Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A father survives a plane crash in rural Appalachia, but becomes suspicious of the elderly couple who take him in to nurse him back to health with the ancient remedies.
Spell (2020) blends Misery-style captivity horror with Hoodoo/Rootwork folklore in an Appalachian setting, which offers some fresh cultural texture rarely seen in mainstream horror. However, the plot follows a fairly predictable captivity thriller structure with few genuine surprises, and the pacing drags in the middle act. Omari Hardwick delivers a committed lead performance and Loretta Devine is memorably menacing as the antagonist, elevating the material above its script's limitations. The cinematography is competent but unremarkable, using the rural setting adequately without truly exploiting its atmospheric potential. The ending escalates into over-the-top violence that feels rushed and tonally inconsistent with the slow-burn tension built earlier, undercutting the film's strengths.