Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)

Wow! Such a good movie.

What a beautiful movie!

Dreadfully Boring

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

If ever there were a textbook definition of lovable weirdness, Martin Campbell's Emmy-winning "Cast a Deadly Spell" is it. This HBO movie casts Fred Ward as a private eye in 1948 LA, where everyone except him uses magic. Humans live among the ghouls and goblins, but the theft of the Necronomicon sets the plot in motion.Much of the movie is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft. Ward's character has that name, the Necronomicon (also used in the Evil Dead franchise) is from his works, and there's even a place called Dunwich.* But more than anything, it's funny to see everyone act so unfazed by the presence of things that are supposed to scare people in movies. Just a fun movie.Martin Campbell went on to direct "Goldeneye", "Casino Royale" and the Zorro movies. Julianne Moore of course went on to renown in the years after this movie."I hate full moons!"*"The Dunwich Horror" got made into a movie starring Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell and Talia Shire. That's got to be the unlikeliest cast for a horror flick.

I simply can not believe the rating this gem has. Everything below 8 is blasphemy. It's sad that this movie never had theatrical release and was never released on DVD or BR either. It was distributed only as VHS for video stores and because of that it didn't have a chance to reach wider audience and rise to popularity it deserves. Everything in it is between very good and perfect. Considering relatively low budget of about 6 million, HBO did fantastic job with production. Movie is directed by Martin Campbell, man responsible for Golden Eye, Mask of Zorro and Casino Royale, and Joseph Dougherty (Pretty Little Liars) wrote one of the most original scripts I ever had luck to see. Movie combines 40's Film Noir with supernatural horror of 80's and well-measured humour. It is based on Lovecraft mythos, but unlike most of movies based of Lovecraft that rape his stories, this one is not adaptation, but an original story inspired by Lovecraft, which skillfully includes parts of Lovecraft's mythos into noir crime mystery.!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!Fred Ward, in style of Bogart, plays former cop, now private detective, who is, in LA at the end of 40's, hired to find stolen Necronomicon, book that possess power to unlock interdimensional gate and let Great Old Ones back on Earth. Great Old Ones are very powerful demonic beings who once ruled the Earth. Most known are Azathoth, Yog-Sothoth and, of course, Cthulhu. It is interesting that, unlike most movies with supernatural plot, magic here is not secret skill reserved for few and kept in secret from public, but the most common everyday tool used by all. Same applies for supernatural beings, so we have zombies as bodyguards, and in jail we can see some vampires and werewolves. But non of that is shown in usual glamorous and mystical way full of stunning special effects. It's all incorporated in film noir style and shown as common and normal, so you won't have a feeling that you watch fantasy movie, but just usual 40's crime noir.Directing is great, there are some beautiful shots you should not miss, and lines are true masterpiece. Script is so well written that I am sure it would be great literature for reading even without seeing the movie."My name is Lovecraft and I'm the guy who knows. Just about the only guy who knows it all and is still breathing. It started that night and it started with a woman. It always starts with a woman." And the woman is Julianne Moore, charming as always and one more good reason to see this film.9/10

Here's a delightfully imaginative blend of traditional film noir and magical fantasy come alive from HBO Original Pictures. The year is 1948, and the setting is full of night clubs, dark, shiny streets, dames, gangsters, and all sorts of colorful characters. Now this is where the originality comes in. Its some sort of alternate reality where everyone uses magic on a practical everyday basis, and naughty gremlins, ghouls and a multitude of other creatures inhabit the corrupt streets of the city in a perfect homage to H.P. Lovecraft. Fred Ward (who has a serious case of Clint Eastwood-itis) is a stubborn private-eye detective named Lovecraft who thinks all this sorcery is just another means to corruption and greed, and he's hot on the trail of the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead). Along the way he meets all sorts of resistance from the more unsavory types who also want the book to unleash more demons into the world. Add talented and beautiful Julianne Moore as the night club singer/love interest, David Warner as the villain, Clancy Brown, and Lee Tergeson into the mix, and the fun never lets up. Good action scenes, good creature effects, and loads of subtle but noticeable homages including Charles Hallahan as a cop named Bradbury and a night club called Dunwitch. This is like 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' on a bad trip, but in a good old-fashioned charming way.The cast has plenty of fun with it, and so does director Martin Campbell (Mask of Zorro). This has never been officially released on DVD, so if you find a copy somehow, you're in for a rare treat. Look for a great scene in the beginning: Death by paper-cuts!!!

On paper this made for TV movie should stink. But it doesn't. A hugely entertaining blend of Film Noir, horror and comedy, 'Cast A Deadly Spell' is great fun. The movie is set in an alternate 1940s America full of witches, zombies, vampires and werewolves where everybody uses magic. Everybody that is except gumshoe H.P. Lovecraft (Fred Ward - 'Tremors', 'Henry And June', 'Miami Blues'). Ward was born to play this role, and his performance helps make this one a sheer delight. The supporting cast is also well above average, and includes cult favourite David Warner ('Straw Dogs', 'Time After Time) as a client who hires Lovecraft to get back a rare book stolen from his collection (yup, you guessed it, the Necronomicon!), Julianne Moore ('Safe', 'Boogie Nights') as a sexy nightclub chanteuse, Clancy Brown ('Buckaroo Banzai', 'The Highlander') as an ex-cop turned gangster, and 'The Thing's Charles Hallahan as a straight-shooting detective. I usually don't care for movies that mix horror and comedy, but this one really does it well, and the affectionate Noir touches make it incredibly enjoyable. Unfortunately the sequel ('Witch Hunt'), which has Dennis Hopper playing Lovecraft instead of Ward, is a huge disappointment, despite being directed by Paul Schrader of all people! 'Cast A Deadly Spell' is a highly recommended good time, especially if you are a fan of 1940s detective fiction/movies and Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. I loved it!