This film was corny but had redeeming qualities. It centered around Marquis (Omari Hardwick), who is a former resident of rural Appalachia. He planned a trip there with his wife and kids but something bad happened. Next thing you know, he was being held captive by a woman named Eloise (Loretta Divine). She delivered a creepy ass performance as a wicked Hoodoo doctor.

The story is a combination of Stephen King’s Misery (1990) and The Skeleton Key (2005). Its a relatively small film that lacked narrative. For one, we don’t spend enough time with Marquis or his family. So there’s no emotional connection to any of them. All of a sudden, they’re in a plane being flown by Marquis. In the first ten minutes he is presented as a cut throat lawyer, now he’s a licensed pilot? Sure no big deal. Let’s skip over that part.

Somehow Marquis and his family were separated. Due to a few nasty injuries and evil sorcery, finding them proved to be an extremely difficult task. One filled with stupidity, a very small set, and impressive body horror. I wanted to see more special effects and exposition. It wasn’t quite clear to me what was at stake for the antagonists. There’s little to no backstory given on any of the major characters or their motivations for being bad.

One of the most consistent themes, was Marquis’s lack of faith in a higher power. Even when magic was wielded against him, he barely reacted. From random flashbacks to the threat of a deadly ritual that was supposed to do something. I’m glad it’s over so I can cleanse my supernatural palate. Spell is whack and gets a 4 out of 10.