A Los Angeles attorney (Daly) finds himself assisting a woman (Preston) who’s being mistreated by an unknown individual. Their connection deepens as he uncovers a clandestine group attempting to keep them apart. “Spellbinder,” released in 1988, is a thriller with horror elements that draws comparisons to films like “The City of The Dead” (1960), “The Wicker Man” (1973/2006), “Race With The Devil” (1975) and “Bay Coven” (1987). Fortunately, the narrative proves more engaging than both the original "Wicker Man" and "Race With The Devil." I would place it on a similar level to “Bay Coven,” though with somewhat improved production qualities considering its limited run in theaters. Daly is easy to root for as the lead character, and Kelly looks fantastic throughout. The movie has a comic book feel, bringing to mind Marvel’s Werewolf By Night from the 1970s. Although it's now readily accessible on streaming platforms, locating it was difficult for many years. Apparently, Travolta leveraged his connections in the science fiction industry to suppress the film because Preston, who had been his wife since 1991, appears completely nude and the plot centers around a questionable cult. (Sadly, Kelly passed away in 2020.) The movie’s length is 1 hour, 39 minutes, and filming took place in Los Angeles, the Santa Monica YMCA, and El Matador State Beach in Malibu. GRADE: B

Source on TMDB