Spell - Maleficio

I didn't expect too much after reading the reviews, but this movie turned out to be quite good.

It is a solid story that is well acted and produced, and you never quite know what's going to happen.

It is not mega gory, but it is the story that makes it creepy - and the brilliant ending of course.

This is a great little film. Full of suspense, excellent adult actors (not so much the kids), some genuinely gruesome moments and excellent soundtrack. They did exceptionally well with a modest budget. My wife and I had a great time and enjoyed the folklore and frights.

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.

'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.

The story or motivation of the main actor is the old cookie-cutter family-is-in-danger thing. So you know how it will end even before you see it.

The worst moments of this movie were about the skin color. I live in a reality where the skin color does not represent education, environment and character of a person. So every time skin color was brought up, I sighed REALLY hard. The problem with it was not the fact that it was there, but the on-the nose way it was brought up.

I did not liked the third act. The way he suddenly knows everything and can move despite a incredibly heavy injury ruined the "suspension of disbelief". (hardly a spoiler for those kind of moves)

Camera work and cinematography were bad.

What saves it, is the acting. Omari Hardwick had a great performance. He was believable in his desperation for the most part. Without him, this movie would have been much worse. His relationship with Lorraine Burroughs felt genuine and it seemed they had some chemistry. Not much unfortunately, because character development is barely there, but the few scenes they shared were good.

Loretta Devine... oh boy. She is an amazing villain. She was scary and very intimidating.

It is not a great movie, but one that had some interesting aspects. I definitely enjoyed the watch.