Witch Mountain

 

Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key

The book that started the Witch Mountain franchise. In it, orphans Tia and Tony are running away from a rich billionaire that wishes to exploit them for their powers. They’re aliens you see. In the book Tia only speaks telepathically to Tony. She’s mute to everyone else. Jason O’Day in the original book is a priest. One of my favorite science fiction quotes comes at the end of this book when Day tells Bolt, “Do you think my God is so small that he could not create other worlds like this one?”

Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)

The movie stays pretty close to the book except that Jason O’Day is not a priest and Tia is not mute. This was one of my favorite movies growing up (and I still think it’s pretty great). I actually watched this movie before reading the book. It was many years later when I discovered that it was a book. For that reason I like the movie slightly better than the book.

Return from Witch Mountain (1978)

I don’t think this movie is as good as its predecessor. Basically Tony gets captured and brainwashed my unscrupulous individuals and it’s up to Tia and a group of children that are skipping school to start a street gang to save him.

Return from Witch Mountain by Alexander Key

This is listed after the movie because it is basically a movie novelization. You know you have made it when the writer of the original book liked it well enough to write the movie novelization.

Escape to Witch Mountain (1995)

In this version twins with purple light magic beamed down to earth and were separated. They have to be together for their magic to work. It’s a different version to be sure but has many of the same elements. A fun movie.

Race to Witch Mountain (2009)

Tooted as a sequel instead of a remake this movie has alien kids Sara and Seth trying to find their parents’ research while outrunning a terminator/Gort creature sent from their home planet who are not interested in finding a solution to saving their dying planet and the Men in Black. They team up with taxi driver Jack Bruno who acts as their Jason O’Day. I loved this mainly because they weren’t trying to make a remake.