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[Exhumed & Exonerated] ‘Cast A Deadly Spell’ (1991)

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Every decade has its ups and downs when it comes to cinema, no matter the genre.  Horror fans love to loft on high the output of the ‘30s & ‘40s, the ‘70s & ‘80s, and the more recent decades.  More often than not, however, the 1990s are labeled as the worst decade for the genre.  Not only that, but ‘90s horror tends to be written off as a whole, beyond a handful of undisputed classics.  The purpose of Exhumed & Exonerated: The ‘90s Horror Project, is to refute those accusations by highlighting numerous gems from the decade.  Stone cold classics will be tackled in this column from time to time, but its main purpose will be to seek out lesser-known and/or less-loved titles that I think deserve more attention and respect from fans.  Let the mayhem begin!

CAST A DEADLY SPELL

Directed by Martin Campbell
Screenplay by Joseph Dougherty
Produced by Gale Anne Hurd
Starring Fred Ward, Julianne Moore, Clancy Brown, Alexandra Powers, David Warner, Charles Hallahan, Arnetia Walker, Raymond O’Connor, Peter Allas, and Lee Tergesen
Released on September 7, 1991

As much as I love horror, I’m also a big fan of various other genres. Science fiction, fantasy, westerns, you name it. It’s why I’m a lover of genre-bending films, such as Big Trouble in Little China, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Ghostbusters. Pure genre efforts are wonderful, but there’s just something about a healthy genre-mixing piece that really gets me going. All those cinematic flavors mixed together to create something different, yet also something familiar. If done right, it can be a beautiful thing.

Ensemble

Cast a Deadly Spell pulls it off in (Sam) Spades. A deft mixture of crime noir and horror, this HBO TV movie from the early ‘90s hails from the mind of Joseph Dougherty. Primarily working on TV shows for the majority of his career to date, Dougherty has bounced around all kinds of different series over of the past couple of decades. From “Saving Grace” to “thirtysomething” to “Pretty Little Liars”, he’s been all over the place.

What’s most interesting in the context of this piece, however, are his quartet of features at the start of the ‘90s: Steel & Lace, Cast a Deadly Spell, Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, and Witch Hunt. All are love letters to different cult genres and, save for maybe Attack (which is a remake I have not seen), all mix various genres to craft something new. Furthermore, in the case of three of them, they are helmed by accomplished directors such as Paul Schrader (American Gigolo, Cat People), Christopher Guest (This is Spinal Tap!), and the aforementioned Martin Campbell (The Mask of Zorro, Casino Royale). It’s enough to make one pine for HBO to start making such interesting TV features again.

Cast a Deadly Spell sees a private detective by the name of Harry Phillip Lovecraft (Fred Ward) hired by a mysterious wealthy client, Amos Hackshaw (David Warner), to track down a tome that was stolen from his home. That tome, if you couldn’t guess by our hero’s tongue-in-cheek name, is the Necronomicon. What follows is Lovecraft stumbling through a conspiratorial mystery that leads him in situations involving witchcraft, an old flame (Julianne Moore), and a former friend (Clancy Brown), as well as various creatures of the night.

Julianne Moore

Martin Campbell’s direction amps up the fun, pulpy nature of Dougherty’s tale by bringing an era appropriate feel to its 1930s Los Angeles setting. The colors and settings all pop, especially in the HD version that has now finally made its way to the streaming internet avenue. Everything oozes classic detective fiction (with a horror twist) from its opening frames to its closing moments. It’s like if Stuart Gordon made a Raymond Chandler movie.

All would be for naught if the cast weren’t game to back up the visuals. Lucky for us, everyone is on point. Ward makes for a perfect down-on-his-luck slewfoot with a soft spot for hard luck cases. Moore was still in the early stages of her career here, but you wouldn’t know it from her performance. She commands her role as effectively as she would now, showcasing multiple facets of her femme fatale-esque part with nuance rarely found in such films since. As for Clancy Brown, who better to play a shady bruiser turned sleazy entrepreneur?

Those who haven’t seen this underseen gem are probably wondering just how far into horror this film dives. The answer is pretty far. In addition to the Necronomicon and uses of dark magic, there’s plenty for a horror fiend to love. There are quite a few practical monsters on parade within. Some are only on hand for short moments (werewolves, vampires, etc.), but others stick around for much longer. Brown’s Harry Bordon has a massive zombie henchman (more voodoo, less flesh-eating) and there’s a particularly nasty gargoyle that targets Lovecraft on more than one occasion. Also, given the obvious Lovecraftian elements, we are treated to an appropriately-tentacled god-fiend during the finale.

Vampire

Tone-wise, if you aren’t overly familiar with noir fiction, think of it simply as this: it’s The Rocketeer, but with the Necronomicon in place of a rocket pack and Great Old One summoners in place of Nazis. Mind you it isn’t an action extravaganza like that film. After all, this is an HBO movie. Still, it’s not a cheap-looking tale and it nails that pulp adventure tone, making for a wonderfully entertaining viewing. It had a budget of $6 million to play with back in ’91, which today would be the equivalent of almost $11 million. That’s more money than most of our theatrical horror releases today get to play around with!

Previously relegated to an old VHS release, I’m happy to say that it’s now broadcasting in high-definition via Amazon’s streaming services free to Prime members. I’m not aware of any Blu-ray release for it on the horizon, but the fact that it has been given an HD upgrade bodes well for such an event in the near future. I can only hope that more similar HBO fare manages to make the jump to Amazon in HD form as well. That goes double for the aforementioned Witch Hunt, considering the fact that it is a sequel to this!

Up Next: Disturbing Behavior (1998)

Previously On…
Species | Mute Witness | Popcorn | Wishmaster | Alien 3 | Cast A Deadly Spell
Disturbing Behavior | The Sect | The Addams Family

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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