Vacationing supernatural teens. Money-hungry baddies. A gaggle of scrappy kids. A terrorist threat on Los Angeles. Yep, it’s time for Return from Witch Mountain, the 1978 sequel to the 1975 original Escape to Witch Mountain. And let me tell you, it is full-on 70s!
The music is groovy and hip. Feels at times like the coundtrack to a CHiPs episode. The acting from returning stars Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann as Tia and Tony is an improvement over their acting in the first film, which is nice. But that doesn’t mean others don’t fall victim to the bad acting bug.
But, first things first. What happens? Tony and Tia return from Witch Mountain to live the good life as hip 70s teens in Los Angeles. When Tony goes to save the life of a man who may fall from a building, he’s kidnapped by and evil man and woman (played by Christopher Lee and Bette Davis.) Now, Tia must team with a young gang of ruffians to find Tony and save her brother and the city from utter destruction!!!
Bette Davis and Christopher Lee are all but wasted in roles that do not do their talents justice. Bette Davis especially seems to just be going through the motions, while Lee plays a villainous scourge to the hilt. Chewing the scenery in every scene.
Who’s that thug playing Sickle? Why it’s character actor Anthony James, who many may know as Hector Savage from Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear. And the truant officer, Mr. Yakamoto? Why, it’s Jack Soo who played Detective Nick Yemana from the series Barney Miller. And Tia and Tony’s uncle? It’s Denver Pyle who played Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard!
Throw in a random goat, a wacky scene in museum, and a boy named Dazzler, and you’ve got yourself a ticket for fun!
The special features are similar to those found on Escape to Witch Mountain, only they pertain to this particular film. This time around, theses a Donald Duck cartoon, “The Eyes Have It,” and a Lost Interview with Christopher Lee.
Not as good as the first, but…well, it’s just not that good. There’s something about a creepy Christopher Lee kidnapping and controlling a shirtless teenage boy that rubs me the wrong way.
Return from Witch Mountain earns a C. Hope the new one is better!
[...] the story takes place over 30 years after Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and Return from Witch Mountain (1978), it’s hard to really see this as a direct sequel to the first two films. The main reason [...]