Cast a Deadly Spell

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Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) is a Horror/Detective HBO movie with Fred Ward, Julianne Moore and Clancy Brown. Ward stars as 1940's private detective Phillip Lovecraft, in a parallel world in which magic is real, monsters and mythical beasts stalk the back alleys, zombies are used as cheap labor, and everyone -- except Lovecraft -- uses magic every day. Yet, cars, telephones and other modern technology also exist in this world.

The movie is very much an homage to the works of H. P. Lovecraft. While not based on any particular story by Lovecraft, the story fits quite nicely into the Cthulhu Mythos. The Necronomicon figures prominently. The Old Ones are summoned.

There are also references to other authors in the genre. One of the police detectives is named Bradbury. The nightclub is called Harry Bordon's Dunwich Room.

While the film clearly does not take place in Lovecraft's world, it does reference Lovecraft extensively (including the name of the main character), though there are many obvious differences. The most obvious difference being that in Cast a Deadly Spell, magic is omnipresent - everybody uses it. In the Lovecraft writings, magic is almost unknown, except to a select few, most of whom go quite, quite mad as a result of what they learn, die very badly, or some combination of the two. The statement that it is a homage is very true, however.

As to its being horror, while it contains many of the elements one would expect in a horror - the mere presence of monsters and magic does not a horror make. It could probably be better classed as a fusion between magic-realism and film noir.

A sequel by the name Witch Hunt was later produced by HBO, taking place in the 1950's, during the Red Scare (the movie using magic as a euphemism for Communism). Fred Ward did not reprise his role as Lovecraft, the character instead being played by Dennis Hopper. This sequel was less well-received than its inspiration, apparently lacking much of the charm that characterized the original.