Cast a Deadly Spell

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...

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!"

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.

Better than I hoped but not quite as good as it could have been, all things considered.

Less fun than it sounds

Essentially Who Framed Rodger Rabbit with lovecraftian lore, schlock gore and rejected Jim Henson puppets on a budget instead of Looney Tunes. Mercifully also packing enough self awareness, good lines and background gags to keep the 90 minute runtime enjoyable.

A mixed bag of oddities. Not bad but the ending is a bit sketchy even for the 90s

Fun mix of neo-noir and Lovecraftian horror/fantasy.

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.

Rote plot and cheap-looking world overwhelm a good supporting cast. Ward plays his role like he's in a 2-minute parody sketch.