User Reviews

honestly! the beginning of this movie is quite extraordinary on account of the lousy camera work. The hand-held work is clearly not in any way... intentional! and the sound is amazingly awful. it's worth sitting through for this one scene in which Lee Grant one of those "damned good actresses" who is absolutely horrible in this film goes to visit some old woman who greets her in a caftan with open arms but suddenly is brought up short while... some metal thing starts to come out of her mouth an' honey it sin't dentucreme! then her black tongue comes out while Lee acts to the hilt giving it her granted all and the woman's face comes apart and she goes stumbling through the window. honestly it's so funny that I intend to record it with my video-camera. A parapsychologist! Honey she needs the fire dept and who knows what all else! a so bad it's horrendous movie... to compare it to Carrie is like comparing I don't know "Love American Style" to "Romeo and Juliet" it's just so awful... a train wreck! another hi-lite is when Helen hunt (who was kind of a provocative beauty in her youth, a la Lela sobieski) is trying to explain to transactional analysis Lee grant momma of the 70s that the supposedly fat girl (who really isn't fat at all, incidentally) is a murderous witch along with her lesbian gym coach who also has this witchy satisfaction whenever someone's face burns up or what have you and ... Helen is so frightened that she puts on the radio to mask her telling mom of fat-tie's murderous witchy ways, and the music she happens to find ... is some kind of I don' tenor what again "LOVE AMAERICAN STYLE" type soundtrack it's so ridiculous! Oh Lee Grant, Oh Helen Hunt Oh my goodness! To the person who remembers seeing this at age 8 and being impressed, honey you were probably more like 2 years old, OK?!

If you get the chance to see this movie, don't pass it up. Very obviously inspired by "Carrie", it is nonetheless a fairly effective made-for-TV thriller in which an overweight 15 year old finds she has powers that enable her to take revenge on people who bully and tease her. The film stars the capable Lee Grant in the role of the mother, and Susan Myers plays the troubled teen, Rita, with some flair, mixing moments of intensity with a general childish air and a touching propensity to say please and thank you when asked to! Unlike Carrie, she actually has a fairly normal family, and Grant in particular makes for a very supportive parent who tries her best to get to the bottom of Rita's problems. The meat of the action, of course, lies in what Rita actually does to her enemies, but don't get too excited because as you might expect from a TV movie there's little in the way of bloodshed or violence.

That's not to say that there is nothing worth seeing, however, as the film does have one stand-out scene which everyone who has seen it seems to remember. When Rita's mother pays a visit on a elderly lady to see how she is, this (previously unseen) character walks down the stairs to welcome her, but before she can say anything she starts choking on her own tongue, her eyeballs turn zombie-white and her head swells up and goes purple! Seconds later she is billowing smoke and crashing through a glass door, before collapsing on the ground and dying in agony. This brief but remarkable (and horrific) scene comes as a real surprise when up until then all we have seen is a near miss hit-and-run car accident, and one of Rita's tormentors falling off a rope in gym class. It certainly gave me nightmares as a child. The remainder of the film follows Grant as she uncovers how Rita is carrying out her psychic reign of terror, and attempts to stop her.

Although well acted by the cast (including a very young Helen Hunt as Rita's more popular sister), the overall effect is weakened by some indistinct plotting and not very good continuity. Some characters and events are barely fleshed out at all. At one point we are introduced to a psychic researcher (or something) who has a tape recording of Grant, seemingly explaining her situation in some kind of therapy session. This is very badly inserted into the film, as its hard to work out when it is supposed to be happening. Similarly, the old lady who burns up is a character who has only ever been vaguely referred to by the cast, and as soon as she does appear she is dead before she utters a single line of dialogue. Other events and character motivations are tossed into the background in a similarly hap-hazard manner. This seems to be a film made in a hurry, and to make it worse, several scenes are also quite sloppily edited together.

What works is the likeable cast (I always enjoy watching Lee Grant), and the one totally out-there shock scene, but apart from that it is rather mundane and not really capable of standing out among the many other late 1970's TV thrillers. However I would still recommend a viewing if you come across it.

Originally airing on February 20, 1977 on NBC, this Brian Taggert (Visiting Hours, Poltergeist III and Omen IV: The Awakening) film was supposedly written before Stephen King's Carrie. It was supposed to be a theatrical film, but thanks to De Palma's filmed version getting on screen first, this was relegated to a movie of the week.

Rita Matchett is a shy and overweight 15-year-old girl who gets picked on just like, well, Carrie. Except her powers happen way quicker, because as one of the mean girls climbs the rope in gym class, Jackie uses her powers to make her fall to her death.

While Rita comes from a rich family, she isn't close with her sister (Helen Hunt) or her father (James Olson, Father Adamsky from Amityville II: The Possession). Her mother (Lee Grant, who reviews said deserved better than this movie, but I love this kind of ridiculous TV movie occult magic, so screw those people) tries to understand her, but once she starts speaking in tongues, all bets are off.

This is the kind of movie where an old woman spontaneously combusts, where the gym teacher (Lelia Goldoni, who if I was artistic I'd tell you that she was in Cassavetes' Shadows, but we all know that she was in the 70's Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Unseen) teaches sad teens how to find Satan and the mom ends up having powers too, throwing knives at her daughter in a scene that again has nothing to do with Carrie at all.

Jack Colvin, who plagued David Bruce Banner on the TV version of The Incredible Hulk, and Wright King (Invasion of the Bee Girls) show up. So do some audio cues from the classic Star Trek.

Lee Phillips, who directed The Girl Most Likely to..., is behind this. Sure, it's insanely derivative, but it's plenty of fun.

The character played by Susan Myers here is closer to Dawn Weiner from "Welcome to the Dollhouse" than Carrie White, just a bit older and dealing with weight issues rather than the ability to fit in. It is implied that before she put on weight, she was actually pretty popular, and now the girls in her gym class are truly awful to her.

Unlike Dawn and Carrie though, Myers' Rita Matchett has a sympathetic mother, played by Lee Grant, and it's her father (James Olson) and sister (Helen Hunt) who treat her with absolutely no respect. To be honest, Rita is hardly heavy, perhaps a bit larger in the hips, so this element of the story rings false.

The subject of shaming has been going on since long before the public education system, and that makes this TV film an important as social commentary as well as a frightening horror film is that on the surface may seem to be a "Carrie" rip-off but is so much more. Lelia Goldoni, as the gym teacher, is obviously inspired by Betty Buckley's character, but in this case, she has the tools that Rita will need to seek revenge.

This delves more personally into the family situation so the elements of horror are quite subtle and take some time to be made prominent in the story. Frankly, I got tired of hearing the fat word, and was glad that Grant stood up to her husband to get him to see Rita as something more than a heavy embarrassment.

***SPOILERS*** Carrie clone that has homely but, unlike she's made out to be in the film, slightly overweight teenager Rita Matchett get revenge against her tormentors both in school as well as at home by using her telekinetic powers that we later learn that she was born with. It's the slim and sexy looking Jackie who's the first of Rita's victims who loses her grip while doing the Indian rope trick hitting the floor of the gym breaking her neck. Jackie made the mistake of getting under Rita's skin by calling her "Tubo" and "Fatso" every time she saw her.

Back at home it was Rita's dad Glenn who always treated her like she was dirt or dog poop that got her to take revenge against her kid sister the slim and athletic looking Kristina, the apple of her dad's eye,whom she caused to lose her balance as well as coordination while competing in a swimming contests at school. It was in fact Rita's weird looking swimming coach Jo Standish a secret master of the black arts who took Rita under her wings and gave her the power by chanting together with her a number of unintelligible "Mombo Jumbo" phrases to do her tormentors in. There was also the spaced out and creepy looking Dale Boyce an expert in the paranormal who realized just what Rita was all about but knew that no one would believe him or that Rita would do him in if he ever opened his mouth about her. So he kept it-his mouth- shut all throughout the movie keeping it, his terrible secret, from both the police and the school authorities.

***SPOILERS*** Most of the real action was saved until the very end of the movie when Rita was ordered by her dad ton take a flight to Great Britain to get rid of her as well to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Placer that really flipped her out. The last thing that Rita wanted to see is those clowns in their red coats and fur hats making monkeys out of themselves for the public's amusement. This had Rita strike out not at her dad but Jo Standish whom she now felt was just using her and her telekinetic powers for her own selfish advantage. ***MAJOR SPOILER*** It turned out that the person behind Rita's supernatural powers was non other then her All-American & apple pie looking mom Marilyn Matchett who once was a witch herself in what seemed like another lifetime! And she also kept that secret from Rita until she got so out of hand, in destroying everything in sight, and finally had to put an end to it!

I was pretty sure what I was going to get when I decided to watch this on NetFlix, as I've seen most of the more successful 70s teen horror movies, and as I hadn't even heard of this one, it didn't bode too well. However, i do enjoy movies that are "so bad they're good" and thought perhaps The Spell would fall into this category. Firstly, the main character is supposed to be fat enough to be teased relentlessly about it - she's very slightly overweight. So this immediately made for a weak premise. People do get teased for being hopelessly nerdy - this would have been a far more believable scenario to get things rolling along. The family is well played - all very unlikable characters, shallow and annoying. I agree with one of the other reviewers - you will be rooting for them all to die under the hand of the "fat" teenager. (this movie is so bad I've forgotten the name of the main character already). Simply put, there wasn't enough drama, with the exception of the (SPOILER!) mom's friend's spontaneous combustion and the popular girl taking a tumble...if I had to describe this movie with one word, it would be "tepid". It's not totally unwatchable though - it reminds me a lot of an After School Special movie (those in the U.S. will know what I mean), albeit with some supernatural violence. If you love ugly 1970s fashion and annoying people, you might enjoy this movie. Otherwise watch Carrie or even Summer of Fear, instead.

"The Spell" is one of those extremely average made for TV movies that tries to work towards a goal, but misses it completely. In observing the progression of horror movies on television, it is pretty typical as to what you could have expected to be shown on television in the 1970's. It suffers, however, from two things: the constant chatter regarding it being a ripoff of "Carrie" and the poor and confused lesson taught at it's end.

The most common thing I have read about this film is how it is a ripoff of "Carrie" and that is true to a degree. Made for television movies have long tried to copy themes from current theatrical releases in order to capitalize on turning the interest into ratings. However, only part of theme is remotely related to "Carrie" in that a girl is bullied and seeks revenge using paranormal powers. Rita, a bullied teenager, has an innate talent for witchcraft which she uses to hurt people who have tormented her for being fat (although ironically, she's only slightly overweight). There are no big revenge scenes or any dramatic buildup like you got in "Carrie." Rita is also not as sympathetic a character as Carrie White was.

But while Rita may not be the most likable girl in 1970's revenge movies, she is definitely maligned. Her father is a worthless and disgusting excuse for a human being. He plays favorites with his daughters and makes it so painstakingly obvious that he not only prefers Kris, but absolutely despises Rita. He makes fun of Rita for being overweight. He heaps praise upon Kris, who is really a spoiled and annoying brat. He refuses to allow Rita to come out to restaurant with the family. He tries to send Rita to England to attend a school, not for her sake but simply because he doesn't like her and wants her gone.

For a movie that gets compared to "Carrie" so often, you'd think there would be a lot of development in the revenge plot, but you'd be wrong. It's a slow moving pace that never really catches the viewer.

The biggest problem with "The Spell" is that it teaches a really poor lesson to it's viewers. There is no doubt that Rita is unfairly treated by both her family and her peers. The movie leads you to believe her mother is on her side, but she's not. After "discovering" that Rita is using her witch like powers for revenge, the mother reveals that she has the powers as well and decides to punish Rita. What doesn't make sense about this is that the mother already knew what was going on. She follows Rita at the end of the movie and witnesses her using her powers and overhears the entire revenge plot. But it is obvious to the viewer that the mom already knows this so why the sudden change in her attitude occurs is unclear. The mom decides to send Rita to England and punishes her for what she did. At no point does the father get punished for his abhorrent behavior. He learns that you can hate someone for absolutely no reason and the moment they become a burden, you can send them away because it's easier for you.

Only watch this movie if there is absolutely no better alternative. It sickened me to see how these people acted and it sickened me more that the wrong person got punished.

THE SPELL is a straight-up TV movie rip-off of CARRIE, albeit made on a smaller scale and lower budget and without the genius of Brian De Palma at the helm. Rita is an ordinary teenage high school pupil who gets bullied by her peers for being overweight (which she isn't, of course). It turns out that a dysfunctional home life doesn't help much. To this end she develops her psychic powers to a degree that she can cause harm to those who oppose her, and black magic may be involved. This is a familiar kind of movie that nonetheless benefits from a typical '70s-era spooky atmosphere, a dedicated Lee Grant (who was always in some misfortune in the 1970s, it seems) and some effective set-pieces, not least the bit with the woman with the boiling blood which is still shocking even now in a pre-EVIL DEAD kind of way.

Singled out, overweight and lonely, our sweatpants wearing lead, Tub-Owe, is conscience of all charges directed toward her and suffers in semi-shame.

Helen Hunt is looking a little Jennifer Lawrence-ish.

The girls all climb for bucks, in a 'Running Man' rope contest, as relentless mean girls mock Tub-Owe, who's in Private Pile's league.

She pulls a Sissy Spacek telekinesis move and sends what looks like an out-of-control swinging piece of bacon to its early grave.

Weight issues, I mean body positive issues, are hereditary. Tub-Owe's parents are both svelte and under 140 pounds, so how can she be the odd man out? Oh, excuse me, it's 2022, gotta watch those pronouns around today's sensitive generation. Tub-Owe's the odd "non binary individual" of this story.

This movie could swing one of both two ways - it'll be all about bulimia and health issues or Tub-Owe's power will seek revenge on all the teasers. (It turns into an occult movie.)

Speaking of Jennifer Lawrence, this movie reminds me of 1978's 'Jennifer' for some reason?

Displaying pouty outbursts and jealous fits of rage, Tub-Owe's name in this is R'eater.

Her two parents are at each others throats constantly so no doubt the father's having an affair on his away jaunts?

At every turn R'eater's lectured and nagged about gambling, pizza and exercise. Her bubble bursts and she slowly learns to manipulate the entrapment set for her and even drops a guilt trip on her own mar which makes her feel uncomfortable.

Tub-Owe's way too mature for her age! She's only 15 and still developing, too, so in about 6 years from now she could have an entirely different figure.

The tide slowly turns as R'eater discovers maturity and people start to fear her heavyset presence as she throws her weight around.

She even develops 'Halloween 5-Ply' powers and instructs a car to mow her father down.

She sure is a weird one. She just sits there in her room like a pet rock and broods all day anticipating the next assault and has visions of revenge.

Oh Christ, that sounds a lot like me! At my worst, I once reached over 200 pounds and it was all due to an unhealthy diet of sugary carbonated soda's, take-away Chinese, pizza and cheese corn chips. Eliminating these things from my diet saw me go back to 149 pounds. (Stay away from sugar.)

'The Spell' takes an unexpected twist when out of the blue a housemaid turns into the Evil Dead and spontaneously combusts.

Compared to today's modern standards, R'eater's an evening swimwear model. She's not "that" large. But, make no mistake, she's the spawn of evil and exerts her authority over all and becomes a domineering force to be reckoned with.

She instructs a public swimming pool to drown Helen Hunt, who's quickly written out of the script not long after this scene. Dennis Weaver saves the day and comes to her rescue by diving in fully clothed as frantic onlookers try to get Helen's autograph.

Another twit is attacked by his own office supplies.

The mother's persistence tries to pin it all on her own daughter who seems to be playing chess games with the provocateurs. Slowly but surely the mother's sleuthing work reveals her own daughter as the source of evil.

I tried to sympathize with R'eater at the start of the movie but now I wish she'd just implode and go away. She's overbearing and revealing her true ugly colors. She's an unlikely character and deserved all the mocking that was forthcoming.

Having their fill of Tub-Owe, the parents try to post her overseas to Hogwarts to practise her witchcraft on The Poms. Her reluctance shines through and she rebels about this action and the motivations behind it. (The father in this doesn't hide his hatred for Beef Thighs.)

The mother in this seems to have a short circuit in her brain herself, making her a few shillings short of a quid. She ain't all there and in need of a re-evaluation.

Turns out that R-eater's been mentored all along by the Vampire of Sacramento, who took her under her wing, and that Tub-Owe's mother is the Wiccan Queen of Salem, who possesses the darkest magic. She proves this by terrorizing R'eater at the end and reducing her to tears but not her weight.

The ending seems a little rushed and confusing with the office worker choking on his lunch. His face looks like it was smashed with a fly squatter. His skull's almost Skeletor-looking in quality with gnarly teeth and windy hair.

1. She is far from overweight, it was quite insulting that they chose her for the role and considered her fat 2. The people who deserved to suffer get off light. For real this girl was being abused by her father and had a toxic home environment.

3. It's revealed that the main character didn't kill anyone so she was completely innocent....so why was all this built up like she was a villain? Why couldn't she be happy in the end? Why was she still suffering? She should have had a happy ending.

4. The ending was confusing and awful. The twist you could see a mile away, but then they have this awful fight that just...ends...and nothing is resolved. Just a waste of time.