SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983) Movie Poster, Daybill
Size AU Daybill Post-War (13" x 30")
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983) Movie Poster, Original Daybill, Starring Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, Pam Grier, Directed by Jack Clayton is in Very Fine Condition. Movie Poster...
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983) Movie Poster, Original Daybill, Starring Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, Pam Grier, Directed by Jack Clayton is in Very Fine Condition.
Movie Poster and Condition.
Condition: This Australian Daybill Movie Poster is presented in Very Fine Condition, 2 Daybill folds as issued, minor fold and handling wear, and some foxing on the back but doesn't show through, otherwise this poster presents in excellent condition with a colourful clean presentation.
Movie Synopsis
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) is a dark fantasy horror film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the celebrated novel by acclaimed American author Ray Bradbury. Directed by Jack Clayton, the film stars Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd and Pam Grier in a mysterious tale about an apparently ordinary American town that falls under the spell of a sinister travelling carnival. Blending supernatural horror, childhood adventure and psychological fantasy, it remains one of Disney's most atmospheric and unusual productions of the 1980s.
The story takes place in the small Midwestern community of Green Town, Illinois, during the 1930s. Two twelve-year-old boys, Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson), are best friends who are eagerly anticipating their futures and the excitement of growing up. Their ordinary lives take an extraordinary turn when a mysterious carnival arrives in town during the autumn. Known as Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Carnival, the travelling attraction promises entertainment, unusual spectacles and the fulfilment of people's deepest wishes.
At first, the carnival appears to offer something wonderful to the townspeople. However, Will and Jim soon discover that there is something deeply disturbing about its attractions and performers. The carnival's mysterious proprietor, Mr Dark (Jonathan Pryce), possesses an extraordinary ability to understand people's hidden desires, fears and regrets. Rather than granting wishes out of kindness, he uses those weaknesses to gain control over his victims, offering them the things they most desperately want in exchange for their souls and freedom.
Among the carnival's sinister performers is the Dust Witch (Pam Grier), a mysterious and frightening figure who helps Mr Dark locate and manipulate his intended victims. Mr Cooger (Bruce M. Fischer) is another of the carnival's unsettling characters, while Royal Dano plays Tom Fury, a lightning-rod salesman whose warnings provide an early indication of the danger surrounding the travelling attraction. As the carnival begins transforming the lives of Green Town's residents, the two boys realise that they must uncover its secrets before it is too late.
Will's father, Charles Halloway (Jason Robards), is the town librarian. Although he loves his son, Charles struggles with his advancing age and the feeling that he has missed opportunities in his own life. Mr Dark recognises these insecurities and attempts to exploit them, using the promise of youth and renewed vitality to tempt him. Charles must confront his own fears and discover that courage, love and acceptance are far more powerful than the superficial promises offered by the carnival.
As the danger intensifies, Will and Jim find themselves caught in a frightening struggle against Mr Dark and his supernatural travelling show. Their friendship, bravery and determination become essential to confronting the evil that has descended upon their town. Charles also faces a personal battle, ultimately discovering that understanding and accepting himself is the key to resisting the carnival's influence. The story develops into a compelling confrontation between innocence and corruption, childhood and adulthood, and the power of human love against supernatural evil.
The screenplay was written by Ray Bradbury, adapting his own 1962 novel, which itself originated from an earlier short story titled Black Ferris, first published in 1948. Bradbury had originally developed the story as a screenplay for Gene Kelly, but the proposed film was unable to secure financing. Years later, producer Peter Douglas helped bring the project to the screen for Disney, with Jack Clayton directing. The production featured elaborate carnival sets, atmospheric cinematography by Stephen H. Burum and a memorable musical score composed by James Horner.
One particularly interesting production detail was the construction of Green Town on the Walt Disney Studios backlot in California. The elaborate Victorian-style town and enormous carnival midway required substantial construction work to create the film's distinctive period atmosphere. The production also featured live tarantulas for some of its more frightening sequences. Released in 1983, Something Wicked This Way Comes remains a distinctive example of dark fantasy filmmaking and a memorable entry in Disney's catalogue of supernatural cinema. For collectors, an original Australian Daybill movie poster represents an appealing piece of vintage Disney film memorabilia from this atmospheric 1980s production.
To find out more about Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) click here to go to IMDB.com.
Special Notes.
Images may have a small 'MPA' digital watermark and this does not appear on the poster. Posters are being held by magnets in the corners to take photographs, so you may see some magnet and shadows from the magnets in these areas. The magnets are not included in the sale of the item.
Postage, Insurance & Your Country Taxes
Postage costs are quoted for this item, include insurance up to AUD$100, but if you reside outside of Australia, the price does not include any import taxes/fees that you may be required to pay when the item reaches your borders. Please check with your local authorities for any additional taxes or fees. If you would like full insurance coverage for your purchase, please message me and I would be happy to quote the additional cost (estimate is AUD$2.50 p/AUD$100 or 2.5% of the item value, up to a maximum item value of AUD$5,000).
FAQ
At Movie Posters Australia, the love and conservation of movie posters comes first, and we like to share this passion. Our commitment to quality means we will provide high quality memorabilia to our customers. Posters are carefully chosen and authenticated to ensure originality and value. We want our customers to trust MPA, so we always try to be as open and transparent as we can, provide detailed condition information and images, to ensure customers are comfortable and confident in their purchase.
While the industry does have a few condition rating standards, there is no movie poster condition rating system that has become the accepted standard world wide. This unfortunately makes condition terms vary from movie poster dealer to movie poster dealer. Terms like Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, seem to be universal to most condition rating standards, but most standards still lack definition about what and how many flaws/defects/damage defines a specific condition level. For more information on how Movie Posters Australia grades the condition of its movie posters, daybills, lobby cards and other ephemera please see out Movie Poster Condition and Grading page.
In the early days of cinema, posters were primarily hand-drawn and printed in various sizes, often tailored to fit the available space in theaters or promotional areas. In the United States, the "One Sheet" size (some times called '1 Sheet' or '1SH' approximately 27" x 41", became the standard during the 1930s. This size was manageable for theater display and suited the needs of a growing film industry.
Different countries developed their own poster sizes and styles, which also changed sometimes over the decades, and were influenced by local preferences and practical considerations, like available paper sheet sizes and how many posters could be printed on one sheet.
In Australia, the most popular size, the Daybill, has evolved over the decades. Australian Daybills sizes in chronological order are:
- Long Daybills (15" x 40"), from 1920's to pre-WW2 or pre-1941, were printed two to a sheet, longer than current Daybill versions. There were size variances in width from 14.5" to 15" and in height from 39.5" to 40".
- War Time Daybill (10" x 30"), during WW2, for a short time to conserve paper during a war time shortage, four Daybills were printed on one sheet. Information from Press Sheets also referred to these War-Time sizes as "New Size Daybills".
- Post-War Daybill (13" x 30"), this 13" x 30" Post-War size carried through until the 1980's, but also varied in size from 13"-14" x 29.75"-30.25".
- Post-80's Daybill (33cm x 66cm, or 13" x 26"), over a few years in the late 80's, the size changed again to a metric 33cm x 66cm, although these have also varied from 32-33cm x 64.5-66cm. New sizes from the late 80's were created, sometimes called a Mini Daybill or Mini Poster, in 9" x 12", 11" x 17" and 13" x 20".
In the UK, the somewhat unique 'Quad' poster, measuring 30" x 40", became popular, offering a larger landscape format that allowed for more elaborate designs.
In Japan, movie poster sizes were smaller, such as the "B2" (20" x 28"), which suited the more compact living environment of larger cities, smaller advertising spaces, and unique aesthetic sensibilities.
The 1970s and 1980s, witnessed the rise of the "six-sheet" (81" x 81") format, reflecting a trend towards larger and more visually impactful advertising.
Overall, the variation in movie poster sizes across different countries and decades highlights the interplay between technological printing advancements, paper resource availability, paper sheet size changes, cultural preferences, and the evolving nature of movie marketing.
At Movie Posters Australia we tag each poster we sell with a 'size' and 'condition' description at the very top of the page for our customers to easily see. There may however be some slight variations to sizes by up one inch due to variations in production and guillotine methods by printers over the decades.