Product Description

Boston 1691 the gallows await the Warlock (Julian Sands). What was an apparent triumph of Witch Hunter Giles Redferne (Richard E. Grant) is short lived as the Warlock escapes and is hurled 300 years into the future. Now say a prayer for the City of Angels for it is here in Los Angeles where he begins the task of reuniting three portions of the Devils Book that will reveal the secret name of God. If spoken all creation will be destroyed. Redferne who is also transported enlists the aid of Kassandra (Lori Singer) who has miraculously escaped the Warlocks wrath. But the carnage has begun as the Warlock successfully unites the first two sections. The final portion is buried in an old Boston cemetery... in Redfernes grave! It is on these hallowed grounds where evil magic will confront the strength of righteousness with the future of mankind at stake.Starring: Julian Sands Lori Singer Richard E. Grant Mary Woronov Kevin OBrien Richard KussDirector: Steve MinerCopyright: 1991 Trimark Produced by Arnold Kopelson; Running time of 90 minutes; Closed Captioned. System Requirements:Standard format English (2.0 Dolby Surround) Spanish and French subtitles Theatrical trailer cast/crew bios Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 031398684336

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10869 in DVD
• Brand: Lions Gate
• Released on: 1998-09-09
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 103 minutes

Amazon.com
Clever and original, this horror film directed by Steve Miner (Forever Young) stars Julian Sands as a 17th century warlock who escapes the gallows and is transported--along with the witch hunter who brought him to trial (Richard E. Grant)--300 years into the future. Running loose in contemporary Los Angeles, Sands's supernatural monster sets about reuniting the scattered portions of a Devil's Book that will reveal the true name of God and thus destroy mankind. In a great twist, the last bit of the book is in a very interesting place: the grave of Grant's character, who has enlisted the aid of a woman (Lori Singer) in a hurried effort to stop imminent disaster. Genuinely involving, Warlock is aided immeasurably by sharp performances from the equally eccentric Grant (Withnail and I) and Sands (Naked Lunch). Miner invents his way through a kind of simultaneously new and old horror tale, and the results are taut, fun, and surprising. The DVD release features Spanish and French subtitles, cast and crew information, and 2.0 Dolby surround sound. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

16th century visions of witchcraft brought to life
First, this is a really fun movie. It's not too horribly gross, (except maybe for the scene with the tongue), and it's not very creepy, or too scary, It's also not at all a comedy, though it is a bit tongue-in-cheek (in more ways than one). It's just, well... Fun!

If you've ever read any books about witchcraft, or seen old woodcuts of people's visions of witchcraft during the 16th century, you'll recognize the themes and images in this film. You'll get the witch hunter holding onto the flying warlock with a rope, nails being driven into footprints, the whole bit... And you really should look up the traditional main ingredient of the infamous flying ointment before watching.

This film works from the premise that everything in the old witchcraft books is literally true, and it plays out in a very entertaining, visually distinctive way. It was well-researched enough to really make the premise work, without being so slavish as to detract from the plot. The warlock is every bit as evil as the old books would have it, and is most definitely in league with The Devil Himself.

And I've got to say it: Julian Sands is just plain COOL.

Pretty good, very twisted
Julian Sands plays an evil warlock, who has been supernaturally flung into the future from his home in Boston of 1691. His "future" is modern Los Angeles, about the year 1987. He is searching, with demonic guidance, for the Grand Grimoire, an unholy old book that he hopes will help him attain the Satanic power necessary to destroy the world. In Los Angeles, out of pure random malice, he puts a rapid-aging hex on Lori Singer, who plays the carefree, twenty year old Kassandra. This hex causes her to age twenty years a day, and provides personal motivation for her to find and stop Sands... Richard E. Grant plays the godly witch-hunter, Redfern, who is sworn to stop Sands, and has followed him to modern times. Grant and Singer team up, and must track Sands all the way back across the country, from L.A. to Boston.

For all I know, Julian Sands could be a warm, humane kindergarten teacher or faith healer in the real world, but in this movie he just exudes evil. In a lot of movies, the bad guy, while clearly being BAD, at least has a certain personal style that makes him fun to watch. Think of Jack Nicholson in "The Shining," or the way audiences cheer for Freddy Krueger. In this movie, the warlock is never exactly "fun" to watch, he's just pure, sick evil. Perhaps this reflects a decision on the part of the director, writer, or maybe Sands himself, for some artistic reason. It does have the effect of intensifying the viewers' sympathy for Singer and Grant. It also, I suspect, makes a viewer actually understand how real people thought about witches, and feared them, hundreds of years ago... All you can think is "this sicko must be stopped."

That said, this is an interesting, well-shot film, with a lot of cool old settings. I just want to ask -- what is the deal with all these time travellers from the past and future converging on L.A.? "Warlock," "The Terminator," "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," "Encino Man"... they should all get together in some cheapo Roger Corman movie and form a rock band, like Tonto, Tarzan and Frankenstein on "Staurday Night Live."

Great movie
Ok, so I may be a little biased because I'm a Sands fan, but this is a great and original movie. The supporting cast is great as well, but nothing can compare to Sands' diobolical character.