Witch Hunt Movie Review

Dennis Hopper takes over for Fred Ward as private dick H. Phillip Lovecraft in this sequel to 1991's Cast a Deadly Spell. Once again our hero is just about the only person in the alternate-universe 1953 Hollywood who refuses to use magic. Lovecraft is hired by Kim Hudson (Penelope Ann Miller) to tail her two-timin’ husband. Suddenly hubby is corpsified and it's a case of murder. Great special effects, but not the usual crisp plot that director Paul Schrader helms. Eric Bogosian is fine as a blowhard senator trying to ban magic. Music by Angelo Badalamenti. Fans of the first one will love the fantasy-noir feel.

1994 (R) 101m/C Dennis Hopper, Penelope Ann Miller, Eric Bogosian, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Julian Sands, Alan Rosenberg, Valerie Mahaffey, Debi Mazar; D: Paul Schrader; W: Joseph Dougherty; M: Angelo Badalamenti. VHS HBO