MAGIC (1978)

[The Burgomaster]

I read this book back in the 1970s and thought it was really good.  Then I went to see the movie and was disappointed.  Top-notch screenwriter William Goldman wrote both the novel and the screenplay, so I figured most of the elements that made the novel so chilling would also be in the movie.  Unfortunately, Goldman left some interesting elements and some great dialogue out of the screenplay.  (Either that or they ended up on the cutting room floor).  The movie could never be QUITE as good as the book because the book gets inside the main character's head.  But I thought that it would at least be ALMOST as good, and it wasn't.

All that being said, my copy of the newly released DVD arrived in the mail today and I just watched it.  I must say that I enjoyed the movie more this time than I did the 3 or 4 times I saw it in the past.  It is pretty chilling in its own way, and Anthony Hopkins turns in a strong performance as the disturbed ventriloquist.  The supporting cast is also good:  Burgess Meredith, Ann-Margret, and Ed Lauter.  David Ogden Stiers is even in it for a few minutes (which is probably NOT a reason to watch it).

If you are looking for a lot of gore, you won't find it here.  But if you're in the mood for a creepy character study, you might enjoy this.

[Scott]

I've only seen part of MAGIC when it came out on pay tv and didn't watch it all because I didn't find it as good as I thought it should be. Another one I have yet to see all of is DEVIL DOLL . Only saw part of this also but for different reasons. Would like to see DEVIL DOLL and maybe even MAGIC all the way through some day.

[odinn7]

Magic was one of the first videos I rented back in the 80's when we got our VCR. It was good enough...creepy, somewhat suspenseful...but it couldn't compare to the films that I really wanted to see at that time. Movies like: Dr. Butcher, Hills Have Eyes, NOTLD...etc...

[peter johnson]

No, I really really like this movie --
I mean, the part where Meredith confronts Hopkins that he can't live without Fats & Hopkins asks for a cigar -- "A cigar?", says Meredith -- "Sure, here you go . . ." & the entire building of manic tension from there until Hopkins becomes the screaming Fats again -- well . . .  I just love all that sort of thing --
That, and poor Ann Margaret waiting for her new love -- Hopkins -- to return, when we now know he's SUCH a homicidal wacko . . .  I found that very tragic and touching.
Never read the book -- books are usually better, but please give the film its due . . .
peter johnson/denny crane

[flacorocks]

I remember when this came out in theaters and the commercial was scary as hell.  I was 8 and my brother 5, and when the commercial came on, we would run and hide and cover our ears.  I have never seen the movie all the way through and will be purchasing a copy.  Odd thing is, 2 or 3 years later, I wanted to become a ventriloquist!! (I had a Groucho Marx ventriloquist dummy!!)

[The Burgomaster]

Scott:

I have a copy of DEVIL DOLL.  The DVD has 2 versions of the movie: the U.S. release and a European cut that has a slightly longer "suggestive" scene in it (it's really very tame).  The movie has some creepy moments in it and the ending is a surprise.  It's not a great film, but I think you might enjoy it.

[LH-C]

Ok - I must be the only person that really digs this movie! I even like it more than 'Silence Of The Lambs', because Hopkins is better as Corky IMHO than he is Lector!

[Derf]

I remember watching this on cable around 1980 (somewhere in that vicinity). It scared me enough to make me remember it 25-ish years later. I guess that would make it a pretty effective movie. I only saw it once, though; I'm not sure what I'd think of it today.

[BoyScoutKevin]

I've seen it, and enjoyed it, when I saw it. Of course, I've never read the book. When I did see it, I think I enjoyed the scenes set in the country, more than the scenes set in the city. To me, the "up to date" city scenes, gave the film a dated look, while the scenes set in the country, had  a more timeless feel to them.

And besides, "Devil Doll," if you want to see a film about a ventriloquist possessed by his dummy, then watch the British horror anthology, "Dead of Night," with Sir Michael Redgrave as the ventriloquist.

[Herodotus]

What I most remember about this movie was how Burgess Meredith seemed to be doing an impersonation of George Burns. He had Burns' mannerism when it came to speaking, walking and his trademark cigar. I always wondered if the part was written with him in mind?