Around the time of Troll and Dolls, screenwriter Ed Naha was working on a new script at Empire Pictures. However, he and many other talents at the studio had jumped ship to work on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. As such, Empire handed the script over to writer and frequent Stuart Gordon collaborator Dennis Paoli to finish. For the director, they hired Canadian-born Rafal Zielinski, who had previously directed the 1987 comedy Valet Girls for Empire. The cast featured Bunty Bailey from the “Take On Me” music video, radio host Richard Blade, and musician Adam Ant. While parts were shot at Dino De Laurentiis’ old studio, much of it was filmed at Castello di Giove. After a roughly six-week shoot that went by smoothly, the film wrapped and was set for release in 1988. Unfortunately, due to Empire Pictures’ collapse, Spellcaster wouldn’t be officially released until May 1992.
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Synopsis
At the castle of one Signore Diablo (Adam Ant), a group of seven people is gathered for a contest. Sponsored by the record company of pop star Cassandra Castle (Buntly Bailey), the contestants are after a $1 million check. Among the contestants are orphaned siblings Jackie (Gail O’Grady) and Tom (Harold Pruett), who agree to split the money. Hosted by VJ Rex (Richard Blade), the contestants have one day to search the whole castle for the check. However, Signore Diablo has other plans for his guests as he uses magic to eliminate them one by one. Before too long, each of the contestants is killed by their own sins, such as gluttony, greed, and pride. While Jackie wants to leave the castle, Tom is determined to get that $1 million check and get rich quickly. Who will win the prize, and who will survive the Spellcaster?
Review
Though hardly a classic like Re-Animator and Trancers, Spellcaster is still an enjoyable slice of 80s cheese, though somewhat forgettable. From the fashion to the music and even some of the cast, this film just screams the late 80s. There’s so much big mall hair, tacky clothing, and punk/new wave music, it’s like a time capsule of 1988. The cast each fits into various archetypes you’d see in plenty of films at the time for better or worse. You’ve got the fat guy who constantly eats, the goody-two-shoes girl, the valley girl, the womanizing creeper, and more. Richard Blade certainly steals the show as the overly exaggerated though somewhat cynical VJ dealing with the craziness around him. Though he doesn’t show himself until the last act, Adam Ant is still very charming and conniving as the villain. It’s a shame his screen-time is so limited.
Unfortunately, the rest of the cast either comes off a little on the bland side or even annoying. Bunty Bailey can get slightly annoying, but it’s also kinda funny seeing her play such a drunken bitch. Speaking of, Kim Johnston Ulrich is clearly having fun as the bitchy valley girl Teri, someone you love to hate. Special mention should go to Traci Lind, credited as “Traci Linn”, who is drop-dead gorgeous as the stereotypical French girl. The creature effects have that distinct John Carl Buechler style, where you can tell they’re puppets, but charmingly so. Rafal Zielinski’s direction is decent, and taking advantage of a real Italian castle adds quite a lot of production value. At slightly under 90 minutes, the movie goes by fairly quickly, though you’ll probably forget about it shortly after. Overall, Spellcaster isn’t going to blow you away, but it’ll provide some cheesy entertainment.
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