Midler, who has puffed up like a blowfish and wears death-mask makeup in the movie, plays her with unbridled misery. Ding dong, the witch is dead. What we discover in the flashbacks is that everybody in town has an axe to grind, or a car to sabotage, and all were happy when Mona croaked. DeVito plays the town's police chief. He investigates the crime and connects the loose ends, plot twists, naughty behaviour, personal feuds and other dirty laundry in the case.
Nothing is normal.
Human behaviour is distorted, like a live-action version of The Simpsons. People are cruel. Jokes are vicious. The satire is mean and savage. Even the names are odd.