The Witches gets first trailer and release date – but viewers are split over whether it’s scary enough

‘It looks too colourful,’ complained one viewer

The first trailer for Robert Zemeckis’s adaptation of The Witches has been revealed, ahead of the film’s release on HBO Max.

The film, which stars Anne Hathaway as the leader of a witches’ coven, was originally intended to debut in cinemas, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has meant it will receive a digital release.

The Witches is based on a 1983 novel by Roald Dahl, which tells the story of an orphaned boy who discovers a coven of children-hating witches.

Dahl’s novel was adapted for the screen by cult filmmaker Nicolas Roeg in 1990, in a version which starred Angelica Huston, Mai Zetterling and Rowan Atkinson.

Alongside Hathaway, this new adaptation will feature Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Kristin Chenoweth, and will hit screens in the US on 22 October.

Reaction to the trailer with mostly positive, with many viewers voicing their excitement on social media.

“This book TERRIFIED me as a child I can't wait for this haha,” wrote one viewer underneath the trailer.

“I actually never in a hundred years thought this would get a remake, like damn, the original was so good, but D A M N this one looks good too,” wrote another.

However, others expressed disappointment that the film seems to lighten the dark, sinister tone of Roeg’s 1990 version.

“It looks too colourful. Like if Nickelodeon was asked to produced the remake,” wrote one commenter.

“Double double toil and trouble. Remakes brew and seething hate will bubble,” joked someone else.

“The original is the scariest kids film ever. This looks more like a goofy comedy,” wrote a viewer beneath the trailer on YouTube.

The Witches is set to release in cinemas internationally, including in the UK, from 28 October.