History Film / TheWitches2020

* TruerToTheText: The adaptation remains faithful to the original book's ending by having the characters who got turned into mice remain mice at the end of the film, unlike the 1990 film which had the characters get turned back into humans.

* HammerSpace: Another of the witches' magic powers, as shown when one of them pulls a long, bone-like length of wood out of her small purse to bar the doors of the meeting room shut.
* HumanoidAbomination: The witches ''only'' look like human women, but are actually [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demonic beings]] that possess devastating magical powers, and it is also briefly implied their human looks conceal a far more [[NothingIsScarier frightening and unnatural true form]]. The Grand High Witch, in particular, as she boasts superhuman strength, can levitate and is able to extend her arms to unholy lengths to capture her prey.

The film faced intense backlash when real people with limb differences mirroring the hands of the witches spoke out. Anne Hathaway posted a lengthy apology and it is this backlash that is thought to be the reason the film was pulled from HBO Max.

* RemakeCameo: In the Latin American Spanish dub:
** Grandmamma's voice actress Rebeca Patiño previously dubbed the woman in black as well as the Norwegian witch.
** Queta Calderón dubbed Miss Irvine and the chef witch in the 1990 film before appearing as an additional voice in this film.

* ShownTheirWork: [[spoiler:Mary]] stops Bruno from eating a grape after he's turned into a mouse. Grapes are poisonous to rodents!

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Grandmamma doesn't have the means to change the children back from mouse-children. She takes them in, however, and makes her home friendly and fun for them. In the meantime, the boy lives longer than expected and into his prime years will continue to raise new generations of witch hunters so they can protect children and stop witches]].

* HarmfulToPetsReminder: Bruno, who was turned into a mouse, tries to eat a grape but Daisy tells them that grapes are poisonous to mice.

In [[TheSixties 1960s]] Alabama, an orphaned young boy named Charlie Hansen (Jahzir Kadeem Bruno) stumbles across a conference of witches, while staying with his grandmother Agatha (Creator/OctaviaSpencer) at a hotel, and gets turned into a mouse by the Grand High Witch (Creator/AnneHathaway). Creator/ChrisRock is Charlie as an adult [[CharacterNarrator narrator]], telling the firsthand account of his experience as a child. Creator/StanleyTucci also stars as Mr. Stringer the hotel manager.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Generally, stealing from someone and setting mousetraps on them isn't nice and is technically illegal. [[spoiler:In Grandmamma's case, however, when it relates to her vs the Grand High Witch, it's satisfying when the mouse-kids distract the harridan with the mousetraps and more so when Grandmamma digs into the trunk of money to find addresses of all the witches in the world]].
* LargeHam: Chris Rock is having fun as the boy all grown up, narrating the beginning of the movie.

* ShoutOut: The GHW poisons the boy "Shakespeare-style" by pouring poison in his ear. Hamlet's father was killed that way. (Bonus points for the GHW's actress sharing the maiden name of Shakespeare's wife.)

* ShoutOut: The GHW poisons the boy "Shakespeare-style" by pouring poison in his ear. Hamlet's father was killed that way.

** Rebeca Patiño, one of the 1990 film's additional voices, voices Grandmamma in this version.
** Queta Calderón voiced Mrs. Irvine and the female chef in the 1990 film. Here, she's one of the additional voices.

* BalefulPolymorph:
** Grandmamma's best friend Alice was turned into a chicken. She also retained her human mind, even if she couldn't talk, and met with Grandmamma every day.
** As per usual, both the boy and Bruno are turned into mice by the witches. [[spoiler:Daisy (real name Mary) is also revealed to be a former human child]].

* EvilGloating: [[spoiler: The Grand High Witch does this to Grandma, remarking about the BalefulPolymorph she inflicted onto her friend into a chicken.]]

The film was originally intended for a domestic theatrical release, but instead premiered on Creator/HBOMax on October 22, 2020. It was released in theaters internationally on October 28.

* ActorAllusion: Chris Rock narrates much of the story as the grown up protagonist. [[Series/EverybodyHatesChris Doesn't that sound familiar]]?

* AdultFear:
** The film opens with the boy trapped in a wrecked car, not injured but a little dazed and dizzy. He then calls for his parents and freaks out when neither of them responds. When Grandmamma takes him in (having just lost her daughter in the crash), she puts on a brave face and tries to cheer him up with cake and dancing. The boy looks around the house at the photos of his parents and Grandmamma as a young woman, moping and wanting them back.
** While they're shopping for groceries and hardware, Grandmamma starts coughing. She hides that she may be sick. Meanwhile, a strange lady accosts her grandson, showing him a hostile snake. The boy understandably runs away when he breaks out of his DeerInTheHeadlights mode.
** Grandmamma is taking a trip with her orphaned grandson. Then he runs afoul of people wanting him dead when she's not watching him. Her OhCrap when she finds out is relatable, and you can hear she's on the verge of tears. Oh, and this takes place in deep south Alabama, in the 1960s, and they're both black.

* AintTooProudToBeg: The Grand High Witch, once Grandmama releases Hades from his cage, tries to beg her pet not to eat her. Being an animal who's been abused and starving, it fails.

In [[TheSixties 1960s]] Alabama, an orphaned young boy (Jahzir Kadeem Bruno) stumbles across a conference of witches, while staying with his grandmother (Creator/OctaviaSpencer) at a hotel, and gets turned into a mouse by the Grand High Witch (Creator/AnneHathaway). Creator/ChrisRock is the boy as an adult [[CharacterNarrator narrator]], telling the firsthand account of his experience as a child. Creator/StanleyTucci also stars, as Mr. Stringer the hotel manager.