Escape to Witch Mountain
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Escape to Witch Mountain was originally a science fiction novel written by Alexander Key in 1968. It was made into a film by the Disney corporation. The original version was released in 1975, directed by John Hough. A remake directed by Peter Rader was released in 1995.
The story is about two orphans, Tony and Tia, who have moderate paranormal abilities. After their "granny", the elderly woman who took them in when they were very little, dies, they are placed by social services in a juvenile detention home under grim, unwholesome conditions. Both have repressed memories of their past, but discover clues -- a map and a huge amount of money -- hidden in the bottom of a leather box owned by Tia. When a man claiming to be the brother of their deceased father shows up at the detention center to take custody of them, they instinctively know he is not their uncle and has ulterior motives. With the assistance of a tough-nut inner-city Irish priest, the pair run away, following the map's route leading towards the Blue Ridge Mountains. As their memories begin to return, they realize that they are actually of extraterrestrial origin, and in the end they find their way to their own people.
As with most of Alexander Key's stories, the embattled protagonists find that most of the people they meet are untrustworthy, greedy and hateful. This plotline somewhat resembles the fiction of Zenna Henderson and there is some evidence that Key was influenced by her writings.
In the film version, the children are adopted by a millionaire who plans to use their abilities to his own purposes. They escape from his clutches and are helped toward their destination by a crotchety Irish widower who is initially reluctant to let these two juvenile hitchhikers into his life and Winnebago camper. The story has been considerably cleaned and lightened up from the original novel, and the children's powers have been amplified to the point of absurdity.
Cast of the original version:
- Eddie Albert
- Paul Sorenson
- Don Brodie
- Sherpherd Sanders
- George Chandler
- Terry Wilson
- Lawrence Montaigne
- Alfred Ryder
- Reta Shaw
- Walter Barnes
- Denver Pyle
- Kim Richards
- Ike Eisenmann
- Donald Pleasence
- Ray Milland
Cast of the remake:
- Robert Vaughn
- Elisabeth Moss
- Erik Von Detten
- Lynne Moody
- Perrey Reeves
- Lauren Tom
- Vincent Schiavelli
- Henry Gibson
- Brad Dourif
A sequel was made in 1978, titled Return from Witch Mountain, starring Bette Davis and Christopher Lee. Mr. Key had nothing to do with this film, which in some respects resembles Bewitched.
Links
How much was Alexander Key influenced by Zenna Henderson? (http://www.ldsfilm.com/movies/EscapeToWitchMountain.html)