Cthulhu Cthursday: Cast A Deadly Spell
Posted by Qais Fulton
Cast A Deadly Spell is the best Lovecraftian film adaptation to date, anyone that argues that point with you either hasn’t seen it or is an imbecile unworthy of your time. The film centers around Phillip J. Lovecraft, a detective in a 1940’s Hollywood where magic and monsters are not only real, but common. Everyone, from housewives to CEO’s use magic, everyone except Phillip J. Lovecraft that is. It is my dubious honor to present you with the film, a favorite of mine for years, in its entirety, for today’s Cthursday thanks to the piratical inclinations of some benevolent soul. Don’t say we never gave you anything.
Categories: Cast A Deadly Spell, Rail, Movies, Lovecraft, Cthulhu Cthursday
Posted at 5:36 pm on April 10, 2008
18 Comments -
Man did I love this movie. I may still have it on videocassette somewhere (taped from HBO, of course). I found a follow-up film in the video store at some point, and I think Dennis Hopper was in it. Can anybody with a better memory than mine or at least more dedication to research think of the title?
Comment by V. Blame — April 10, 2008 @ 6:50 pm
It was called Witch Hunt and it was pretty much horrible.
Comment by Qais Fulton — April 10, 2008 @ 7:01 pm
Sad, sad. Oh Dennis Hopper. Are you a force for good, or for evil? One day the history books will tell.
Comment by V. Blame — April 10, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
Witch Hunt does have the uncanny Eric Bogosian sheds his skin sequence, though.
Comment by Pat — April 11, 2008 @ 12:45 am
This is great! This has been my favorite H.P. Lovecraft themed movie for a long time. Thanks for putting this up!
Comment by Chris Glenn — April 11, 2008 @ 12:56 am
I’ve always loved this film. It really is one of the best of all the Lovecraftian attempts; I also liked The Call of Cthulhu but it’s certainly not everyone’s cuppa - Spell’s more appealing.
Bonus: Fred Ward is a God.
Comment by Xtine — April 11, 2008 @ 1:33 am
I liked this movie a lot :) It is lovely!
Comment by Nazg — April 11, 2008 @ 3:04 am
Sorry, Cast a Deadly Spell is good, but IMHO the best Lovecraft adaptation is HPLHS’ Call of Cthulhu. Completely faithful to the story with some amusing 1930s-style effects too… the vision of R’lyeh as a cubist nightmare is brilliant. A real triumph for low-budget film making. Check it out if you have not already: http://www.cthulhulives.org/cocmovie/
Comment by HyperboreanGuy — April 11, 2008 @ 3:18 am
This isn’t available on DVD anywhere, is it? I’ve been looking to no avail…
Comment by Dawgson — April 11, 2008 @ 9:53 am
Anybody else out there share some love for The Mouth of Madness?
Comment by V. Blame — April 11, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
Comma, in. The Mouth of Madness, In.
Comment by V. Blame — April 11, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
Ah yes, Fred Ward…Buckaroo Banzi, Henry and June, and Cast a Deadly Spell…”Genious!”
Comment by eltiburo — April 11, 2008 @ 2:27 pm
I saw Witch Hunt and liked it quite a bit, especially Bogosian as the Joe McCarthy surrogate, but I had no idea it was a sequel. As much as I appreciate Dennis Hopper, it bothers me when a franchise recasts a lead character, especially after a single movie and in favor of a bigger name. I wonder what channels one would have to go through to persuade HBO to reissue both of them on DVD. Then again, I’m still waiting on their Not Necessarily The News box set, so I’m familiar with unreciprocated pining.
Comment by License Farm — April 11, 2008 @ 9:32 pm
i loved it, thanks for my saturday night fun:)event horizon was also pretty lovecraftian. but my trashy favorite is brian yuzna’s necronomicon.
Comment by nocturnalpulse — April 12, 2008 @ 5:21 pm
“I’m serious!”
“Then why are you wearing that hat?”
God bless America.
Comment by Eliza Gauger — April 16, 2008 @ 6:55 am
Cast A Deadly Spell is good, but it’s too light-hearted and has too many generic horror & fantasy elements to be really Lovecraftian.
My favourite has got to be Out Of Mind, a Can
Comment by Joey — April 16, 2008 @ 7:09 am
Cast A Deadly Spell is good fun, but it’s too light-hearted and has too many generic horror & fantasy elements to be really Lovecraftian.
My favourite has got to be Out Of Mind, a Canadian effort combining elements from Lovecraft’s life (including an uncanny portrayal by Christoper Heyerdahl as the man himself) with elements from his story.
Weird that both of these are tv movies.
Comment by Joey — April 16, 2008 @ 7:11 am
I’m a pretty big fan of Necronomicon myself, if only for the “tie-the-narrative-together” segments with my main man Jeffery Combs (and a fake chin) as Howard Phillips.
I just found Selected Letters Volume 5 at a bookstore in Berkeley the other day, OMG the glory, the glory!
Comment by Sarah — April 16, 2008 @ 3:12 pm