Warlock(1989)
1989 · Steve Miner · 103 min
In 17th century New England, witch hunter Giles Redferne captures an evil warlock, but the conjurer eludes death with supernatural help. Flung into the future, the warlock winds up in the 1980s and plans to bring about the end of the world. Redferne follows the enchanter into the modern era and continues his mission, but runs into trouble in such unfamiliar surroundings. With the help of a young woman, can Redferne finally defeat the warlock?
Horror · Fantasy · Action
6.3464 votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
2/5
Stays with you
How scary is Warlock?
It starts fast with a chase across centuries, then settles into a monster-hunt structure where a witch hunter tracks his target through a string of modern-day set pieces. The pacing favors momentum and set-piece spectacle over slow dread, with occasional gruesome flourishes like rapid aging used for shock rather than sustained horror. It leans more toward dark fantasy adventure than pure fear, though a few scenes go further into body horror territory than you'd expect. Good for people who want a horror-tinged fantasy romp rather than something that will actually unsettle them.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Warlock rates psychological 2/5, visceral 3/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 2/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 2 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 35 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 25 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A fantasy-horror chase that starts with a jolt, settles into a steady cat-and-mouse rhythm with recurring bursts of danger, then escalates hard into a high-tension final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 2, 3, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5.
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