The Spell

Teenager Rita is harassed by her classmates for being withdrawn and overweight. At home, her father and younger sister treat her like utter garbage; her mother seems to understand her to some extent, though not entirely. But Rita is, unbeknownst to them all, honing her own supernatural skills that jeopardizes anyone who comes in her path.

This made-for-television romp from the golden age for TV horror films riffs on "Carrie" in multiple ways, even imitating key moments from the 1976 film. Yes, so "The Spell" is a cash-in. But what else is there to say about it? More than one may think. It is not exactly a well-made film: It's choppily-edited and the narrative is a bit heavy-handed. The bulk of the film is really made up of twisted family melodrama, which would be rather boring if it weren't the most utterly bizarre family dynamic ever filmed.

I honestly did not realize until about thirty minutes in that the protagonist, Rita, was a blood relative of the family; not only does she look nothing like her on screen parents and sibling, but she is treated by virtually every member of her family like an unwelcome cousin, twice removed—maybe even worse—and for no immediately decipherable reason. They just simply despise her, and her resentment continues to grow (and with frankly good reason). The relationships on which the film is predicated are utterly strange and do leave the audience somewhat adrift, as there is virtually no likable character from beginning to end.

The performances here are memorable, with Lee Grant playing the stern but sometimes-empathetic mother; a young Helen Hunt plays Rita's perfect little sister, and Susan Myers (who, for the record, is not at all overweight) is memorable in the lead role, delivering some surprisingly chilling scenes; her performance at times reminded me of Tina Romero's in "Alucarda," mixed with a bit of Linda Blair from "The Exorcist." There are a handful of scare scenes here that are dated by contemporary standards, though one is so bizarre and unexpected it's almost disturbing. The twist ending is mildly clever, though fairly perceptible by the time the film has rolled into its final act, and the whole thing ends rather abruptly (not uncommon for television films of this era).

Overall, "The Spell" is an amusing film that I personally found utterly absorbing, largely because its core melodrama was so perplexing. It's a fun, frivolous viewing experience for fans of seventies television horror as it does capture the era effectively, and there is a handful of sideshow attractions to be had. Perhaps the most memorable element of it all though is the fact that most of its runtime consists of an introverted teenage girl being groundlessly flanked by not only her peers, but her entire family. The seventies were a strange time, I guess. 7/10.

Middling TV movie about a slightly chubby teen (Susan Myers) who is constantly teased by her sister and classmates. Even her own father treats her like garbage. She begins getting even when she is taught how to be a witch by her gym teacher. Her sympathetic mother (Lee Grant) does not approve.

This was obviously inspired by 'Carrie', though this one under-develops the high school turmoil in favor of the girl's miserable family life. There is nary a likable character present here. In fact, I haven't disliked characters this much since Mario Azzopardi's 'Deadline', a film where I literally wanted to jump on screen and strangle the wife with my bare hands. The girl's father is a dick, plain and simple. I was hoping for his gruesome demise the entire time. Her sister (played by a young Helen Hunt) isn't much better. I hated these people so much that I was longing for the film to focus more on the school as opposed to the family. I did like Lelia Goldoni as the gym teacher, but she has about three scenes total.

Characters aside, there are a few good moments. The opening with the popular girl pulling off circus style tricks on the gym rope was fun. We also get a bizarre death scene where a woman's skin starts smoldering, and the confrontation between student and teacher is well done.

Really though, this film is far from special. Along with what's already been mentioned, we also have to deal with one of those horrid TV scores and there's a twist at the end that's pretty weak. The characters, though, are what make it a real struggle to get through.

THE SPELL opens with a scene that establishes the wickedness of the female bullies who prey upon Rita (Susan Myers), a sad girl with a weight problem. The credits are barely over when one of these meanies suffers from a freak "accident". Rita's mom, Marilyn (Lee Grant) is concerned about her, while dad (James Olson) seems too busy to notice. Rita's sister, Kristina (Helen Hunt) gets all of the positive attention, and poor Rita gets the scorn.

Everyone had better just watch out!

This is a CARRIE clone, and as such, it's very entertaining. Instead of telekinesis, this time, black magic is afoot! Hyper-dramatic and overwrought, the cheeezey chills are bountiful! Some of the scenes are pure platinum! Especially, the bug-eyed, smoldering woman through the glass door sequence, and the double-twist, flying cutlery, house-wrecking finale! A treasure-trove of made-for-TV terror!...

She's 15 and at an age that is just so much more complicated when you're fat. Rita discovers that she has telekenetic powers and can seek revenge against those who are cruel to her. Good performances by Lee Grant and a young Helen Hunt. Bostock is downright chilling in the role. Some excellent special effects for this type of movie, and the end scenes are quite scary, actually. Most of all, a good message about teenagers. Sometimes they can be witchy and seem like aliens, but what they need most of all is love.

This above average Carrie spin off has some truly excellent moments, many of which FAR exceed most of the made-for-TV Carrie homages that came around the pike after DePalma's epic supernatural horror fest! There's not a weak link in the bunch here, but Lee Grant is the hands-down stand out. Was so great to revisit her in this, as well as all the other supporting players. The clear and present attention to detail, and exploration of family dysfunction is what's really on display here. This script was written by GENUINE professionals, who understood the critical components and family dynamics at play amidst Grant, her 'gifted' (and semi-obese daughter, brilliantly played by Susan Myers) and the younger (favorite) sister Helen Hunt. These three powerful females are all vying for more than Daddy's love, but only one truly has got an axe to grind. When the gloves come off the spells get cast, the cutlery flies and the bodies burn, catapult and gurgle for air! Seek this one out, it's worth the time.