How to watch The Witches 2020 online: Here's how to stream the remake for free

how to watch The Witches 2020
(Image credit: HBO Max)
The Witches 2020 release date, start time

The Witches 2020 is available to watch now, debuting today (Oct. 22). It's on HBO Max, exclusively. 

The Witches 2020 takes the classic spooky Roald Dahl book and movie and adapts it for a whole new era. Lucky for all fans of spooky season, it's available on HBO Max (which has a 7-day free trial), and looks to shock and wow. 

The film stars Octavia Spencer and Anne Hathaway and behind the camera is Robert Zemeckis, who is more than familiar to adapting classics. The film makes The Witches a little more western than its original versions, bringing the hotel-set extravaganza to Alabama in the 1960s, changing from its original destinations of Norway and England.

Hathaway stars as the Grand High Witch Lilith, who's visiting a grand hotel with her pack of child-hating witches who want to exterminate the brats (I mean rats). Unfortunately for young Charlie Hansen (Jahzir Kadeem Bruno) and his grandmother (Spencer), they picked the same hotel.

I say rats because the titular witches start transforming every kid in sight into a mouse. Charlie makes a pair of friends — also turned into mice — and they seek to stop the witches. Stanley Tucci co-stars as Mr. Stringer, the hotel manager.

Here's everything you need to know about how to watch The Witches 2020. Plus, check out the official trailer:

How to The Witches 2020 anywhere, with a VPN

Just because HBO Max isn't available everywhere doesn't mean you need to miss The Witches 2020 if you're away from home. Watching along with the rest of the internet can be pretty easy. With the right VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the show from wherever you go.

We've evaluated many options, and the best VPN is ExpressVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds. It's also affordable at $12.95 per month. (Signing up for longer periods of six months or a year reduces the cost even more.)

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Our favorite VPN service, ExpressVPN, really shines thanks to its safety, speed and simplicity-to-use. It's also compatible with loads of devices - from iOS and Android to Roku, Apple TV and PlayStations. You'll even get an extra 3 months free if you sign up for a year, or there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you just want to give it a try.

How to watch The Witches 2020 in the US

In the U.S., The Witches 2020 premiered today (Thursday, Oct. 22) at 12:01 a.m. ET on HBO Max. HBO Max has a 7-day free trial, so make sure to set a reminder to re-think the subscription so you can stream the special without paying (if the rest of HBO Max's offerings don't lure you to commit).

Of course, you're gonna need a device that supports HBO Max, which can be annoying since the app isn't available on Roku or Fire TV. HBO Max is on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, Android and Android TV, Chromecast, Playstation 4 and Xbox One, as well as Samsung TVs from 2016 and later.

HBO Max

HBO Max is one of the new kids on the streaming block but it's already got a ton to offer. First, it's got all of HBO, which means you can stream Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, The Wire, Sex and the City and all of premium network's prestige series. Plus, HBO Max has its own originals like Raised By Wolves.

How to watch The Witches 2020 in the UK

Unfortunately, a UK release date has yet to be announced for The Witches 2020. Americans abroad could use ExpressVPN to launch HBO Max if they're across the pond.

How to watch The Witches 2020 in Canada

Similarly bad news for Canadians. We don't have The Witches 2020's release date for Canada yet. It may air on Crave, but that's TBA.

Anyone with an HBO Max subscription could jump on the service in Canada by accessing a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.