Spell

'Spell' is just 90 minutes of pure schlocky b-movie fun. They introduced some basic story elements at the beginning of the film, and I thought that this was going to be a basic occult horror film, probably mixed with psychological elements. But it's not.

At some point, they just drop the common sense and start having fun. If you're not new to movies you will catch the ending very fast, since the main lead literally explains the plot talking to the viewer (I was wondering why he wasn't looking at the camera). So you're just expecting more random and bizarre stuff to happen, and they deliver.

At times, the film felt more like a cheesy horror game but without jumpscares, the superhuman main character, zero realism, and people were driven not by motivation but by video game rules. Other times it felt like a weird combination of a horror-comedy, revenge film, Rambo sequel, and an 80ties TV-show.

I can't say I'd like to recommend this film, but if you love cheesy b-movie fun, gore, and intentional overacting (and you are prepared to switch-off your brain for 90 minutes) - you can give it a try. I can promise you - you will laugh a lot.

But if you try to take this seriously as a suspenseful occult horror film this clearly won't end up making your day better.

The story or motivation of the main actor is the old cookie-cutter family-is-in-danger thing. So you know how it will end even before you see it.

The worst moments of this movie were about the skin color. I live in a reality where the skin color does not represent education, environment and character of a person. So every time skin color was brought up, I sighed REALLY hard. The problem with it was not the fact that it was there, but the on-the nose way it was brought up.

I did not liked the third act. The way he suddenly knows everything and can move despite a incredibly heavy injury ruined the "suspension of disbelief". (hardly a spoiler for those kind of moves)

Camera work and cinematography were bad.

What saves it, is the acting. Omari Hardwick had a great performance. He was believable in his desperation for the most part. Without him, this movie would have been much worse. His relationship with Lorraine Burroughs felt genuine and it seemed they had some chemistry. Not much unfortunately, because character development is barely there, but the few scenes they shared were good.

Loretta Devine... oh boy. She is an amazing villain. She was scary and very intimidating.

It is not a great movie, but one that had some interesting aspects. I definitely enjoyed the watch.

Does this film bring anything new to the horror genre? No. It absolutely doesn't but I still liked it.

A lot of people are hating on this because it is nothing new but hey, don't you already know this going into it? I did so, I totally didn't care. I was ready to see the same ol' horror flick with some hoodoo magic and that was what I got.

The actors are good and it is an almost entirely African American cast. Our two main characters are played by Omari Hardwick and Loretta Devine. These folks know how to act. If you wanna complain about something they've done fine but don't knock them in this because they carried the entire film.

I personally enjoyed this little twist of a Misery-like film. If you don't think you want to see something like it, don't watch it. If you think it sounds interesting, go for it. It's not gonna knock your socks off but it has a few cringe worthy moments with great performances from our two lead characters. in all honesty, these other reviewers just sound a bit jaded rather than being willing to give credit where credit is due.

Trying to tell a story in 90min. with voodoo narratives, Dialogue and Action is very difficult when you have to please Hollywood with added buffoonery! Great storyline but writers also included too many unanswered scenarios.

It's not horrible, but definitely not the greatest. Too many of the scenes reminded me of Skeleton Key and Misery. However, how much could you really change up with this type of movie. It is what it is. I wouldn't pay to watch it, but free... why not? It's worth watching if you have nothing to do. Cast members get A+.