Magic proves it’s still the grandfather of maniacal doll movies.
For some reason, horror fans, myself included, just can’t seem to get enough of the “creepy doll” sub-genre of films. From the Child’s Play series, to the more-recent (yet new personal favorite) The Boy, the image of a maniacal doll unleashing life-threatening terror will always delight fans. At least that’s what the makers of Annabelle: Creation are banking on with the release of the first sequel to 2014’s surprise hit Annabelle.
In keeping with the appreciation of this particular side of horror films, I couldn’t think of any other title to pay homage to this week than the 1978 classic Magic.
In Magic, Anthony Hopkins plays Corky, a sensitive magician whose career is going nowhere due to a lack of stage presence. When he incorporates the use of a ventriloquist doll named Fats (also voiced by Hopkins) into his act, he becomes an overnight success. However when his agent Ben (Burgess Meredith) tells him NBC wants to do a pilot starring Corky and Fats on the condition he pass a medical exam, the magician and his doll flee. Corky ends up seeking refuge in the Catskills, where he reconnects with former high-school crush Peggy (Ann-Margaret) and struggles to keep secret the fact that Fats has begun to take him over.
What Magic offers up is a stirring and compelling portrait of madness as seen through the eyes of a tortured artist. There’s a deep sadness to the character of Corky which is established right from the start as he and his pre-Fats act bomb thanks to a lack of confidence. There’s also a deep tragic quality in the pathetic way he’s trying to fabricate the how his club night went to his ailing mentor. When he gets Fats in front of an audience, all of a sudden he’s a different performer; confident, charismatic and (seemingly) in control. There’s an instant unease at the first sight of Fats however, for reasons of a sinister nature but also because of the fact that it becomes apparent almost straight away that Corky can no longer really exist without him. The doll certainly gives Corky his confidence, but it isn’t long before he is literally conversing with Fats in private, even going so far as to “take his advice.” There’s certainly some debate to be had at whether this is an illustration of schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. Whatever it may be, Corky is no longer able to fully function as himself without the aid and influence of Fats.
One of the more surprising facts about Magic is how it suddenly begins to alternate between a thrilling portrait of madness and a worthwhile story of romance. I love the way this side of the plot is introduced with Peggy making a vague entrance into the film and both characters thinking neither one remembers the other. Once they reconnect, Magic suddenly becomes a film about two damaged people finding solace in each other, if only for a short period of time. The film offers up a great character to interact with Corky in the form of its female lead. There’s a definite woundedness to Peggy. She is what happens to the popular, pretty girl after high school who is now living in a world that’s full of nothing but regrets and lost dreams. It’s incredibly bittersweet watching these two people examine the past and what might have happened. At the same time, Corky and Peggy are trying to reclaim it after realizing that they’re both each other’s second chances. The real magic between the two of them is undeniable, especially in the scene in which they each try to pick the same card from two separate decks. What starts off as Corky trying to show Peggy his skills ends up being a scene about love with the two realizing their true feelings for each other. Full of fire and passion, which comes across in the most unorthodox of ways, it is perhaps one of the most romantic scenes ever captured on film.
It’s incredibly tough to describe the intensity and humanity that Hopkins brings to his role. The actor has rarely found a better outlet for his skills as an actor than the mentally damaged Corky. It is a part which comes complete with both anguish and conflict and Hopkins effortlessly delivers both in spades. While she’s a totally different sort of screen presence, Ann-Margaret brings such soul and depth to Peggy, never letting her fall into the category of just a traditional love interest. Her scenes with Hopkins brings forth Magic’s humanity, making the ending all the more tragic.
As Peggy’s husband, Ed Lauter brings a hidden layer to what is typically a one-dimensional role. However it’s Burgess Meredith who manages to outshine Hopkins at times as his seasoned agent. Ben was totally one of Meredith’s more uncharacteristic roles, but he fit into so brilliantly, showing what a great actor he was. The way he delivers both humor and frankness in the scene when he discovers Corky’s secret is a stand-out. “I survived Tallulah Bankhead and the death of Vaudeville; I don’t scare easily,” he states before later exclaiming: “Corky, you ain’t in control!”
Unusual for a film of its kind, Magic was a critical smash, garnering praise from the majority of the day’s top reviewers. The movie was also acknowledged by way of accolades when Hopkins was nominated for both the Golden Globe and British Academy Award for Best Actor. Meanwhile, Magic took home the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Motion Picture and became an instant favorite amongst horror movie fans.
There’s no mistaking that Magic belongs in the horror genre, even if the majority of its scares are purely of the psychological kind. The ending of Magic has led to some speculation that Fats was reall alive the entire time and actually controlling Corky in more ways than the audience assumed. Regardless of whether this is true or not, every scene with the two is so unnerving. Directed by the great Richard Attenborough, Magic represents one of only two of the director’s films to be set in the present and remains the most uncharacteristic offering the helmer of Gandhi and A Chorus Line ever put out. What has made Attenborough’s film powerful enough to now be considered a classic is the way it seriously treats its subject. There isn’t one aspect of Magic which could ever be called campy or cartoonish. The result of this makes the experiecne both utterly terrifying and unsettling all the way through.
