Leofwine_draca Horror comedies are either hit or miss affairs. When they're good (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, EVIL DEAD II), they're good. When they're bad (EVIL ED), they're bad. Sadly, CAST A DEADLY SPELL falls into the latter category, but at least it tries very hard. The humour ranges from farcical to crude, and becomes downright embarrassing at times, very childish. At other times it's quite witty.There are a lot of horror movie references here for fans, and some visual jokes which are pretty good - such as the zombies at the building site. However, the gargoyle humour is just plain sad and childish and I really have no idea who could find that sort of thing funny. A couple of scenes are totally ripped out of other, better films, such as the cursed parchment in the restaurant and kitchen scene (similar to the parchment in NIGHT OF THE DEMON) and the scene where a farmer shoots at a gremlin (which is directly taken from the scene in EVIL DEAD II where Bruce Campbell shoots at his severed hand).As a film, CAST A DEADLY SPELL is not very satisfying. The plot is a muddled, twisting mish-mash of themes which never really gel together very well, being part comedy, part murder mystery, part thriller, part horror. The actors don't help. Julianne Moore is the love interest and is only mildly less annoying than she was in THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK. Clancy Brown (HIGHLANDER), a fine actor, is given little to do, while David Warner (FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE), who has starred in countless horror films, is given even less. The bulk of the film therefore rests on Fred Ward (TREMORS), but he hasn't much to do with the plot except to try and work out what's going on, while romancing Moore. Ward's wisecracking, fast talking Lovecraft is at first amusing but soon becomes tiring.If you can bear to sit through until the end, there's an okay sort of monster, but it's hardly the type of Old One that Lovecraft himself would envisage. Not very faithful to Lovecraft, it's best if you try and think of this film as a contemporary affair that merely uses the characters and monsters of Lovecraft's imagination for comic value. Otherwise, you may find yourself very offended indeed.

capone666 Cast a Deadly Spell The problem with living in a world where magic is possible is all of the tacky wardrobes you have to see everyday.Thankfully, the magicians in this mystery dress in 1940s garb.In an alternate universe where magic exists, a clichéd PI that hates the black arts, H. Phillip Lovecraft (Fred Ward), is hired by an affluent client (David Warner) to retain a tome for him called the Necronomicon.To do so, Lovecraft must not only navigate the supernatural streets of L.A. but also his on-again off-again ex (Julianne Moore).All the while, Lovecraft is unaware that his obtaining of the Necronomicon will ultimately unleash the Old Ones, an ancient monster race that will enslave the city.Part Dashiell Hammett detective yarn, part Lovecraftian horror. This HBO produced amalgamation has the hard-boiled lingo and the slimy subspecies of the two genres down pat.But beware: Lovecraftian dames usually have tentacles.Yellow Light vidiotreviews.blogspot.com

jtwcosmos "Suppose somewhere along the line I'd changed my drinking habits.""I'd order you a sour anyway... just to watch you eat the fruit.""Sweet old Phil, subtle as a flagpole."This is the story of an unlikely hero. A man who doesn't use magic, even if everybody around him does. A man who knows it all, except how to select a tie.The movie starts with a brisk introduction into a world where everybody uses magic. It is the year 1948 and the arts are everywhere: black, white and everything in between. Young and old, men and women alike, all use it to get ahead in life; to get an edge. This is a world where there is a solution for everything and magic is the high-tech of the day. Once the story establishes that, it moves slowly and brilliantly towards the end, taking it's sweet time, never in any rush to get anywhere. And it doesn't have to, because this is one of the few TV movies that have it all: a great cast, a fantastic story and script and above all, brilliant direction. It is funny, it is witty, it is charming, it is truly one of a kind.The story is simple, with only a few characters, but all of them very well done. Fred Ward is great as detective H.P. Lovecraft, Julianne Moore is one incredible woman, Clancy Brown is great, Alexandra Powers is charming and David Warner is one class above everybody. They all have a part to play and all of them play their part brilliantly, under the masterful direction of Martin Campbell.The camera work is simply brilliant. It alternates effortlessly between close-ups - short, intense and inquisitive - and wide establishing shots, or hard long stares at one character or another, giving them ample time to show their acting skills or emotional range.The music is soft and ever present.The dialog is sharp and witty, somewhat cliché but beautifully done. There are lots of unexpected remarks and snappy comebacks and there is also one genre that is a dying breed nowadays: the monologue. A form of exposition which if done right proves to be very effective.If there is one thing that I liked most about this movie, is the little things. The script and the director spare no effort in adding countless small touches that make the world of this movie very convincing, full of life and wonder. Or danger, as the case may be.Cast a Deadly Spell. Proof that movie making is an art. 10/10.

eastwood67 You hear before you realize the magic is really there.. The rendition of "Danny Boy" by the vagrant/tenor remains the most pure of all I have heard, and it has taken 16 years to rediscover this gem of a movie. If Fred don't mind I'll claim him as a local boy since my sister-in-law worked with him in a small theatre production years ago in S.F. I digress. Can we canvass HBO to release it in DVD? What would it take? It sits in their archives, we all know it., so anybody willing to cobble together a battle plan or offer some sage advice? It is a shame that this work is not able to be enjoyed by any audience since it is withheld from circulation. HHHHHMMMMM< (public domain?)