Witch Hunt (1994)

In a twisted 1950's where everyone does magic, a private detective investigates a murder case without it.

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writer:

Joseph Dougherty

Stars:

Dennis Hopper, Penelope Ann Miller, Eric Bogosian

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Hopper	...	H. Phillip Lovecraft
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Kim Hudson
Eric Bogosian	...	Sen. Larson Crockett
Sheryl Lee Ralph	...	Hypolyta Kropotkin
Julian Sands	...	Finn Macha
Valerie Mahaffey	...	Trudy
John Epperson	...	Vivian Dart (as Lypsinka)
Debi Mazar	...	The Manicurist
Alan Rosenberg	...	N.J. Gottlieb
Christopher John Fields	...	Lt. Morris Bradbury
John Durbin	...	Brackett
Gregory Bell	...	Shakespeare
Terry Camilleri	...	Minister
Christopher Darga	...	G-man #1 (as Chris Darga)
Stanley DeSantis	...	Sidney

Storyline

Detective Philip Lovecraft lives in Los Angeles in the 1950s when an ambitious Senator is holding hearings, on Magic. Magic is the new influence in Tinsel Town. Lovecraft is unique in that he is the only one who refuses to use magic in his work. Shortly after he is hired, he finds his client, Kim Hudson, accused of the murder of her husband, a film executive. Philip uses the tallents of a local witch, Kropotkin, to explain what is happening only to see her accused of the murder and sentenced to be burnt at the stake. Reminiscent of Roger Rabbit, without the toons.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | 1950s | private detective | h.p. lovecraft | shrinking | 

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Taglines:

It's a new kind of evil, as old as time.

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Genres:

Crime | Fantasy | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong language and a scene of nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 December 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chasseur de sorcières

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO),Pacific Western

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While making the circuit of talk shows to promote this movie, Dennis Hopper stated it was the strangest movie he had been in.

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Goofs

Gottlieb, ostensibly a parody of old Hollywood's Jewish studio bosses, appears to have an episcopal priest delivering his funeral.

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Quotes

Senator Larson Crockett: Hypolyta Lavoe Kropotkin, are you now or have you ever been a witch?

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Connections

References Sunset Blvd. (1950)

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Soundtracks

I Put a Spell on You
Written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins (as Jalacy Hawkins)
Performed by Nina Simone

User Reviews

Disappointing and dull.

I loved 'Cast A Deadly Spell' but this sequel is a stinker. Same writer so it's difficult to say what went wrong this time around but 'Witch Hunt' has none of the wit or fun of the original, and the parallels with McCarthyism are trite and obvious. As a horror movie it fails, as a film noir it fails and as a comedy it fails. I watched again recently in case I had unfairly dismissed it and I found it so dull and unentertaining I could hardly be bothered watching it til the end. How Paul Schrader of all people ended up directing this is beyond me! Maybe he just needed the money... Anyway, I'm sure he tries to forget it ever happened. It's easily his least interesting movie. I'm a big Dennis Hopper fan but he is miscast and looks very uncomfortable. Maybe Fred Ward might have been able to save this one, I don't know. The supporting cast is below par too - Penelope Anne Miller instead of Julianne Moore and Julian Sands instead of David Warner - there's no contest. I would suggest you forget about watching this and rent 'Cast A Deadly Spell' instead.