Cast a Deadly Spell
Cast a Deadly Spell | |
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Genre | Fantasy Comedy Mystery Thriller |
Written by | Joseph Dougherty |
Directed by | Martin Campbell |
Starring | Fred Ward Julianne Moore Clancy Brown David Warner Charles Hallahan Alexandra Powers |
Music by | Curt Sobel |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producers | Gale Anne Hurd Ginny Nugent (line producer) |
Cinematography | Alexander Gruszynski[1] |
Editor | Dan Rae |
Running time | 96 minutes |
Production companies | HBO Pictures Pacific Western |
Budget | $6 million |
Original release | |
Network | HBO |
Release |
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Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) is a fantasy detective television film with Fred Ward, Julianne Moore, David Warner and Clancy Brown.[1] It was directed by Martin Campbell, produced by Gale Anne Hurd,[1] and written by Joseph Dougherty.[1] The original music score was composed by Curt Sobel.[1]
Plot
Ward stars as 1948 hardboiled private detective H. Philip Lovecraft, in a fictional Los Angeles where magic is real, monsters and mythical beasts stalk the back alleys, zombies are used as cheap labor, and everyone—except Lovecraft—uses magic every day. Yet, cars, telephones and other modern technology also exist in this world.
Lovecraft is hired by wealthy Amos Hackshaw to find Hackshaw's former chauffeur Larry Willis, who has stolen a mysterious grimoire called the Necronomicon, and recover the missing book within forty-eight hours. However, what seems like a simple "Forty bucks a day and expenses" case turns out to be not so simple, and things take a chilling turn as he finds himself embroiled in a plot involving magical hitmen, pure damsels, old flames and enemies and ancient evils, all connected by the Necronomicon, that may lead to the destruction of the world.
Sequel
HBO produced a sequel, Witch Hunt with Dennis Hopper playing Lovecraft in place of Ward. Witch Hunt takes place in the 1950s during the Second Red Scare, with magic substituted for communism. Many characters reappear from Cast a Deadly Spell, although some have different backstories.
Cast
- Fred Ward – Harry Philip Lovecraft (same initials as Howard Phillips Lovecraft)
- Julianne Moore – Connie Stone
- David Warner – Amos Hackshaw
- Alexandra Powers – Olivia Hackshaw
- Clancy Brown – Harry Bordon
- Charles Hallahan - Detective Morris Bradbury
- Arnetia Walker - Hypolite Kropotkin
- Raymond O'Connor - Tugwell
- Peter Allas - Detective Otto Grimaldi
- Lee Tergesen - Larry Willis/Lilly Sirwar
- Michael Reid MacKay - Gargoyle
- Curt Sobel - Band Leader
Awards
- Saturn Award - Best Genre Television Series (Nomination)
- CableACE Award - Best Original Score (Nomination)
- Emmy Award - Outstanding Music & Lyrics (Won)
- Emmy Award - Outstanding Sound Editing (Nomination)
References
- ^ a b c d e J. O'Connor, John (September 10, 1991). "Review/Television; A Detective and Sci-Fi In Los Angeles Magic". The New York Times.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
Template:Media based on H. P. Lovecraft works
- 1991 films
- American comedy films
- American satirical films
- American detective films
- English-language films
- Films set in 1948
- Films set in Los Angeles
- American neo-noir films
- American supernatural horror films
- Supernatural comedy films
- Cthulhu Mythos films
- HBO Films films
- Films directed by Martin Campbell
- Films based on works by H. P. Lovecraft
- Urban fantasy films
- 1991 comedy films
- American television films
- Comedy film stubs