Spellcaster (1992)


REVIEWER RATING: 
5/10


Before he created Full Moon Entertainment, there was Empire Pictures -- a production and distribution outfit headed by Charles Band. Completed in '88 Spellcaster was one of the many films under the banner, but due to Empire's financial problems towards the end of the decade, it didn't actually get a proper release until '92. Those familiar with the early works of Full Moon will definitely notice the same look and feel from Spellcaster, and it's very much as cheesy as you'd come to expect from a Charles Band-produced feature.

The story basically revolves around an eclectic group of people who win a trip to stay the night in an old Italian castle, where they can partake in a million-dollar scavenger hunt. Naturally when such a substantial amount of money is involved greed and deception comes into play, resulting in a lot of the contestants breaking the rules and mysteriously disappearing and dying in unnatural ways. It's soon revealed that their deaths are the work of a strange man who can control their fates via a crystal ball.

This is far from a good movie, but I have a soft spot for the early works of Full Moon, so I still had some fun watching it, despite its MANY faults. The practical effects work were also decent and there are actually a couple somewhat memorable death scenes (vampire chair anyone?). Naturally the characters are your pretty standard unlikable group of victims and the acting has a lot left to be desired, but hey, what's an 80's horror flick without bad acting anyway? And you can't really go wrong with an authentic castle setting.

Spellcaster is not a good movie, but it's not entirely a bad one either. I wasn't bored and even found its cheesiness fun at times. If you're a fan of Full Moon's early works or just love anything from the 80's then you may enjoy this to some extent (like I did).
OVERALL: 
Spellcaster is not a good movie, but it's not entirely a bad one either. I wasn't bored and even found its cheesiness fun at times. If you're a fan of Full Moon's early works or just love anything from the 80's then you may enjoy this to some extent (like I did).


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