Film Snail

The Spell
The Spell

4.9

The Spell

NR·1977·86m

Summary

A distraught mother must cope with her embittered daughter who has the ability to cause "accidents" to happen.

Crew

Director

Lee Phillips

Writer

Brian Taggert

Reviews

Wuchak

Wuchak

March 5, 2022

5

_**Television “Carrie” knockoff fused with witchy elements**_

An outcast girl in high school is teased because she’s a little hefty (Susan Myers) but she seems to have a way of getting back at her persecutors. What’s her secret? Lee Grant plays her caring mother while Helen Hunt is on hand as her rival younger sister (at 13 years of age).

"The Spell" (1977) is TV horror that mixes “Carrie” (1976) with a dab of witchcraft, paving the way for similar television flicks in the future, e.g. “Summer of Fear” (1978) and “Midnight Offerings” (1981).

While this is easily the least of these due to the unlikable protagonist and a curious, slapdash tone, there are several highlights beyond the cast, such as the believable family dynamics, a well-done horror sequence involving a hex and a surprising curveball in the last act.

The movie runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, with a shorter version running 1 hour, 13 minutes (the latter does a good job of editing out the fat). It was shot at Universal Studios, Universal City, California.

GRADE: C+/B- (5.5/10)

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Keywords

supernatural
telekinesis
revenge
occult
torment