Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)

In a fantastical 40's where magic is used by everyone, a hard-boiled detective investigates the theft of a mystical tome.

Director:

Martin Campbell

Writer:

Joseph Dougherty

Stars:

Fred Ward, David Warner, Julianne Moore

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fred Ward	...	Det. Harry Philip Lovecraft
David Warner	...	Amos Hackshaw
Julianne Moore	...	Connie Stone
Clancy Brown	...	Harry Bordon
Alexandra Powers	...	Olivia Hackshaw
Charles Hallahan	...	Det. Morris Bradbury
Arnetia Walker	...	Hypolite Kropotkin
Raymond O'Connor	...	Tugwell
Peter Allas	...	Det. Otto Grimaldi
Lee Tergesen	...	Larry Willis / Lilly Sirwar
Ritch Brinkley	...	Owl Wagon Manager
Jaime Cardriche	...	Zombie
John De Bello	...	Crooner
David Downing	...	Thadius Pilgrim
Colin Drake	...	Butler Meadows

Storyline

In 1948 Los Angeles, everyone uses magic- everyone except hard-boiled private detective H. Phillip Lovecraft, who refuses for "personal reasons." Lovecraft is hired by a mysterious rich man to recover a stolen book, the Necronomicon. Investigating, he finds that the book holds the key to taking over the world by magical means, releasing the "Old Ones".

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Plot Keywords:

magic | necronomicon | zombie | stolen book | spell | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Détective Philippe Lovecraft

Filming Locations:

Harbor Star Stage, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Pacific Western

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The whole plot and many of the monsters are taken from the works of H.P. Lovecraft. That's why Fred Ward's character has his name too.

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Goofs

(Possibly intentional?) The handwritten spell (that leads to the creation of the oatmeal monster), written by Tugwell, varies every time it is shown. Even the kind of paper seems to be different in some shots. Most strikingly, it varies in handwriting style, boldness of the ink and the nature of the characters. In some shots, the third character looks like a Greek delta while in other shots it looks like a D. Another letter shifts from a [ to a C to an E and back again. The character named Lovecraft calls them runes, but generously speaking no more than half of the characters could possibly be runes.

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Quotes

Connie Stone: Dammit, Phil, everybody's gotta compromise!
Phil Lovecraft: That's what I keep hearing.
Connie Stone: And what makes you so special?
Phil Lovecraft: What makes me special is I'm my own man. When I started out I said there were things I'd do and things I wouldn't do. A lot of guys start out like that, and a lot of them sell out along the way. But the more who fall, the easier it gets. "See, look, everybody compromises, everybody cheats, everybody uses magic." So they empty their ideals out of their pockets and get down to the job of ...

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Connections

Spoofs Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

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Soundtracks

Get Happy
Music by Harold Arlen
Words by Ted Koehler
Performed by June Christy
Courtesy of Hindsight Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Fantastic mesh of hard-boiled noir, and Lovecraftian mythos.

I first saw this when it premiered on HBO in '91. With a Who's Who cast of character-actors, this first-rate production by Gale Anne Hurd (of James Cameron/Terminator fame) and directed by Martin Campbell (soon to direct Goldeneye and Mask of Zorro)is a brilliant mesh tribute to the works of HP Lovecraft. With a firm tongue-in-cheek, the viewer is taken along on the latest case of H. Phil Lovecraft, private detective in a 1948 Los Angeles where "everybody does magic". A relatively new happening, magic is real...everyone uses it, except Lovecraft. Fred Ward turns in one of his best performances to date as the hard-boiled detective, wise-cracking his way through every situation. Julianne Moore is spot-on as Phil's ex-girl, the sultry songbird in his former partner(Clancy Brown)'s club. David Warner is perfect as Lovecraft's effete client, Amos Hackshaw. It's a sharply-written noir tale with more than a few Cthulhu references, and adds some more generalized fantasy for spice. Pay attention to the details, this is where the picture really shines- from the everyday applications of magic, to the snappy banter between Lovecraft and pretty-much everyone, it's an enjoyable escape from reality-TV. The creatures are passable, not the best by today's CGI standards, but certainly not the worst seen in some straight-to-video bombs. The writing is stylish and inventive, with some really ingenious scenes/situations. Martin Cambell's direction takes you right along with Lovecraft, with some brilliant cinematography. The casting is terrific as well. I was never bored. One of my top-20 favorite films. I can't wait for a DVD version, if it ever appears. A terribly disappointing, not-so-great sequel called "Witch Hunt" was done in '94 with a completely different cast & director.