Spell (2020) is a horror movie directed by Mark Tonderai. It revolves around a man who after an accident ends up in an attic of a Hoodoo practitioner. Below is my Spell (2020) movie review
On top, Omari Hardwick’s character (named Marquis T. Woods) has it all. Although he had a troubled past, he now has a beautiful wife, two kids, and a great job. However, after an accident, he ends up being trapped in a home of a woman who seems to deal with the occult. While isolated and injured, he soon realizes that modern things like hospitals or cellphones are not available for his use. Not long after, panic and anxiety sets in and his situation becomes increasingly grim.
Unfortunately, this is where problems start. While having an all black cast and having some unique occult vibes, the movie never veers past the safe zone. Everything we have seen before (creepy setting, occult worshipers, no escape, hero fights back, etc) are all present here. There is a lot more to name but you get my point. The movie could have ended up with some narrative about race or social issues, but instead chose to be safe. It is filled with endless cliches and not much else. The characters were decent but not well developed. They are given weak motivations to propel them and the story, which quickly becomes apparent.
The movie has some gross out scenes. They have a big nod to the Misery movie and the leg scene. However, Misery is full of suspense and has some well developed characters. Spell has cliche characters and basically useless dialogue. It boils down to “can I leave now? “No, you can’t leave now. You have to heal your leg”. Rinse and repeat. One thing to remember is that these types of movies can’t be too original. They are easy to make and they don’t cost too much. Having stuff like occult is really watered down so having both fresh script and good acting is not the easiest thing to do.
With that being said, the movie is not all bad. The acting, for what it was, is not bad. The main characters, especially Lorreta Devine, do a great job to bring their characters to life. Movie has some creepy moments and some decent suspense. However, the story itself is not good. It is too predictable for an avid movie goer. On the other hand, non-horror fans will like thos movie as it is short and doesn’t waste too much time on filler. It gets to the point and sometimes that is all you want to see.
Thanks for reading my Spell (2020) movie review
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