the book, though we find the screenplay’s women too sketchily drawn. **What should I watch after The Witches of Eastwick?** After *The Witches of Eastwick*, try [*Daisies*](https://film.one/film/daisies) (1966, Fi1m 85): Two women cause deliberate chaos in a comedy far less interested in pleasing men. Then [*Death Becomes Her*](https://film.one/film/death-becomes-her) (1992, Fi1m 76): Sexual rivalry and grotesque effects become a sharper, nastier comedy of vanity. ### Reviews we read (5) - **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (4/5): Jones calls it a charming, sensual fantasy, though slightly overloaded with unnecessary effects. He praises the inspired lunacy and the performances of Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer alongside Jack Nicholson. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-37khk7/the-witches-of-eastwick/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (75/100, inferred): The review finds the film funny and irresistible, with a sharply conceived metaphor about relations between the sexes. It singles out Jack Nicholson’s larger-than-life performance for praise, while finding the witches more like types than distinct personalities. [Read](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/the-witches-of-eastwick-1200427050/) - **Empire**, Ian Nathan (70/100, inferred): The review is positive about the film, especially Jack Nicholson’s performance. It singles out his entertaining, larger-than-life portrayal of Daryl Van Horne. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/witches-eastwick-review/) - **Time Out**, DPe (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a film review, but its verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or criticism can be established from the accessible text. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-witches-of-eastwick-2) - **Los Angeles Times**, SHEILA BENSON (30/100, inferred): Benson finds the film a seductive but deeply flawed botch that deteriorates into crude comedy and excessive effects. She singles out Jack Nicholson’s performance as its magnetic saving grace, alongside a few elegant technical touches. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-12-ca-4000-story.html) ## Details - **Director:** George Miller - **Director:** George Miller - **Screenplay:** Michael Cristofer - **Novel:** John Updike - **Cinematography:** Vilmos Zsigmond - **Editor:** Richard Francis-Bruce, Hubert C. de la Bouillerie - **Music:** John Williams - **Production design:** Polly Platt - **Costume design:** Aggie Guerard Rodgers - **Producer:** Neil Canton, Peter Guber, Christine Forsyth-Peters - **Cast:** Jack Nicholson as Daryl Van Horne; Cher as Alexandra Medford; Susan Sarandon as Jane Spofford; Michelle Pfeiffer as Sukie Ridgemont; Veronica Cartwright as Felicia Alden; Richard Jenkins as Clyde Alden; Keith Jochim as Walter Neff; Carel Struycken as Fidel - **Runtime:** 1h 58m - **First release (the US):** 12 June 1987 - **Genres:** Comedy, Fantasy, Horror - **Budget:** $22 million - **Box office:** $64 million ## Where to watch in Israel Not streaming, renting or buying in Israel at the last check. Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1988: Best Original Score (nominated); Best Sound (nominated) - Hugo Awards 1988: Best Dramatic Presentation (won) ## If you liked this - *I Married a Witch* (1942): Another supernatural courtship where a troublesome visitor makes romantic common sense redundant. - *Bell, Book and Candle* (1958): Witchcraft complicates attraction, with a lighter touch and room for romantic hesitation. - *Daisies* (1966), Fi1m 85: Two women cause deliberate chaos in a comedy far less interested in pleasing men. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/daisies.md) - *Death Becomes Her* (1992), Fi1m 76: Sexual rivalry and grotesque effects become a sharper, nastier comedy of vanity. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/death-becomes-her.md) - *The Lure* (2015): Female desire, supernatural danger and musical numbers share an agreeably disreputable evening. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-witches-of-eastwick