Spellbinder (film)

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Spellbinder
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Janet Greek
Written by	Tracy Tormé
Produced by	Brian Russell Joe Wizan
Starring	Timothy Daly Kelly Preston Rick Rossovich
Cinematography	Adam Greenberg
Edited by	Steve Mirkovich
Music by	Basil Poledouris
Production companies	Indian Neck Entertainment Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Wizan Film Properties
Distributed by	MGM/UA Communications Co.
Release date	September 23, 1988 (1988-09-23)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$6 million[1]
Box office	$657,446 (US)[2]

Spellbinder is a 1988 American witchcraft-themed thriller film directed by Janet Greek, starring Timothy Daly and Kelly Preston. The screenplay was written by Tracy Tormé. The original music score was written by Basil Poledouris. The film was marketed with the tagline "A nightmare of illusion and betrayal".

Miranda Reed is saved from an abusive boyfriend by Los Angeles attorney Jeff Mills and his lawyer friend and coworker Derek Clayton. The boyfriend makes threats at Jeff, but eventually leaves. As Miranda has no home, Jeff offers to let her stay at his. Jeff becomes romantically involved with Miranda, despite the ominous things that keep happening since he has met her. Jeff invites his coworkers to his home for a party and for them to meet Miranda. All of them like Miranda, except for Grace, Jeff's secretary, who notices Miranda's strange behaviors, e.g., referring to the winter solstice as a "holy night," and taking a turkey out with her bare hands without getting burned. Grace warns Jeff that she is "weird" and is "trouble," but he does not heed her warning. Miranda disappears after her mother Mrs. White confronts Jeff in his office. Jeff seeks the help of the police and Lieutenant Lee warns him that Miranda is wearing a necklace with the sign of a satanic cult suspected of murders and disappearances in the area.

Miranda eventually reappears and reveals that she belongs to the cult, a witches coven run by her ex-boyfriend and her mother was responsible for her induction into the cult. Miranda says she wants to leave the cult and explains that the mysterious events Jeff has witnessed are part of the coven's effort to bring Miranda back into the fold. The coven's solstice ritual features a human sacrifice on a beach where the victim has to come voluntarily, which Miranda believes is to be her. When Jeff encourages her to go to the police, Miranda declines as the coven will pursue her regardless and she does not think police will believe her—and in any case, if the coven has not brought her back into their fold by the winter solstice which is the next day, Miranda will be free forever.

Based on that, Jeff agrees to help Miranda escape the coven for 24 hours, rather than go to the police. He hides her with his client Brock (who lives in a self-created fortress) while he goes to work, but the coven finds Miranda and kills Brock. When Jeff gets no dial tone response when he calls Brock, he gets into an emotional frenzy, ignores an important court appointment for a client, against the advice of a senior law firm partner, as he's frantic with worry for Miranda. Jeff breaks into Miranda's old house and coerces the current occupants who are members of the cult, to reveal Miranda's whereabouts, which is Towers Beach. Jeff and Derek rush to the beach to save Miranda. Derek claims to have called Lieutenant Lee who has sent local police to help them and he leaves to get them, while Jeff stealthily moves towards the beach, where the cult is having their ceremony, to save Miranda. Unfortunately, Jeff is spotted and captured. The coven have Miranda tied up as a sacrifice. Miranda's ex-boyfriend stabs towards her, as Jeff screams—but unexpectedly—he cuts Miranda loose rather than killing her. Miranda then confuses Jeff by seductively dancing around him, rather than running away or helping him. Before he could come to his senses, Jeff is forcefully gagged and tied up where Miranda used to be. Miranda is then robed and joins the coven in their ritual.

It is now clear that Miranda is in on the plot the whole time and was only there as bait. Jeff is the real sacrifice, and Derek is the actual leader of the coven with Miranda as his co-conspirator to trap Jeff and make him voluntarily come to the sacrifice as demanded by the ritual. Miranda mockingly kisses the gagged Jeff just before he is sacrificed, telling him that she knew he would come to save her. Jeff now realizes the full extent of the plot and his betrayal, but it is too late. Derek makes a final sarcastic remark that if Derek himself (as a friend) did not look out for Jeff, no one else would, and kills Jeff and takes his heart out. The film ends with Grace's funeral; she had died under mysterious circumstances involving an accident (presumably killed by the cult in order to avoid exposure). At the funeral, Lieutenant Lee questions Derek about Jeff and Derek tells him that he has no idea and that last he heard, Jeff had gone to Mexico with Miranda.

The final scene shows Miranda and Derek replaying the same scenario from the beginning of the film on a new victim, Derek's new legal client.

• Timothy Daly as Jeff Mills
• Kelly Preston as Miranda Reed
• Rick Rossovich as Derek Clayton
• Audra Lindley as Mrs. White
• Anthony Crivello as Aldys
• Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Lieutenant Lee
• Diana Bellamy as Grace Woods
• James Watkins as Tim Weatherly
• Kyle T. Heffner as Herbie Green
• M. C. Gainey as Brock
• Stefan Gierasch as Edgar De Witt
• Roderick Cook as Ed Kennerle

The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in September 1988. It grossed $657,446 domestically at the box office.^[2]

• Spellbinder at IMDb
• Spellbinder at AllMovie