Two young LA lawyers step in when a beautiful woman is beaten by her nasty boyfriend in an outdoor car park. One of the lawyers (Jeff, played by Timothy Daly) then offers shelter for Miranda (Kelly Preston), they instantly become lovers but both of their lives are in danger from a cult of Satanists. I have this on VHS, first watched it decades ago but enjoyed revisiting it. I would describe it as a combination of romance, thriller and horror. The late Kelly Preston looks totally bewitching and does strip off for a few love making scenes. Some reviewers and critics bemoan the plot as predictable, I disagree. I found the ending shocking but in a good way. Without giving too much away I was reminded of Rosemary's Baby and Race with the Devil in that Satanic cults can stretch deep within communities. Spellbinder is a moderate entry in the world of Satanic cinema but well worth a look.

Jeff Mills (Tim Daly) is a likable, good looking nice guy lawyer in L.A. who's tired of the dating scene. He chances to meet a gal named Miranda Reed (gorgeous Kelly Preston) in a parking lot one night, and brings her home to his pad, soon striking up a relationship with her. Unfortunately, his impulsiveness turns out to be a bad mistake, as Miranda's past then catches up with them. It turns out that she was part of a witches' coven, and that they "want her back" because they need a human sacrifice for the winter solstice, which is coming up. Blinded by his love for her, he goes out of his way to try to keep her safe, and to deal with her scummy associates, including Aldys (big haired Anthony Crivello) and the deceptively cheery Mrs. White (Audra "Mrs. Roper" Lindley).

The solid supporting cast of nicely chosen actors also features Diana Bellamy as Jeffs' loyal (and intuitive) secretary Grace, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as somber faced police detective Lt. Lee (an expert in occult related crimes), Julian Christopher, Kyle T. Heffner, and the amiable Rick Rossovich as Jeffs' circle of friends, and the very amusing M.C. Gainey as lively survivalist Brock. Overall, the movie is nothing special in terms of presentation, with competent but undistinguished direction by Janet Greek, but it does have its moments (the best occurs when a bunch of mysterious people gather at a window), and isn't totally without atmosphere. The story, written by Tracy Torme (son of Mel), who went on to script one more feature ("Fire in the Sky") and work for television series ranging from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' to 'Sliders' to 'Carnivale', is pretty absorbing, and does have some effective twists near the end.

It's a good movie in general, and is worth a look for 80s horror fans who want to check out everything that the decade has to offer.

Seven out of 10.

The plot is kind of interesting and a bit twisted, so that's fun. What's even better is a young Kelly Preston in various stages of undress to get the R rating, man she was a 10 if there ever was one. Sorry, I'm but a man. I won't give away the ending, but it is kind of a surprise and ties together the movie in a decent fashion. I'm so surprised that this hasn't come out on DVD yet, I will finance it myself if they are looking for investors. I wouldn't be surprised if her hubby bought the rights to this movie just so he can keep the DVD from coming out to save a little face, even though she is topless in several other flicks that have already made it to digital disc format.