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Cast a Deadly Spell
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Cast a Deadly Spell

Cast a Deadly Spell

Cast a Deadly Spell

1991
Comedy, Horror
TV Movie
1h 36m
It's the 1940's, and everyone uses magic--except Detective H.P. Lovecraft. A wealthy and secretive man hires him to find his stolen Necronomicon, but Lovecraft suspects the world might be better off if he doesn't hand it over. This bizarre comedy contains zombies, werewolves, hexes, and all the typical elements of hard-boiled detective fiction.

Directed by:

Martin Campbell
Martin-Campbell
25 total credits
Martin Campbell has 25 credits at Criticker, including: Casino Royale, GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro, The Legend of Zorro and Green Lantern

Writer:

Joseph Dougherty
Joseph-Dougherty
10 total credits
Joseph Dougherty has 10 credits at Criticker, including: Cast a Deadly Spell, Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, Witch Hunt, Steel and Lace and Ravenswood

Starring:

Fred Ward
Fred-Ward
63 total credits
Freddie Joe "Fred" Ward is an American actor. He began his career in 1979 alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. He is best known for his starring roles in the motion pictures Remo Williams, Tremors, Henry & June, Short Cuts, The Right Stuff and Exit Speed. Ward also acted in European movies...(Wikipedia)
,
Julianne Moore
Julianne-Moore
92 total credits
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. She began her acting career in 1983 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the soap opera As the World Turns, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1988. She began to appear in supporting roles in films during the early 1990s, achieving recognition in several independent films before her performance in Boogie Nights (1997) brought her widespread attention and nominations for several major acting awards. (Wikipedia)
,
Charles Hallahan
Charles-Hallahan
13 total credits
Charles Hallahan has 13 credits at Criticker, including: The Thing, Dante's Peak, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Body of Evidence and Cast a Deadly Spell
,
Clancy Brown
Clancy-Brown
135 total credits
Clarence J. "Clancy" Brown III is an American actor and voice actor known for his roles as Byron Hadley in the award winning The Shawshank Redemption, Career Sergeant Zim in Starship Troopers as well as for his role as the Kurgan in the cult classic Highlander. Brown also works extensively as a voice actor in animated TV series, notably portraying Lex Luthor on Superman: The Animated Series, Krypto the Superdog and Justice League/Justice League Unlimited... (Wikipedia)
,
David Warner
David-Warner
103 total credits
David Warner has 103 credits at Criticker, including: Titanic, Planet of the Apes, Tron, The Omen and Time Bandits
,
Alexandra Powers
Alexandra-Powers
8 total credits
Alexandra Powers has 8 credits at Criticker, including: Last Man Standing, Cast a Deadly Spell, Out to Sea, Storm and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Scandal of 1920

Genres:

Comedy, Horror, Mystery

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Cast a Deadly Spell

1991
Comedy, Horror
TV Movie
1h 36m
Avg Percentile 45.22% from 135 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(135)
Compact view
Compact view
Rated 15 Apr 2016
48
53rd
Cast a Deadly Spell does its damnedest to further strengthen my belief that everyone in the 40s was either a detective, a gangster, a newspaper boy, or employed at a fancy nightclub as either a sultry singer or a clean-cut bartender, while at the same time copy so many noir film tropes that every Kinko's in LA ran out of toner during the film's production. Still, it features the Necronomicon used in the summoning of an Old God and the statutory rape of a virgin Pegasus hunter, so...
Rated 17 Mar 2016
82
80th
Unabashedly loved it. Cast and techs are amazing. Genre mashing is appropriate for casual fans (and probably not diehards) of either noir or Lovecraft. My new favorite drink order: "Bourbon, show it some water but be discreet." is followed by my new favorite attempt at Bogarting by an overexcited extra: "Like an orchid in the moonlight!"
Rated 07 Oct 2008
76
76th
Better than I hoped but not quite as good as it could have been, all things considered.
Rated 06 May 2008
60
47th
Less fun than it sounds
Rated 13 Jan 2025
44
63rd
Every time I see a dumb Lovecraftian movie that thinks it's actually profound, I have a sudden onset of anhedonia, so I'm extremely surprised at how much I enjoyed this (admittedly rather thin) alternate, irreverent, Lovecraftian world! It even ends as the best HP homages do: with uncontrollable circumstances rather than heroics. Be aware that it does have a 16-year-old hooking up with a married man (offscreen) and a cross-dressing character.
Rated 07 Feb 2023
60
23rd
A mixed bag of oddities. Not bad but the ending is a bit sketchy even for the 90s
Rated 20 Nov 2022
72
51st
Fun mix of neo-noir and Lovecraftian horror/fantasy.
Rated 03 Aug 2018
30
10th
Ward is pretty cool, and there are a few very good wisecracks, but everything to do with magic and creatures is so lame that it makes 'Bright' look like a great movie.
Rated 18 Aug 2017
40
13th
Rote plot and cheap-looking world overwhelm a good supporting cast. Ward plays his role like he's in a 2-minute parody sketch.
Rated 24 Jun 2017
68
65th
It's so bizarre and sometimes cheesy, I can't not find it endearing. A likable cast and tongue in cheek humor help make this more than palatable.
Rated 13 Sep 2015
55
10th
Neo-noir and Lovecraftian horror are two genres plagued by being slow, creaky, and formulaic, so it's no surprise that this one is VERY slow, VERY creaky, and VERY formulaic.
Rated 26 Mar 2010
55
17th
A film heavily inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and assembled using a generous helping of film noir tropes sounds like a great idea, but despite a good cast the film fails to come together. What's left is a movie that's watchable, but not recommended to any but the most curious fans of H.P. Lovecraft. A sharper script and a budget allowing for a more immersive atmosphere might have lifted this movie above mediocrity.

Cast & Info

Directed by:

Martin Campbell
Martin-Campbell
25 total credits
Martin Campbell has 25 credits at Criticker, including: Casino Royale, GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro, The Legend of Zorro and Green Lantern

Writer:

Joseph Dougherty
Joseph-Dougherty
10 total credits
Joseph Dougherty has 10 credits at Criticker, including: Cast a Deadly Spell, Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, Witch Hunt, Steel and Lace and Ravenswood

Starring:

Fred Ward
Fred-Ward
63 total credits
Freddie Joe "Fred" Ward is an American actor. He began his career in 1979 alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. He is best known for his starring roles in the motion pictures Remo Williams, Tremors, Henry & June, Short Cuts, The Right Stuff and Exit Speed. Ward also acted in European movies...(Wikipedia)
,
Julianne Moore
Julianne-Moore
92 total credits
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. She began her acting career in 1983 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the soap opera As the World Turns, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1988. She began to appear in supporting roles in films during the early 1990s, achieving recognition in several independent films before her performance in Boogie Nights (1997) brought her widespread attention and nominations for several major acting awards. (Wikipedia)
,
Charles Hallahan
Charles-Hallahan
13 total credits
Charles Hallahan has 13 credits at Criticker, including: The Thing, Dante's Peak, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Body of Evidence and Cast a Deadly Spell
,
Clancy Brown
Clancy-Brown
135 total credits
Clarence J. "Clancy" Brown III is an American actor and voice actor known for his roles as Byron Hadley in the award winning The Shawshank Redemption, Career Sergeant Zim in Starship Troopers as well as for his role as the Kurgan in the cult classic Highlander. Brown also works extensively as a voice actor in animated TV series, notably portraying Lex Luthor on Superman: The Animated Series, Krypto the Superdog and Justice League/Justice League Unlimited... (Wikipedia)
,
David Warner
David-Warner
103 total credits
David Warner has 103 credits at Criticker, including: Titanic, Planet of the Apes, Tron, The Omen and Time Bandits
,
Alexandra Powers
Alexandra-Powers
8 total credits
Alexandra Powers has 8 credits at Criticker, including: Last Man Standing, Cast a Deadly Spell, Out to Sea, Storm and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Scandal of 1920

Genres:

Comedy, Horror, Mystery

Country:

USA

Language:

English
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