Spellbinder

WARNING: SPOILERS. I was quite surprised to see this as a made for TV movie on daytime, network television. It definitely breaks the mold. You never see this kind of subject matter in this format: Satanic rituals and devil worship. When I turned it on, I expected a standard, formulaic TV movie. Instead it kept me fascinated and guessing from beginning to end. They also got all the details right regarding the rituals, paraphernalia, symbols and incantations of the coven and that a key part of their worship of Satan revolved around the seasons, fertility and sex. If you read anything about Pagan or satanic rituals, you know that a critical part of Miranda's enslavement of the hero was that she have sex with him. All this was originally from Pagan religions, which the church condemned, falsely, as satanic. Very effective, spooky and tragic. I think the most effective portrayal of horror is to show it as part of our everyday lives.

This film is truly one of the best "Supernatural" thrillers I have seen ( and I've seen quite a lot!!), including "Poltergeist", the "Entity",the "Fog" and "Carrie" to name but a few. "Spellbinder" is exactly what the title suggests, (SPELLBINDING!) and definitely deserves to share the same podium as the aforementioned films. It is a supernatural "murder, mystery, suspense thriller" that truly lives up to the name of it's title with a completely unexpected twist that will leave you in disbelief. It's an extremely well scripted and well acted story with both the lead actors: Kelly Preston (extemely beautiful) and Timothy Daly(charismatic), doing an excellent job and holding your attention through every nerve jangling and suspense filled second through to a climactic ending that will have you on the edge of your seat. One of the best films of it's genre'. Excellent. One to watch with the lights on!!.

Just seeing a 25-year-old Kelly Preston makes this movie worth watching, and, boy, do we get to see her. Jeff (Tim Daly) apparently finds the girl of his dreams (Preston), and things are going great until her friends show up looking for her. She has a past that she hasn't explained. Soon, they are battling a coven of witches that want her back. It all builds up to the night of the Winter Solstice. The twist at the end caught me by surprise, and really made the movie. You have to give props to writer Tracy Tormé, who really stacked some surprises in this film.

No, this is not an academy award winner but it will DEFINITELY keep you on the edge of your seat....... which is more than I can say for a LOT of "suspense thrillers". Yeah, it's even got some bad acting and some corny parts. Audra Lindley (Mrs. Roper - Three's company) did a great job. Check her out in the "Office" scene! The ending, although somewhat predictable, is STILL major-league scary! What makes this movie frightening, at least for me, anyway, is that cults like this really do exist! If you're a horror movie buff, you owe it to yourself to check this one out when it comes to cable every so often! It's not on VHS or DVD. I'm hoping it's released sooner or later!

Fatal Attraction was the scariest movie on my list until I saw Spellbinder, which is now one of my favorites to watch especial around Halloween. I liked it because I could put myself in his shoes, an average man becoming the hero. The girl being attractive is always a plus, and if you pay attention there is a lesson to learn. Have fun.

A cool terror movie, that will leave you on your toes on the final moments and make you astonished at the amazing plot twist at the end. Ok, it's not a movie I'd be looking for, but if you can catch it on tube it's pretty entertaining and will give you subject for a few good conversations on plot twists.

If you liked "The Wicker Man", you'll love this tale of attraction, seduction and ultimate deception. By now, the "twist" ending won't even seem new to most horror/suspense fans, having seen something similar so many times before. It is nicely done, however, and there may still be a few people who are knocked off the couch when it happens. The old cliché "be careful what you wish for" has never been more apropos than in this story's case, and SPELLBINDER for its time was a lot better than most DTV movies had a right to be. Solid performances by all definitely help along a better-than-average script, and watch for that truly frightening performance by, of all people, AUDRA LINDLEY, (Mrs. Roper from THREE'S COMPANY and its spin off, THE ROPERS, for those of you too young to know or remember.) This one is long overdue for a nice, crisp DVD release, or even a remake!