If you grew up in the nineties, you probably have a specific mental image of a woman peeling off her face to reveal a rotting, beak-nosed nightmare underneath. That image is courtesy of Eva Ernst, the human alias of the Grand High Witch in the 1990 film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches.
She's terrifying. Truly.
But here is the thing: if you go back to the original 1983 book, Eva Ernst technically doesn't exist. Not by that name, anyway. Roald Dahl never gave his villain a human name. She was just the Grand High Witch—a "tiny very pretty" woman in a mask who smelled like fresh violets but harbored a soul of pure, unadulterated rot.
The Name Game: Why Eva Ernst?
Hollywood loves a name. When Nicolas Roeg directed the 1990 movie, he knew "The Grand High Witch" was a mouthful for a woman checking into a posh hotel. They gave her the name Eva Ernst. It’s a sharp, Germanic-sounding name that fits the vibe of the character’s "foreign" accent described in the book.
Interestingly, the 2020 remake starring Anne Hathaway tried to shake things up by calling her Lilith, though most fans still default to the Ernst moniker. It’s the one that stuck. It sounds professional. It sounds like someone who would lead a convention for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children while secretly plotting to turn every child in England into a mouse.
Anjelica Huston vs. Anne Hathaway: The Battle of the Masks
When we talk about Eva Ernst in The Witches, we’re usually talking about Anjelica Huston. Her performance is legendary for a reason. She didn't just play a witch; she played a "boss bitch" decades before that term became a tired cliché.
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The 1990 Interpretation
Huston’s Eva Ernst was a fashion icon. Think black silk, arched eyebrows, and a silhouette that screamed power. The director actually rejected the first costume choice because it wasn't "sexy" enough. He wanted her to be a femme fatale—someone who used her human beauty as a predatory tool.
The makeup was a different story. It took six to seven hours to apply those prosthetics. Huston had to wear fake hands where her real fingers only reached the knuckles. She couldn't even go to the bathroom without a massive production. But that effort paid off. The reveal of her true face remains one of the most visceral moments in children's cinema. It’s the stuff of genuine, cold-sweat nightmares.
The 2020 Interpretation
Then you’ve got Anne Hathaway. Her version is much more "camp." In the 2020 film, she’s got a Glasgow grin that stretches across her face and toes that look like something out of a sci-fi flick.
While the 1990 version relied on the sheer gross-out factor of rotting skin, Hathaway’s version uses CGI to create an "uncanny valley" effect. She’s more like a demon in a human suit than a woman hiding a deformity. It’s a different kind of scary, though many purists argue it lacks the weight of Jim Henson’s practical puppet effects.
What Most People Miss About the Character
People often forget that the Grand High Witch is actually wealthy. In the book, Dahl mentions that in her "home district," she was known as a "kindly and very wealthy Baroness" who gave huge sums to charity.
She isn't just a monster in the woods. She’s a socialite.
That’s what makes her so dangerous. She understands how human society works better than humans do. She uses money, status, and "good deeds" to mask her absolute hatred for children. It’s a commentary on how evil often hides behind a veneer of respectability.
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Key Differences Between the Versions:
- The Book: She is tiny, pretty, and wears a "perfectly-fitting" mask. She has no name.
- The 1990 Film: She is Eva Ernst. She is tall, glamorous, and turns into a hunched, bird-like creature.
- The 2020 Film: She is Lilith. She has a heavy Eastern European accent and supernatural "hovering" abilities.
The Problem with the Happy Ending
Roald Dahl famously hated the 1990 movie ending. In his book, the boy stays a mouse. He’s fine with it, too, because it means he’ll only live as long as his grandmother, and they can die together. It’s dark, sweet, and very "Dahl."
The movie gave us the character of Miss Irvine—Eva Ernst’s mistreated assistant—who turns "good" and magically zaps the boy back into a human. It completely undercuts the stakes of the Grand High Witch’s power. If her magic is that easily reversed by a disgruntled employee, is she really the "most evil woman in the world"?
Honestly, probably not.
How to Spot a Witch (According to the Lore)
If you're worried about running into an Eva Ernst in the wild, you need to remember the markers. These aren't just movie tropes; they are the "facts" Helga (the grandmother) teaches Luke.
- The Gloves: They always wear them. Even indoors. To hide the claws.
- The Wigs: They are all bald. The wigs itch like crazy, causing "wig-rash" around the hairline.
- The Feet: They don't have toes. They have square ends. This makes wearing pretty, pointed shoes excruciatingly painful.
- The Spit: It’s blue. Like ink. They use it to write, apparently.
- The Eyes: Look closely at the pupils. In the book, they change color. In the 1990 movie, they are a piercing, unnatural purple.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Eva Ernst and The Witches, there are a few things you should actually do rather than just re-watching the movies for the tenth time.
First, track down the original 1983 edition of the book with illustrations by Quentin Blake. The way Blake draws the Grand High Witch is vastly different from the movies—she looks more like a frantic, vibrating ball of nervous evil energy. It changes the way you read her dialogue.
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Second, if you’re a cinema buff, look into the "making of" documentaries for the 1990 film. Seeing the Jim Henson Creature Shop blueprints for the Eva Ernst transformation is a masterclass in practical effects that modern CGI just can't replicate.
Finally, compare the settings. The 1990 version sticks to the UK and Norway, while the 2020 version moves the action to 1960s Alabama. This change actually alters the Grand High Witch's "predatory" nature, making her target marginalized children—a darker, more socially-conscious layer that the original story didn't explicitly touch on.
Understand the name, the mask, and the "why" behind her child-hating crusade. That is how you truly appreciate one of the greatest villains in children's literature.
Don't just watch the reveal; understand the Baroness behind the mask.