New World Pictures, 1989

starring: Julian Sands, Lori Singer, Richard E. Grant and Kevin O’Brien
directed by: Steve Miner

the plot: In Boston, circa 1691, the local magistrates have passed judgment on a Warlock (Sands) accused of being a servant of Satan. Set to mete out the punishment is Giles Redferne (Grant), a hardened witch hunter whose wife was killed by the Warlock. But just as the Warlock is about to face his death, a huge storm erupts, and the Warlock and Giles are sucked into a vortex. Nearly three centuries later, the Warlock reappears in California, crashing through the window of Chas (O’Brien) and Kassandra’s (Singer) apartment. While Kassandra is away at work, the Warlock murders Chas and discovers his purpose for journeying to the 20th century: he must retrieve the three parts of the “Grand Grimoire,” a spellbook that contains the true name of God. Soon, Redferne has found Kassandra, and the two set off to chase the Warlock. But with each page of the book he finds, the Warlock grows more powerful, using his magic to put a hex on Kassandra and kill anyone else who gets in his way. Kassandra, Redferne and the Warlock all discover the final pages of the Grimoire are in Boston, and race to claim the power to bring about the apocalypse.

why its good: “Warlock” is a fun little film. Julian Sands is wonderfully creepy and menacing as the Warlock, and it’s easy to see why the character was brought back for a tepid sequel, “Warlock: The Armageddon,” in 1993. Despite the ponytail and British accent, the Warlock is a badass—within a few hours of landing in the 20th century, he’s biting out tongues, carving out eyes and putting curses on just about everyone he can find. Though director Steve Miner frontloads the film with gore and special effects, much of the rest of the movie plays like a madcap chase film. Miner gives “Warlock” a lot of energy, though, so even if you’re disappointed by the lack of any frights, you still want to keep watching. Also surprising is Lori Singer’s role as Kassandra. Singer takes what could have easily been the standard “bimbo-in-distress” common to most horror films in the 1980s and makes her a fairly tough chick more interested in self-preservation than stopping the end of the world. And, thanks to a curse from the Warlock, Kassandra spends most of the film as an old lady, not the hot 20-something she really is. Writer Dan Twohy also loads up “Warlock” with some ridiculous witchcraft rules—in one oddly hilarious scene, Kassandra manages to stop the Warlock by using a “blessed” hammer to drive nails into his footprints.

why you should own it: If you can find “Warlock” for cheap, pick it up; otherwise, it’s a rental. Lions Gate’s DVD is pretty barebones, but “Warlock” is enjoyable enough in its own right, so the lack of extras isn’t too disappointing.