bjon1452

"Hot Spell" is probably Shirley Booth's next to her greatest film, the greatest being "Come Back, Little Sheba. Synopses put aside, the A- List cast shines, along with the story line. It takes you directly to, and into, a dysfunctional family, the Matriarch who desperately tries to keep everything "just fine," the Patriarch who's going through a midlife crisis and "plays around, and the three children with young adult and teen angst the latter defining their personae. Each scene intertwines with the other and tightens up the script marvelously. It's all realistic, poignant and in wonderfully good order. The whole thing actually seems to put you right there as if you were part of the family. You feel their pain. Ironically, Jack Duval's character, played by Anthony Quinn, is both abhorrent and also worthy of compassion at the same time Earl Holliman's, Shirley MacLaine's and Clint Kimbrough's characters are definitely direct descendants of both of their parents. Very believable. The scene with Booth and Eileen Heckart gives just the right and timely comic relief to give the viewer a break before the next dose of drama. There's enough conflict to go around and it keeps you interested. I'd recommend this film to anyone who appreciates serious drama, either on the stage or on the screen. It's too bad it's not being distributed for movie buffs-yet. It's been hibernating for way too long.

I wasn't expecting much out of this movie and I didn't pay much attention to it, but it drew me in, little by little. You may not want to have any dolls in your house afterward after you watch this.

Not bad acting, considering the fact that it was an amateur Indy film. The plot line had me within the first twenty minutes. The drama that unfolded gave me the image of the old horror movie genre. It also made you feel that you were a part of it, with normal characters, a family with normal family dysfunction. The actors have some promise of something bigger for them in the future. I also appreciated the fact that everyone appearing in this film were memorialized in the credits.

Horror fans: Watch this; it has something for you.

At first, I thought this was going to be another paranormal activity horror movie; that's all that I encounter anymore in the horror genre.

But this one surprised me. Not only was it believable, it also provided me with that tingle that runs up my spine, something I rarely experience anymore, unless I'm watching a vintage horror movie.

I must say, however, that the one thing that was really dreadful was the interior decoration. (laughing)

I was impressed, especially after feeling somewhat disturbed by what had just happened at the end.

I say "Watch it!" If nothing else, it kills idle time.