Now that's a trailer! In my humble opinion, Magic has the best trailer ever created. Hand's down. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be a ten year old kid watching this trailer on television in the late seventies. It must have been terrifying! It still creeps me out to this day. Even if this movie was crap (which it's not) I still would have put Magic on my top 250 list just because I think this trailer is so effective. It's pure genius.
Anyway, on to the film itself. Magic comes from a great pedigree of talent. It was directed by Richard Attenborough, who also directed Ghandi; and it was written by William Goldman, who also wrote Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Impressive, right? Not only that, but it stars Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, and (one of my all time favorites) Burgess Meredith. The star power is firmly in place.
So, the question is: Does Magic deliver? Absolutely. This may be a little know gem (I'm always surprised at how few people have heard of this movie), but it is a well crafted little psychological horror-thriller. I say little, because that's what it is. This is not a movie of huge scope. It is really only the story of one man battling some serious personal demons. But what the movie lacks in scope, it more than makes up for in tone.
The story is creepy as hell. If you're like me, the sight of ventriloquist dummies give you the heebie-jeebies. The dummy in this story, Fats, is one scary dude. And unlike most killer doll movies, the dolls owner, Anthony Hopkins, is equally freaky and unhinged. It really keeps you guessing.
Now I don't want to give too much away but let's just say this movie doesn't dive too deep into ridiculousness; which makes the story unsettling. It really sticks with you. Now that I've written this I want to watch it again right now. If only I owned it...
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