"Spellbinder" draws most of its inspiration from the undisputed genre classic "The Wicker Man" (1973) and it manages to add a few extra touches of its own (the satanists making a blood sacrifice). It also draws some additional inspiration from Dennis Wheatley's classic "The Devil Rides Out" (1968) with the satanists relentlessly pursuing Miranda (Kelly Preston) after she has gone missing. However, this film also expertly misleads you throughout until the very end - the police arrive on the scene during the climatic action of the denouement, but not to arrest anyone. No, they are actually here to actively participate in the sacrifice of Jeff Mills (Timothy Daly) - and the director Janet Greek has done a splendid job and she has delivered a well paced and thoroughly engaging film.
