31 Days Of Horror: Day #3 - MAGIC

"I can't make it." - Corky Withers

Magic, 1978, Directed by Richard Attenborough 
Grade: B+

I've always been fascinated by horror movies involving dolls and/or ventriloquist dummies, and here we have Anthony Hopkins perfectly portraying a creepy psychopath 13 years before he would even sit down with that census taker, some fava beans and a nice chianti.

I don't want to give too much away about this little seen film (from the director of Gandhi?), but I will say it is a standout in the genre, even if hardly anybody has ever heard of it.  Hopkins plays a ventriloquist named Corky who has a slight "affixation" with his dummy Fats (who gives some of the best wooden acting this side of Hayden Christensen in Episode II). What follows is something slightly-off kilter and deliciously deranged, which I guess is also what you could say about any line uttered in Jerry Maguire. 

Of note: The Jerry Goldsmith score here is absolutely spooky.  Never would I have thought the sound of a harmonica to be so terrifying.  Well, that is unless you saw Taylor Hicks on American Idol.

While not a perfect film, I love this movie.  It's simple and creepy.  And that's really all you need.  Even the trailer can give you nightmares.