Spell - Maleficio

Was this one amazing? I wouldn't use that word. Was it serviceable? That I can concur with. In the wake of awful Tyler Perry Movies and the negligence of black cinema as a serious locomotive in cinema, this one took me by surprise. Not with it's story so much, but with its courage to be horror the way it can be: without prejudice. Like I stated previously, the story isn't exactly extraordinary; however it surprised me a few times with the quality of acting, atmosphere, and just the overall awareness of what the production was trying g to accomplish. I look forward to more like this one. Not a black movie or white movie. Just a damn well-rounded horror flick to the like that we don't much get any more.

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.

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+.

Some people compare Spell with Misery and I get it for the fact that a guy is being held in a bed, with a foot injury, but other than that the comparison just ends. Misery is some much better, with so much more suspense and better actors. That said Spell isn't bad, there is a fair amount of suspense, but the story is just not that believable because of some scenes. A man with his injuries couldn't do what he did, that's just a fact, and those kind of little details bring the quality of a story down. The acting was decent, so no complaints about that. If you're not too picky about details and just want to enjoy a bit of suspenseful entertainment Spell is worth a watch. It will just never be a classic like Misery though.

'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.