A distraught mother must cope with her embittered daughter who has the ability to cause "accidents" to happen.
| Tagline | A taunted, overweight teenager with a mysterious power to destroy her enemies! |
| Release Date: | Feb 20, 1977 |
| Genres: | Horror, TV Movie |
| Production Company: | Stonehenge Productions, Charles Fries Productions |
| Production Countries: | United States of America |
| Casts: | Lee Grant, Susan Myers, Lelia Goldoni, Helen Hunt, Jack Colvin, James Olson, James Greene, Wright King, Barbara Bostock, Doney Oatman, Richard Carlyle |
| Status: | Released |
| Budget: | $0 |
| Revenue: | 0 |
_**Television “Carrie” knockoff fused with witchy elements**_ An outcast girl in high school is teased because she’s a little hefty (Susan Myers) but she seems to have a way of getting back at her persecutors. What’s her secret? Lee Grant plays her caring mother while Helen Hunt is on hand as her rival younger sister (at 13 years of age). "The Spell" (1977) is TV horror that mixes “Carrie” (1976) with a dab of witchcraft, paving the way for similar television flicks in the future, e.g. “Summer of Fear” (1978) and “Midnight Offerings” (1981). While this is easily the least of these due to the unlikable protagonist and a curious, slapdash tone, there are several highlights beyond the cast, such as the believable family dynamics, a well-done horror sequence involving a hex and a surprising curveball in the last act. The movie runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, with a shorter version running 1 hour, 13 minutes (the latter does a good job of editing out the fat). It was shot at Universal Studios, Universal City, California. GRADE: C+/B- (5.5/10)
