As ‘The Dark Crystal’ Returns to Theaters in October, Brian Henson Shares Memories from the Epic Fantasy (Exclusive) The crystal cracks on October 12 and 13

Published by TheWrap on Aug 27, 2025 10:00 AM

The crystal cracks on October 12 and 13

“The Dark Crystal” is back.

The landmark fantasy epic directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz will return to theaters on October 12 and 13 from Fathom Entertainment, as part of a 70th anniversary celebration of the Jim Henson Company.

The original film, released by Universal Pictures on Dec. 17, 1982, set a new standard for what puppetry could achieve in cinema. But the dark storyline — — in which the last survivor of a genocide seeks to repair the magical artifact at the center of a centuries-long conflict — and science fantasy strangeness came in stark contrast to the Muppets that the Jim Henson Company was best known for. The critical response was subsequently very mixed.

But the film became a modest box office hit and developed a strong cult following. And in the years since its initial theatrical run, “The Dark Crystal” has been rightly reevaluated as one of the greatest films of its decade. And now is your chance to watch it on the big screen at your multiplex and get transported all over again.

Brian Henson, Jim’s son and the chairman of the Jim Henson Company, described “The Dark Crystal” as “my dad’s first big project going into fantasy and animatronics. It was a big deal for him. And it started a whole new chapter for our company.”

While Brian didn’t work on it personally – he was in boarding school in Massachusetts at the time and the film shot in London, so he only visited the set during his school breaks, he does remember the preparation. “My dad had been working on it for years leading up to the production,” Brian said. “It’s the only fantasy film, besides animated movies, that has ever probably been made where there are no human actors in the film.”

Brian remembers attending the French premiere of “The Dark Crystal.” At the time, movies were being stolen and photographed and pirated, so the print was being m oved around by an armored car with a police escort. “They only allowed one print while you’re premiering, before you then distribute to the theaters. And this one print was going around by escort,” Henson said. There was a backup print in the editing room in England. If one of the reels broke, somebody had to get on a plane, go to England and pick up the necessary reel. And as it happened, at the premiere, that happened. Brian had to meet that person and run the reel to the projectionist. “That’s just the fun of the old days, when it was film,” Brian said.

What’s even more incredible is the person that Brian met at the airport who had the broken reel and who worked on the movie? “I feel in love with her and married her. She was my first wife. And she helped save the movie,” Brian said

When it comes to this new re-release of “The Dark Crystal,” Henson said that he advises audiences to “focus on the details.” “I think that was something that my dad was celebrating – when he made the movie he was hiring an army of fine artists and everything that you see was going to be made. And so the details are really extraordinary,” Brian said. “And this is a high-resolution master. It looks great in theaters.” What he thinks makes “The Dark Crystal,” and other fantasy movies from that era, is that, in his words, “the illusion isn’t perfect.” “You know that what you’re seeing has been created by artists. Your eye can tell and what that creates is a much more inspiring experience where you are really aware and appreciating the artistry that has gone into every frame of the film,” Brian said.

Even if you have never seen the film, you have probably been touched by “The Dark Crystal” – it was referenced by Steven Spielberg in “Ready Player One” and sampled by Las Vegas electronic duo The Crystal Method for their debut album. And there was, of course, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” a prequel series that ran on Netflix in 2019 and pushed the techniques of the original movie to marvelous new heights.

As for more “Dark Crystal” material, Brian promises that there is more on the way, at some point. “We’re always inventing in that universe. We’re always creating something,” Brian said. “I can never say what’s going to be next, because I honestly don’t know. But there’s lots of different things being developed.”

But if you want to experience “The Dark Crystal” like it was meant to be seen, grab your ticket to the Fathom Entertainment re-release on October 12 and 13 and be transported.