Made for TV Movies: Cast a Deadly Spell

This is one of the better TV movies we've watched, likely because it was made for cable, though it was still pretty cheesy and not without it's problems.

The plot unfolds something like this: It's 1948, and everyone uses magic. They use it for personal gains, mundane tasks, and for protection against those who use magic for evil. Lately, there's been a bad energy filling the air, anyone who's sensitive at all knows something big and bad is coming fast. Private detective Lovecraft doesn't have time for any of that, but his latest case might pull him right into the eye of the storm whether he likes it or not.

Predicting the attitude of the future: Imagine a world where magic is substituted for today's technology in regards to how we use it, how dependent we are on it, and how pervasive it is in our daily lives. That's sort of the vibe of this movie, but this was made in 1991, decades before technology would actually be that pervasive in our society. Somehow, the attitude everyone has in this film about magic parallels how people feel now about tech today creepy well. For instance, detective Lovecraft refuses to use magic (making him the luddite of the film) and anytime a new character finds that out, he's met with this “how do you live without it” sort of attitude. It was strange being able to so easily see the parallels while having to remember that it wasn't a commentary on modern technology.

Monster effects: There are some pretty fun practical effects and puppetry in this movie with all the spells being cast and demons being summoned.



Not without it's problems: There are two characters that stand out as problematic in this otherwise fun movie. One is a transgender character who's needlessly brutalized by Lovecraft while he interrogates her. The other is a Black man who's a zombie slave to the main antagonist. He is not the only Black zombie slave featured in the movie, there's also a crew of them building a housing development for another of the film's antagonists. And although the zombie slaves are presented as a direct parallel on slavery, there's no commentary made on the subject, so their presence just comes across as gross and racist. (Thankfully, there are Black characters this film who are not zombie slaves, but it doesn't undo the grossness.)


Non-problematic cringe: There's a drawn out scene where a very young Julianne Moore sings seductively into camera. It misses the mark.

Don't take our word for it: If you want to check this one out, it's up on YouTube in SD, or you can watch it in HD on Amazon Prime and HBO Go; just be ready for some serious cringes.