SPELLBINDER

Reviewed 4/12/2017

DVD Cover

SPELLBINDER
DIRECTED BY: Janet Greek
Genre: HORROR
Major Cast (89 more uncredited)
Timothy Dalyas Jeff Mills
Kelly Prestonas Miranda Reed
Rick Rossovichas Derek Clayton
Audra Lindleyas Mrs. White
Anthony Crivelloas Aldys
Diana Bellamyas Grace Woods
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawaas Lt. Lee
Julian Christopheras Tim Weatherly
Kyle T. Heffneras Herbie Green
M. C. Gaineyas Brock
Sally Kempas Marilyn DeWitt
Stefan Gieraschas Edgar DeWitt
Bob McCrackenas Simmons
Karen Elise Baldwinas Mona
Roderick Cookas Ed Kennerle
Cynthia Steeleas Receptionist
Richard Fancyas Sgt. Barry
Peter Schreineras Barry
John DeMitaas Brad
Diane Racineas Woman in coven
Alexandra Morganas Pamela
Christopher Lawfordas Phil
Dale Commingsas Frye
Harold Diamondas Man
Don Woodardas Steve
Marisa Redantyas Alice
Thomas F. Maquireas Priest
MPAA Rating:R
Distributor:MGM (film); MGM Home Entertainment (DVD)
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn_Mayer
Release Date (US):23 Sep. 1988
Run Time (US):94 minutes
Domestic Box Office:$1,938,049
Foreign Box Office:?
Production Budget:?

PLOT SUMMARY

Jeff Mills, a young and successful lawyer, is playing basketball after work. He gets slammed against a wall; he has some back pain but is not seriously injured. Walking to their cars, he and Derek Clayton, a colleague, see a dark-haired man arguing with a woman across the parking lot. When he slaps the woman, they step in. Although the man draws a knife and cuts Derek's palm, they force him to retreat. Jeff offers her a ride home, but she says she has nowhere to go except her abuser's place, and he lets her stay at his place. "Hey, it's all right," he says. "I'll sleep on the couch."

The scene is set for some hot lovemaking. But that happens the next night. On this night, the woman — Miranda Reed — gets him to disrobe and lie face down on the bed. She makes passes over his back with her hands while murmuring an incantation and, lo! The pain is gone.

The next day at work, his friends razz him for not taking advantage of the situation. Soon, Jeff and Miranda are an item. They throw a party at which all his friends take to Miranda. His secretary Grace Woods is another matter. She becomes suspicious on touching Miranda's hand, and her suspicions are confirmed when she sees Miranda remove a turkey from the oven with her bare hands, unharmed. The next day she confronts Jeff, but he dismisses her concerns.

And indeed things go fine for a time. But then someone calling herself Mrs. White shows up unannounced at his office to deliver a warning: "We want her back." He calls Miranda at home. On hearing Mrs. White's name, she runs away. Unable to find her, Jeff goes to the police with her picture. Lt. Lee informs him that she wears an unusual necklace with the symbol associated with a satanic group.

Eventually she calls Jeff, saying she's in trouble. He picks her up and gets the full story. Her mother became part of the group of Satan worshippers that now wants her back for a human sacrifice to take place on the winter solstice at a place called Powers Beach. Using a protective spell, she fends off their attack at Jeff's home. But later they capture her. Abandoning a court date, Jeff goes looking for her again. He finds her at Powers Beach just as the ceremony is getting under way.

Spellbinder is a well-crafted and tautly paced film. There is a clever plot twist at the end that resolves what I thought were flaws in the logic of the story. The acting and special effects are good throughout. And while this lives up to its billing as an erotic horror story, it is not pornography.

All that said, I think the effects are overdone and inconsistent in two cases. The first is where the dark-haired man kills another would-be defector with magic that leaves real traces. The other is where the dark-haired man appears in the parking garage of Jeff's building. "It's time to play," he says as he levitates Jeff's car with Jeff in it, shatters the windows, and blows out all the tires. The next instand Jeff finds himself in the undamaged car on the ground and drives away.

My Rating:
8 out of 10

Capsule review: We have here a taut thriller with one extended erotic scene. Although in my opinion its effects are a bit over the top, I can recommend it for fans of horror.

IMDB Rating: 5.8 Raters: 2,152
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