Review of Spellcaster (1988) by Filmgrinder S — 03 Oct 2010

Nostalgia can be a powerful thing, I remember seeing this flick when I was 10 years old and I have to say it was almost as fun to watch it again tonight as it was then. Spellcaster is like a dark version of Willy Wonka, a horror scavenger hunt where gluttons, thieves and other detestable characters meet there comeuppance.

An international group of Rock TV (MTV) contest winners gather together at an Italian castle with punk queen Cassandra Castle ( think Cyndi Lauper), to compete in an treasure hunt for a 1 Million dollar check.

The castles host Senior Diablo bumps them off one by one in stylish manners, with some scenes staged extremely well and others so bad they?re entertaining. Did I mention Charles Band produced this film, so anyone familiar with his Full Moon line of movies will have an idea what to expect from Spellcaster quality wise.

We have a lion chair with vampire fangs that draws blood without penetrating the skin because it has rubber teeth, but for as silly as that sounds the chair is a nice touch. Though I can?t 100% confirm it I?m sure that I saw the Troll (Another treat by Band from 1986) on HGH come out of a painting on the wall for a little carnage.

An above average zombie scene that lead to no deaths and was far too short still had an eerie feel to it so the director should be commended. The New Jersey slob suffers in a ?you are what you eat? scenario, paying the price for pigging out.

Meanwhile the Cali Valley girl has a penchant for inviting willing young men up to fix her shower, only to kick them out when things get heated .The international cast provided some laughs as well; you have the Italian winner who was essentially a smooth street hustler/robber, the French seductress who argues with the English games woman and then of course our protagonists from Cleveland.

Upon arrival they announce ?we?re the winners from Cleveland?, the camera woman then retorts ?no such thing kid?, and the witty quips don?t stop there. Our exuberant VJ even announces at one point ?oh no, it?s the police and I don?t see Sting?.

The Italian probably has it the worst as his death is poorly staged; he is oblivious to the check in one scene when it literally falls in front of his face, and no less than four minutes later insists he heard someone else find the check who has no knowledge of his wear about, nope he doesn?t come off to sharp in this flick.

Ironic because the film was shot in Italy, with the majority of the technical crew Italian so I imagine they took a lot of pride in their hometown boy. In the end the movie has one of the worst kind of cop out endings which hurts the overall value of the film, I won?t spoil it for anyone who may seek out this nasty nugget but just bear in mind in the end this film is entertaining and that?s what matters isn?t it?