Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

I watched Warlock with low expectations, and I wasn't disappointed.
Interestingly, somehow it spawned sequels, a Warlock II and a Warlock III
although the 3rd movie is only nominally a sequel, since none of the actors nor the plot bear much resemblance to the first and second films.

Very early my thoughts were: What makes a bad film worse? NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES! (sure sign of low budget). Second: Oh, the horror! The horror of bad CG, that is! This is not really a "horror" film, as it isn't scary and it isn't that gross either. Other reviewers have amply sketched the plot. The plot is thin, the special effects are pretty shakey at times, the budget is limited, and some of the acting is lame. On the other hand I've seen worse movies. I actually watched the complete thing in one sitting, which is not bad. What saves this movie? Well, Sands as the Warlock really throws himself thoroughly into acting this part. He seems to give his best acting skills to what is, let's be honest, a second-rate film. He plays a charater that is completely, entirely evil (what more could one expect of one Satan is willing to make his chosen one?)--with no redeeming features. He does it with a quiet intensity that actually starts to draw one into the story. Second to him is Richard Grant's performance as his nemesis, the witch (the movie keeps changing the reference-witch, warlock--who cares? Witch seems to be the generic term and most were female; warlock is specifically a male witch..but I digress) Grant as the witch hunter does I'd say the second-best performance, with Lori Singer trailing in 3rd place as a modern LA girl caught up by circumstance (and romantic interest to the witch hunter). The soundtrack is nothing special. Some decent performances by supporting actors (like a Mennonite farm owner, for example) help a bit. The visuals do manage to get generally better toward the end of the movie. If you like a modest attempt at another "save the world from Satan" movie, maybe you will like it. Just don't expect The Omen....

I love horror movies, but this one is very dated and campy. Had to fast-forward through much of it.