Warlock (1989)

Director:

Steve Miner

Writer (WGA):

David Twohy (written by)

Release Date:

11 January 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror

Tagline:

Satan also has one son.

Plot:

A warlock flees from the 17th to the 20th century, with a witch-hunter in hot pursuit.

Plot Keywords:

Warlock | Boston | Book | Cemetery | Insulin

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Julian Sands	...	Warlock
Lori Singer	...	Kassandra
Richard E. Grant	...	Giles Redferne
Mary Woronov	...	Channeler
Kevin O'Brien	...	Chas
Richard Kuss	...	Mennonite
Allan Miller	...	Detective
Anna Levine	...	Pastor's Wife
David Carpenter	...	Pastor
Kay E. Kuter	...	Proctor
Ian Abercrombie	...	Magistrate #1
Kenneth Danziger	...	Magistrate #2
Art Smith	...	Scribe
Robert Breeze	...	Jailor
Frank Renzulli	...	Cabbie

Also Known As:

Warlock: The Magic Wizard (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

103 min | Argentina:96 min | Germany:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Norway:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA

Company:

New World Pictures

Trivia:

The film was originally completed in late 1988 and was one of the last films completed by distributor New World Pictures when they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The film's trailer was actually shown before early 1989 theatrical releases. Instead of going direct to video, Warlock was picked up and released in theatres by Trimark Pictures in 1991. It's box office success lead to a sequel, "Warlock: The Armageddon" in which Trimark also released theatrically.

Quotes:

[the Channeler is faking the channeling of a spirit for the Warlock]
Channeler: Ask... me... what... you... will.
Warlock: I would ask that we wait.
Channeler: For... what... do... we... wait?
Warlock: For the real Zamiel to appear.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Name Is Bruce (2007)

Soundtrack:

STRAIT FROM TEXAS

"My Dad hates all that stuff about Jesus and the 12 apostrophes"

It usually takes a special audience to love most of the movies I review. But there's something truly wrong with you if you can't sit back and enjoy Warlock. It's nothing but pure fun. Warlock is a Steve Miner classic. Like his previous film, House, it's loaded with inventiveness. David Twohy's (Pitch Black, Critters 2) script is marvelous and gives us many memorable moments. My favorite occurs when Lori Singer is hammering the Warlock's tracks in the train yard; extremely original. Another great sequence is when the Grand Grimoire is finally assembled. The acting is stellar for the genre. You have gotta love Richard E. Grant's (Bram Stoker's Dracula) accent: "Witches loathe salt." Julian Sands is always superb but is at his most evil in this role. He truly is the Warlock (which is why I'll never watch the third Warlock installment). Steve Miner has brought us some good genre flicks and this is, without a doubt, one of his best (forget about H20).

Note for genre buffs: Look for Ian Abercrombie (Army of Darkness) and Mary Woronov (Deathrace 2000) in small roles.