Trailer—Warlock

source: Warlock

Warlock

An interesting combination that is surprisingly entertaining. The cinematography is good and the directing is excellent. The characters are interesting and the cast is very good. A lot of effort has been put into the film, the director really made an effort to transfer this interesting story to the big screen. The film is entertaining and at times bizarre, but in a good way. It possesses some strange charm despite its shortcomings which it compensates with entertaining characters and interesting plot. The concept is interesting and the director has achieved a good balance between horror and an entertaining film with a dose of subtle humor. Julian Sands is interesting and sinister in the role of Warlock, and Richard E. Grant and Lori Singer are entertaining in the roles of Redferne and Cassandra. A fun combination of several genres.

This film is a classic. Richard E Grant puts on a wonderful performance although his Scottish accent isnt as strong enough to be believable as it has been toned down so that Americans can understand it. The effects are typically eighties adding to the fun. A good film to watch when you're in the mood for something a bit different and not too serious.

An odd phenomenon in the movie biz is that some movies that start out as simply good, or better than average, become, over the fullness of time, and after repeated viewings, iconic and unforgettable. This is a prime example. At the time, it seemed yet another outing for the always reliable Julian Sands, and it introduced to audiences around the world the impish Lori Singer (who to be fair never really found another film that connected with viewers as much as this one.) Even the plot seemed standard, old curse, new problems. But after multiple viewings (seen it about 7 times) you realize that the writer and director really had their A-game on, they really spun a yarn that, in the Indiana Jones tradition, just keeps moving and moving, and dragging the viewer along for the ride. Even the last few minutes -- a trick ending -- seems part of the overall experience. Can safely say this is the best "witch" flick of its kind, all style and substance, no teenage exploitation, and worth a view.

The late 80's and 90's have not been a particularly good time for big-budget horror movies, but Warlock, a kind of supernatural Terminator, works particularly well. Everyone is well-cast, although the focus is on the three leads. Julian Sands is at his most diabolical, but Richard Grant also does well, neatly portraying Redferne as a man out of time (essentially Michael Biehn's character from Terminator, in reverse). Lori Singer is...well, tolerable. The Warlock is not the all-powerful deity that the writers could have portrayed him as (and as he'll be portrayed in the next movie), meaning that the battles between him and Redferne are actually pretty interesting.