Feitiço Diabólico

Just seeing a 25-year-old Kelly Preston makes this movie worth watching, and, boy, do we get to see her.

Jeff (Tim Daly) apparently finds the girl of his dreams (Preston), and things are going great until her friends show up looking for her. She has a past that she hasn't explained.

Soon, they are battling a coven of witches that want her back. It all builds up to the night of the Winter Solstice.

The twist at the end caught me by surprise, and really made the movie.

You have to give props to writer Tracy Tormé, who really stacked some surprises in this film.

Some of the commentators have ragged on this movie for it being predictable, and some parts of it are, but some parts of the ending really surprised me. Again, I saw this movie originally when I was about 19, so maybe what would be obvious now weren't so obvious to me back then. Anway, given the context of the late 80ies when Spellbinder was made there was all this talk about Satanism, most of which later proved to be just urban legend type of stuff, probably made the movie for me a little more spooky in the 80ies then say if someone just randomly saw it now. Anyways, the movie I thought had a pretty cool plot that had some surprises, the acting was good, Kelly Preston was hot, and the movie freaked me out a little back in the day, so I'm giving the movie 8 out 10 stars. I haven't found it on DVD yet, if I did I would buy it and add it to my collection.

An unjustly neglected horror entry. Right from the start, it has the narrative pull of a good mystery; there are intriguing characters and one genuinely sensual sex scene. In the second half, it seems to be getting more ordinary, but then comes up with a stunning twist, worthy of an Agatha Christie. Overall, a well-acted, atmospherically directed, smart, creepy little thriller. (***)

A cool terror movie, that will leave you on your toes on the final moments and make you astonished at the amazing plot twist at the end. Ok, it's not a movie I'd be looking for, but if you can catch it on tube it's pretty entertaining and will give you subject for a few good conversations on plot twists.

"Spellbinder," set in Los Angeles in the late 1980s, is one of the most intelligent horror films of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the very best made in the 1980s. Tim Daly plays Jeff Mills, a decent, hardworking, old-fashioned lawyer from the midwest who believes he'll never find love. One night, he rescues a beautiful woman (Kelly Preston) from being beaten up by her boyfriend. Falling under her spell, Jeff is plunged into a world of witchcraft (no political correctness here)and Satanic cults, with an ending that will haunt you long after the television has been switched off. The acting in this film is superb (Audra Lindley's performance as Miranda's terrifying mother alone is worth the price of this rental). Due in large part to the wonderful script and story, "Spellbinder" succeeds in perfectly walking that fine line between classic horror and psychological horror. I can't recommend this film highly enough. If ever a film deserved wider exposure, it's this one. I can't wait for the DVD.