Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) (TV)

Director:

Martin Campbell

Writer (WGA):

Joseph Dougherty (written by)

Release Date:

7 September 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Magic | Hard Boiled | Los Angeles | Necronomicon | Landlady

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations

Cast

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	...	Coroner
David Downing	...	Thadius Pilgrim
Colin Drake	...	Butler Meadows

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Australia:PG | Norway:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

Lovecraft is hired to recover the Necronimicon, a mystical book that appears in many of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos stories.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The bedroom in Connie Stone's 1948 house appears to have a round smoke detector immediately to the upper left of the door.

Quotes:

Bradbury: [examining a voodoo doll] Time was you had to look a man in the eye before you could kill him. You owed him that.
Lovecraft: Yeah, now with the nerve and a little know-how, you can do it by tyin' six knots and a piece of string. Ain't modern livin' grand?

Movie Connections:

Followed by Witch Hunt (1994) (TV)

Soundtrack:

People Like Us

Blend of tension and humour

It is rare to find a film that can actually be funny and still mount very real tension (Ghostbusters and Galaxy Quest are two examples that have succeeded). This film does so in very good noir-ish style. Rife with inside jokes that should appeal to any fan of the hard-boiled detectives, horror movies, Lovecraft and film noir. Fred Ward and David Warner are perfectly suited in this film.