Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Warlock Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 23, 2017

Note: This film is available as part of the Warlock Collection.

Like many a good American kid raised on endless afternoon reruns seen after getting home from school, I’m pretty sure the first time I heard the term “warlock” was a reference to a male character on Bewitched, where it was shorn of any nefarious (let alone Satanic) subtext. The Warlock franchise posits a titular (and otherwise unnamed) character who is hardly in that “kinder, gentler” context of a mid-sixties sitcom, even if there are manifest differences between the stories revolving around him in the three Warlock films. Like a lot of ostensible horror franchises, Warlock starts out at least relatively winningly, but then offers what some may perceive as an example of the law of diminishing returns. The first film at least presents a time traveling tale that is a kind of odd combo platter of elements from The Terminator, Highlander, Time After Time and Witchfinder General, though the two sequels also included in this set have little if anything to do with that original setup, instead merely porting over the Warlock branding into what are essentially standalone stories.

In 1691 Massachusetts, avid witch hunter Giles Redferne (Richard E. Grant) has spent considerable time and energy to finally capture the suspected Warlock (Julian Sands). The Warlock is being held in a stone tower (there’s some funny commentary from director Steve Miner about the use of real life Plimoth Plantation locations for the shoot), and is trussed and restrained with a variety of weird implements. Redferne taunts the Warlock, letting him know he’ll be consigned to the (literal) ash heap of history when he’s hung and burned come the morning sun, but the Warlock cautions Redferne not to be too sure. When a bizarre weather anomaly suddenly descends on the tower, Redferne realizes some devilish force has been summoned, and he runs back to the prison room just in time to see the Warlock disappear through some kind of weird portal. Redferne almost instinctively follows his prey in.

Of course the portal leads this skirmishing pair directly into a land some would consider even worse than hell, namely circa 1980s Los Angeles (and, yes, that’s a joke). The Warlock “arrives” first (for reasons which are unexplained), crashing through the window of a home shared by Kassandra (Lori Singer) and the home’s owner, Chas (Kevin O’Brien). A “devil’s wind” storm has made phoning for the police impossible, and so the two hoist the Warlock into Kassandra’s room, in order to sleep off what the two humans consider must have been a considerable bender. The next morning Kassandra takes off for her job, leaving Chas to supposedly cook breakfast for their unexpected “guest”, though the Warlock is evidently “hungry” for something else, as evidenced by a rather gruesome murder scene.

The police track down Kassandra at her waitress job and question her about Chas’ relationships (in one of the most jaw dropping lines of the film, Kassandra, in defending Chas’ lack of pedophilia despite being gay, something the cops assume go hand in hand, so to speak, states, “He was gay — not queer!”). Meanwhile, in another unexplained segue the Warlock has magically transported himself to a bookstore run by a supposed medium (Mary Woronov), who seems quite taken with this mysterious figure. The Warlock asks her to channel a spirit named Zamiel, but he doesn’t seem too concerned when she none too surprisingly turns out to be a fraud. That’s because Zamiel can cut through even a faker’s conceits to make contact, and the demonic spirit alerts the Warlock that the Warlock’s “mission” in the 20th century is to retrieve and reassemble three pieces of an ancient grimoire, which will—well, that part is left largely unexplored. Instead, the Warlock wants reassurance that he’ll receive appropriate reward for completing this task, and Zamiel lets the Warlock know that the Warlock will become something akin to a Child of Satan (if not exactly Rosemary's Baby). This scene ends with yet another parting of the ways between a victim and one of his or her body parts, leading to one of the weirder and probably unintentionally funny effects that intermittently crops up throughout the rest of the film (an effect which won't be spoiled in this review).

Probably because there wouldn’t be a film otherwise, Kassandra ventures back to Chas’ house (which is surrounded with police tape) to retrieve her clothing, where she’s suddenly accosted by another interloper, this time Redferne. While her initial response is one of near panic, she becomes intrigued by Redferne’s “procedural” antics to try to find where the Warlock is. All hell breaks loose after Kassandra phones 911, ultimately leading to Kassandra being alone in the house again, which is when the Warlock expectedly shows up, first to retrieve part of the grimoire which is rather conveniently sequestered inside some of Chas’ furniture (how did that happen?), but also to cast a kind of mean spell of Kassandra, who has already been shown to be a bit on the vain side. The spell ages her considerably, and Singer plays a great deal of the middle part of the film under layers of latex and a gray fright wig.

In yet another unexplained elision, Redferne soon reenters the fray, and expectedly he and Kassandra team up to try to track down the Warlock, who is already on the hunt for the other missing fragments of the grimoire. Warlock has a rather widely variant tone, segueing from some of those aforementioned pretty gory moments to some whimsical chase sequences (the Warlock can fly), to some outright comedy as both the Warlock and Redferne attempt to understand the vagaries of 20th century life. The film probably has too many unexplained or at least unexplored elements to ever rise to truly devilish heights, but it has some fun sequences, and the cast is generally enjoyable. The film’s less than opulent “special effects” don’t especially help to establish the supposed reality of what’s going on, but for some that will only add to the film’s charm.

Warlock Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warlock is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films' Vestron Video imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While encountering occasional slight hurdles, this is arguably the best looking transfer of the three included in this set, despite being the oldest film, perhaps at least partially due to the fact that this film stands alone on a BD-50, while the other two share a BD-50 (that said, this disc has by far the most supplemental material, which obviously takes up disc space). While some of the "old school" special effects show their age (especially some of the now pretty clunky looking "flying" sequences), on the whole the palette resonates really strongly, popping especially well in the many outdoor scenes, scenes where detail levels are also often quite good. There are occasional signs of age related wear and tear as well as occasionally slightly chunky looking grain (especially in the darker scenes), but things rarely if ever get to the noisy levels that are at least occasionally seen in the other two presentations included in this set.

Warlock Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Warlock's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track boasts excellent fidelity and at least occasionally pretty impressive low end, especially in some of the underscore choices as well as rumbly sound effects. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly and there are no issues with damage, dropouts or distortion.

Warlock Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Steve Miner is hosted by Mondo Digital's Nathaniel Thompson.


• Isolated Score Selections featuring Audio Interview with Author Jeff Bond


• Satan's Son (1080p; 25:04) is an interview with Julian Sands.


• The Devil's Work (1080p; 16:18) is an interview with director Steve Miner.


• Effects of Evil (1080p; 16:24) offers interviews with make-up effects creators Carl Fullerton and Neal Martz.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:54)


• Video Teaser (1080i; 00:32)


• TV Spots (1080i; 2:41)


• Behind the Scenes Footage (1080i; 17:35)


• Still Gallery (1080p; 9:07)


• Vintage Interview Segments with Cast and Crew (1080i; 40:28)


• Vintage Featurette with Make-Up Effects Creators Carl Fullerton and Neal Martz (1080i; 5:50)


• Vintage Featurette with Visual Effects Supervisors Patrick Read Johnson and Robert Habros, Animation Supervisor Mauro Maressa and Matte Artist Robert Scifo (1080i; 5:51)

Warlock Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I had to laugh at the final moments of Warlock, which involve Kassandra burying the grimoire in the Bonneville Salt Flats. As someone who was born and raised in Utah, surrounded by tales of Joseph Smith and his burying of the so-called Golden Plates (an important relic of Mormonism), it struck me as at least a little funny that a Satanic tome would now be sharing relatively nearby ground. That's something of an "inside joke" for just a few, but there are other elements in Warlock that will probably bring at least a smile to some viewer's lips. That winking humor may help to at least partially ameliorate some of the plot holes that are left gaping in what is an oddly haphazard and at times chaotic screenplay. Technical merits are generally very good to excellent, and the supplemental package is outstanding. Recommended.