Cast a Deadly Spell

TV Movie
1991
R
1h 36m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

YOUR RATING

David Warner and Fred Ward in Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)

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Hard-boiled Detective Supernatural Horror Comedy Fantasy Horror Mystery

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

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Primetime Emmy
- 1 win & 3 nominations total

Trivia
HBO produced a sequel, entitled Witch Hunt (1994), which takes place in the 1950s during the red scare (magic is substituted for communism). Dennis Hopper played Lovecraft, in place of Fred Ward. Many characters reappear from this film, though some have different backstories.

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.

Quotes
Olivia: That's quite a tie.
Lovecraft: Oh, thanks.
Olivia: Put up much of a fight?
Lovecraft: No, I snuck up behind it.

Crazy credits
Unicorn Wrangler: Hollywood Animals

Connections
Followed by Witch Hunt (1994)

Soundtracks
Why Do I Lie?
Music by Curt Sobel
Words by Dennis Spiegel
Performed by Darlene Koldenhoven

User reviews58

Review

Featured review

Strange, beautiful... unforgettable

This is an unique film, an example of a poorly known film that strongly deserves more. It's taste on mixing a 40's detective story with the alternate past in which "everyone used magic" (as the initial screen says) is strange, tasty, and makes this film to be in its own classification. I've never seen other film like that.

Let's say that the plot is not an original one... an antihero fighting for the freedom of the world, and he hardly knows what he's doing. The most wonderful is the charm of the epoque, the constantly appearing "magic tricks" (like the pub with an entrance but no building), the songs singed by julianne moore... just unforgettable.

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