Lee Eisenberg If ever there were a textbook definition of lovable weirdness, Martin Campbell's Emmy-winning "Cast a Deadly Spell" is it. This HBO movie casts Fred Ward as a private eye in 1948 LA, where everyone except him uses magic. Humans live among the ghouls and goblins, but the theft of the Necronomicon sets the plot in motion.Much of the movie is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft. Ward's character has that name, the Necronomicon (also used in the Evil Dead franchise) is from his works, and there's even a place called Dunwich.* But more than anything, it's funny to see everyone act so unfazed by the presence of things that are supposed to scare people in movies. Just a fun movie.Martin Campbell went on to direct "Goldeneye", "Casino Royale" and the Zorro movies. Julianne Moore of course went on to renown in the years after this movie."I hate full moons!"*"The Dunwich Horror" got made into a movie starring Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell and Talia Shire. That's got to be the unlikeliest cast for a horror flick.

siderite Not easy to make a Lovecraft mythos film, basically because in his books there is little more than some guy terrified out of his wits by things that never really happen or are not actually described. That makes To Cast a Deadly Spell even cooler, as it combines Chtulhu with detective noir and manages to juggle successfully horror, comedy and detective stories.Not that the film is perfect. The characters are all clichés, in case they are fleshed out at all, and the story makes little sense outside its main plot. But I still enjoyed the hell out of it. It is so strange to see this film almost absent from every distribution source. I only found it and watched it on YouTube...Bottom line: this was very entertaining. If any movie deserves to be turned into a TV series, it is this one.

kclipper Here's a delightfully imaginative blend of traditional film noir and magical fantasy come alive from HBO Original Pictures. The year is 1948, and the setting is full of night clubs, dark, shiny streets, dames, gangsters, and all sorts of colorful characters. Now this is where the originality comes in. Its some sort of alternate reality where everyone uses magic on a practical everyday basis, and naughty gremlins, ghouls and a multitude of other creatures inhabit the corrupt streets of the city in a perfect homage to H.P. Lovecraft. Fred Ward (who has a serious case of Clint Eastwood-itis) is a stubborn private-eye detective named Lovecraft who thinks all this sorcery is just another means to corruption and greed, and he's hot on the trail of the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead). Along the way he meets all sorts of resistance from the more unsavory types who also want the book to unleash more demons into the world. Add talented and beautiful Julianne Moore as the night club singer/love interest, David Warner as the villain, Clancy Brown, and Lee Tergeson into the mix, and the fun never lets up. Good action scenes, good creature effects, and loads of subtle but noticeable homages including Charles Hallahan as a cop named Bradbury and a night club called Dunwitch. This is like 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' on a bad trip, but in a good old-fashioned charming way.The cast has plenty of fun with it, and so does director Martin Campbell (Mask of Zorro). This has never been officially released on DVD, so if you find a copy somehow, you're in for a rare treat. Look for a great scene in the beginning: Death by paper-cuts!!!

LexaSuperStar What inspired this particular story/genre treatment? I've seen since a few other stabs at the same type of story, but few (if any) can reach your achievement. Did you have much say in the overall production? If not Fred Ward, then who would've been your first choice to play Lovecraft? Connie? Borden? In any case, I just wanted to reiterate how much a fan of "Cast A Deadly Spell" I am. It was one of those pictures that stick out in my mind as a grade-A classic. Great movie . Fred really funny in this role . Unique movie ever. Can some one tall me similar movie ... I don't think so. In so small Someone have the subtitles for this movie ? Really need one . Because in Ukraine I cant buy this movie .