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:

breasts growing | murder | 1950s | private detective | h.p. lovecraft | 

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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:

Boszorkányüldözés

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

The film is supposedly set in 1953 (although that's a little vague). Six minutes into the film, however, Dennis Hopper's character passes an appliance store selling TV's. Prominently featured is the Philco Holiday Predicta model which wasn't introduced until 1958, Other cultural anachronisms including some of the fashions were more indicative of the late '50's than 1953.

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Quotes

Senator Crockett: I'll tell ya what yer gonna get, yer gonna get double-digit inflation, and a designated hitter, and wars in countries you've never even heard of! Now that's what I call a world without magic!

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Connections

Follows Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)

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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

Wonderfully Weird w/ a Message

This film was a pleasant surprise. The mixture of historical set design, good plot and political satire was refreshing in an age where everything political is

hammered home in a pedantic monotone. Sheryl Lee Ralph was excellent and

her dynamic presence begs the questions as to why aren't there more black

females playing prominent roles in movies that have nothing to do with gangs

and drugs. Dennis Hopper was actually playing a character instead of playing

himself as he usually does. Julian sands was his slick and sinister self. I don't know why he wasn't chosen for the role of Lestat instead of Tom Cruise. Eric

Bogosian was awesome as the corrupt politician. The special effects were great in that they were not like the CGI crap of recent films. They were old fashioned special effects in that they were not added to make the unreal look real but to make the unreal look...well, unreal. I recommend this film for all fans of

Hollywood nostalgia, costume-period pieces and political commentary.