Magic (1978) - Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret

May 2024 · 6 minute read

Directed by Richard Attenborough.

I remember the commercials for this movie scaring the crap out of me. Then I was at a sleepover when it aired on network television, probably 12 or 13 years old, and the rest of the kids wanted to watch it. So I went along with it, but I only half-watched the movie because it freaked me out so much. (I recall sitting there staring at the bookcase in the room instead of the tv, and reading every title of every book over and over instead of watching the movie.) Finally in college we used to rent horror movies, and I finally saw it.

Something about a ventriloquist and his dummy just seems freakishly "off" to me, and I suspect this movie is to blame.

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by Anonymousreply 31August 2, 2018 12:44 AM

One of the all time best horror movie commercials. I always assumed the movie itself would be rather staid.

by Anonymousreply 1July 31, 2018 12:13 AM

[quote]Something about a ventriloquist and his dummy just seems freakishly "off" to me

You're not the only one, OP. I don't like any of them nor clowns. UGH!

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by Anonymousreply 2July 31, 2018 12:22 AM

I always give up on this movie halfway. It starts well.

by Anonymousreply 3July 31, 2018 12:23 AM

And, this is the other one...

LIVING DUMMY -- 2 Minute Twilight Zone -- The Dummy

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by Anonymousreply 4July 31, 2018 12:27 AM

The commericial scared the C R A P out of me. I was eight years old. I'm still too scared to watch this movie.

by Anonymousreply 5July 31, 2018 12:36 AM

Hopkins deserved an Oscar just for voicing the dummy.

by Anonymousreply 6July 31, 2018 12:38 AM

I've never understood the ending...what is it that Ann-Margret says at the end?

by Anonymousreply 7July 31, 2018 12:38 AM

[quote]I've never understood the ending...what is it that Ann-Margret says at the end?

"GET ME THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!!!"

by Anonymousreply 8July 31, 2018 12:53 AM

Ann-Margret gave one of her best performances in this movie.

by Anonymousreply 9July 31, 2018 12:56 AM

Dolls are creepy creepy creepy.

by Anonymousreply 10July 31, 2018 12:59 AM

[quote]I've never understood the ending...what is it that Ann-Margret says at the end?

She basically calls out to Corky (Hopkins) and says let's give it a "whack", meaning she'll leave her husband and run away with Corky. Then says something like "don't waste time, I'm a woman and have the right to change my mind". Her last line, said in the voice of a dummy is "You may not get this oppor-fucking-tunity tomorrow!"

Full movie on YouTube if anyone wants to watch, or watch the final scene to hear what AM says.

by Anonymousreply 11July 31, 2018 1:28 AM

Gene Wilder was the original choice for Anthony Hopkins' role.

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by Anonymousreply 12July 31, 2018 1:38 AM

The part that freaked me out as a kid was the scene where Anthony Hopkins puts the doll down and gets up and the doll still moves a little. As an adult I assume the levers are just moving a little on their own after Hopkins sets the doll down, but as a kid I thought it meant the doll was alive. The audience where I attended screamed out when that happened in the theater.

by Anonymousreply 13July 31, 2018 1:47 AM

First movie where I saw an actress’s tits. Got a boner. Still gay- but it was Ann- Margaret. It would be a slap in God’s face not to get a boner.

by Anonymousreply 14July 31, 2018 1:47 AM

I don't see how you could get a boner when the love scene was intercut with footage of that fucking dummy!! C-R-E-E-P-Y scene...

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by Anonymousreply 15July 31, 2018 2:00 AM

In MY day, young ladies did not have to subject themselves to the ultimate indignity of public baring their private parts on film in order to give the make audience members (and Joan Crawford) a boner!

by Anonymousreply 16July 31, 2018 3:42 AM

Yes, I mistyped but I'm 102!

by Anonymousreply 17July 31, 2018 3:43 AM

I stuck it out, but am with R3: it starts out well, then drags on and on and on and loses whatever magic it had.

by Anonymousreply 18July 31, 2018 4:09 AM

[quote]OP. I don't like any of them nor clowns.

They are weirdly reminiscent of clowns. Mines fall into this category too. Keep them all away from me!

by Anonymousreply 19July 31, 2018 4:46 AM

Haven’t seen this since I was a kid. I remember it seeming really SLOW in parts, and I’ve never been the sort of movie watcher who has a hard time with slower movies, or older movies, or lack of action, etc. I know it’s on Shudder (hopefully in glorious HD), so I’m thinking I should check it out again, thanks to this thread.

by Anonymousreply 20July 31, 2018 5:18 AM

Two years later, no one remembered that "Magic", because everyone was talking about this one.

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by Anonymousreply 21July 31, 2018 1:32 PM

I remember reading the book before the movie came out. I was excited to see the movie because I liked the book. The movie didn't live up to expectations, however. (Too long ago to remember the main differences, however)

by Anonymousreply 22July 31, 2018 2:32 PM

I've always viewed the movie as a better treatment of the Twilight Zone story linked in R4. But, the big and much more believable difference was that Hopkins was truly mentally ill and thought the dummy was actually alive. What I remember and like about the movie is at the very beginning and how Burgess Meredith figures it all out and tells him something like; "Kid, you're ticky-ticky-boom-boom. You need help!"

by Anonymousreply 23July 31, 2018 2:52 PM

OH! I HATE THESE THINGS!!!

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by Anonymousreply 24August 1, 2018 12:17 PM

17 Creepy Ventriloquist Photos

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by Anonymousreply 26August 1, 2018 12:35 PM

Freaked me the fuck out. I was 12 and went with a friend and his older sister which is how we were able to get into an R rated movie. I couldn't sleep afterwards and was so miserable I told my mother that I snuck into an R rated movie and was having nightmares. Instead of comforting me and finding out what upset me so much, my mom said the movie was rated R for a reason and I shouldn't have seen it. End of discussion. I have never seen it again and actually managed to avoid the whole horror genre -- never saw any of the Halloween or Jason movies.

by Anonymousreply 27August 1, 2018 12:45 PM

I can never get through the whole film, but isn't it very close to the final segment of the 1945 British film DEAD OF NIGHT?

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by Anonymousreply 28August 1, 2018 3:44 PM

I just don't like dummies!

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by Anonymousreply 29August 2, 2018 12:14 AM

OP, boy do I have a "Twilight Zone" episode for you!!!

by Anonymousreply 30August 2, 2018 12:39 AM

Me too, OP. I was 8. And when that ad would come on, I would go hide behind the couch and cover my ears. I don't know why they ran it during shows like The Brady Bunch.

Dave Eggers actually mentions this ad in "A Staggering Work..." for the same reason.

by Anonymousreply 31August 2, 2018 12:44 AM

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