Everything Parents Should Know About the Scary Scenes in the Witches Reboot

The opening scene of The Witches shows how Charlie lost both of his parents in a car accident because they weren’t wearing their seat belts. Although there aren’t any dramatic scenes that depict the car accident in detail, it may be triggering for little ones who have been in a car accident before. It also may prompt a family discussion about car safety and the importance of wearing a seat belt.

Parents who have squeamish little ones should be aware that just like in the book and original film, Charlie gets turned into a mouse. While Charlie and his newfound friends are actually very cute, the mean-looking rats that crop up toward the end of the film are not, so keep an eye out for those!

If you were terrified of the 1990 rendition of The Witches, buckle up, because the women in this coven can be terrifying, too.

Anne Hathaway makes a pretty dang convincing witch and has some interesting features that go along with it. She has missing fingers and cloven hooves, her mouth expands to double its size, and in a few scenes, she quite literally bares her sharp teeth. Sometimes the special effects are just too good! Like in the 1990 version, all of the witches have bald heads sporting painful-looking red patches, except this time, it’s much more amplified for an extra scare factor.

One scene to look out for in particular is the witches’ meeting beginning at the 38-minute mark: we get a look at the Grand High Witch’s true intentions – to turn every child into a mouse using a sinister-looking potion – and it may be scary for young viewers.

While the meeting scene starts out pleasant enough, the situation escalates very quickly – think screaming, hissing, and monster imagery – once the Grand High Witch starts to describe her master plan, so feel free to fast forward if it’s too much!