38
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThis is a decently stylish thriller with occult elements that should satisfy viewers’ genre requirements, though few will demand a second watch (or sequel).
- 40Los Angeles TimesMichael OrdoñaLos Angeles TimesMichael OrdoñaIf scares are the movie’s raison d’etre, though, it’s hard to imagine Spell will frighten anyone but those vulnerable to a few bits of graphic gore.
- 40The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergLaden with references to race, class and the legacy of slavery, Spell, directed by Mark Tonderai from a script by Kurt Wimmer (a pen on the “Point Break” and “Total Recall” remakes), is stronger on maintaining suspense and a macabre atmosphere than it is at following through on its ideas, which give it a thin veneer of topicality.
- 40The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeThere’s a cinematic slickness to the film (it was intended to be released theatrically until the pandemic) that separates it from its more noticeably shoddier fright night competitors but it’s mostly a familiar, if not entirely fruitless, trudge down a well-trodden path, one that takes us into, at times, questionable territory.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckHeavy on oppressively humid atmosphere and light on originality, the film is a mostly forgettable genre exercise whose viewers won't miss much by watching at home.
- 38RogerEbert.comTomris LafflyRogerEbert.comTomris LafflyThe angst it spreads throughout feels all too mild and forgettable to cast an unnerving curse. You know, the kind you’d crave from a horror film with lasting scares.