He may play the Jack of diamonds He may lay the Queen of Spades He may conceal a King in his hand While the memory of it fades
I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier I know that the clubs are weapons of war I know that diamonds mean money for this art But that's not the shape of my heart
-SHAPE OF MY HEART, STING
I have heard many people who worked on notable horror projects (Looking at You CHILDS PLAY) mention this film as an inspiration, but I must admit I never had much interest in watching it. A killer ventriloquist dummy isn't exactly a new idea in 2023, and I pictured this movie as another 70s B movie with a quirky killer doll. Boy oh boy was I wrong
If you are at all familiar with William Goldman, it's most likely because he wrote the novel THE PRINCESS BRIDE. But way before that movie was ever released, Magic, a psychological horror novel by the same author, was published in August 1976. The novel concerns a man named Corky Withers, a shy, odd-tempered and alcoholic magician, whose lackluster performances start to turn around when he adds a foul-mouthed ventriloquist's dummy, Fats, to the show. It chronicles Corky's childhood and adolescence, and his deep love for a high-school crush named Peggy Ann Snow. The whole novel is written kaleidoscopically, changing time period, location, and point of view swiftly. it leaves important information purposefully unknown for extended periods of time, and on the whole works incredibly well as a heart-wrenching character study in the same vein as WILLARD, SPIDER, ONE HOUR PHOTO, and the equally impactful THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE.
If you ask me, this is a perfect movie, and perhaps the best novel adaptation I have ever seen.
100000/10
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