Warlock (1989)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

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 | Impalement | Compass

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:

Scene in the theatrical previews indicating that the Warlock was the satanic Messiah was cut some time before video distribution.

Quotes:

Little Boy: [watching the Warlock play a handheld football game] Hey, you can't punt on first down; no-one punts on first down, not even Tampa Bay!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Name Is Bruce (2007)

Soundtrack:

CORAZONITA

The sinners are much more fun!

This movie actually is a pretty fun film with a lot more going for it than most people might think just looking at the cover. Sands is perfectly cast as the warlock, an evil-to-the-core witch who works for nothing less than the uncreation of the cosmos. Fighting him is an out-of-his-element witch-hunter who has chased him to the present (Grant) with a peculiar confidence. He knows his enemy and knows what he needs to do to prevent the warlock from completing the Grand Grimoire, but is lost in the present. Tagging along is a modern-day girl who is acceptably portrayed by Lori Singer caught between the warlock's unbelievable powers, her newfound friend from the past with an obsession, and her now blasted view of "how things work in the real world." Two things really make this film though. The first is that the explanations that are given actually don't bog the momentum down (and the filmmakers decide to leave some things unexplained or give the most cursory explanations to catch the audience up in the wild ride that Kassandra (Singer) has found herself in) and that although both the warlock and the hunter have powers, they are closly matched and totally obsessed, making for a very interesting conflict. There's also enough tongue in cheek to keep people interesting and to break occasional tension. Very watchable - go and try it on for size.