Movie Review #11: Warlock (1989)

Steve Miner is an incredibly underrated director of horror films and I believe he should be given more credit then just making Friday the 13ths Part 2 and 3 and Halloween H20. The man was really good at not only horror but other kinds of genres too (he directed the 90s classic Big Bully which despite starring Tom Arnold is a movie I will fight to the death over. It's wonderful, get over it) and I think people should give him more credit! He worked on the Wonder Years people! THE WONDER YEARS!

Uh, with that little rant on how people should watch more of Steve Miner's movies, we are going to do this little show of stuff. I don't really re-watch movies, I like to find a new movie I haven't seen to rewatch. I would rewatch movies a billion and two times as a child but not much as an adult, but lately I've had the itch because all kinds of movies I liked are getting attention thanks to youtube videos and such so I decided yes, let's go all in on a rewatch thing for this blog.

The first movie is a film by Steve Miner (which is why I brought him up) and shows that he's more than just two Friday the 13th sequels and one Halloween sequel (which I personally think are pretty good sequels) This was a movie I remember renting probably around the year 2000 which was when I REALLY got into renting every single horror, action or comedy film that was made in the 1980s. Didn't matter what it was it would get a rent from me. I remember renting it from Jumbo Video near my house with there 3 movies for I think $10 bucks? I forget but I'm sure someone will tell me all about it. I remember their big old blocky things that the movies were incased in and it was hard as fuck to get them out. I would rent these movies with my parents and wonder what the reaction of the clerks was. I mean they would rent whatever dumb movie was big at the time and I'd rent like Pieces or Porky's. I clearly rented better films than my parents.

Anyway I remember digging the hell out of this movie and I'm glad to say that this 20 year (good god has it really been that long? Wow. I probably argued with cracked8ball on nes forums before going to watch this film.) rewatch proves that this should have been a really great action/comedy/horror series. I mean it is a trilogy but I think Warlock had more to give than just 3 movies... especially that third one, woof! but man this is a great flick full of a good amount of scares, fantasy and even jokes and none of it really ruins the whole film like some other movies I could mention.

The movie revovles around Julian Sands, the titular Warlock of the movie being sent from 1691 or whatever to the days of Care Bears, Miami Vice and the NES, the year of our lord 1989. He is followed by Giles Redferne who had helped capture the Warlock originally. They run into Lori Singer and its up to her and Redferne to stop the mad plot of Julian Sands... which is to get a spell book called the Grand Grimoire together from 3 separate locations. He wants this so he can find the true name of God and if said backwards will destroy all creation! He really wants to be in Satan's good books.

This movie has some great acting. I mean everyone who watches it will talk about how great Julian Sands is and I will not say anything against that because he is CLEARLY having the time of his life being the most evil creature in all of creation, but I think Lori Singer and Richard E. Grant get overlooked because they do really good jobs too. The movie movies at a really good pace and brings us to all kinds of different locations. There are some really well done tense scenes to this film. A lot of well placed comedy (and some of it is dark as hell comedy too) makes for a really great little ride.

Warlock isn't the most obscure movie I'll ever talk about on this blog but I always felt it should have been way more popular. This movie was great and it's sequel was also great (from my 20 year old memory) The third film, look I don't woof like a dog for nothing people.

(I couldn't find a place for this but I felt that people should know that New World Pictures was once owned by Roger Corman AND once owned Marvel Comics... at the time when they were doing Care Bears and Alf comics. It's like all of the dopey crap I love shoved into one! wild!)