Warlock is a pretty good late 80s-early 90s horror film directed by Steve Miner (Friday The 13th, Parts 2 & 3).  It starts out in Boston, 1691 where Redferne (Richard E. Grant) - a witch hunter - has captured the Warlock (Julian Sands), and is soon to be executed in a most 'Salem witch trial' sort of way.  Although, the Warlock escapes in a time warp via the forces of Hell.  He is transported to the year 1988 (the present) to locate the three parts of the Devil's Bible which will give him the true name of God, and the power to destroy all of creation.  Although, Redferne (Richard E. Grant) is able to follow him to the future, only one day too late.  The Warlock has a head start on him, and has already placed an extreme aging spell on Kassandra (Lori Singer), the young woman whose home the Warlock crash landed into.  So, now it's up to Redferne to track down his archenemy before he destroys all of creation.

I find this an enjoyable thriller/horror film.  It's not very gory at all, but Julian Sands delivers a sadistic and deliciously evil performance turns the film into gold.  He is the perfect evil disguised as a man - as the trailer states - "with the face of an angel, and the charm of the Devil."  He is frightening and has an amazing screen presence that pulls you in fully.  Meanwhile Richard E. Grant also delivers a great performance as he brings the innocent, good-natured, moral charm of the out-of-time and out-of-place Redferne to the surface.  Grant makes Redferne a very likeable character as he has a warm heart of gold without becoming sappy.  He maybe a bit niave because of him being a stranger in an even stranger land, but remains dedicated to his purpose and oath to bring an end to the Warlock for all time.  Unfortunately, there's nothing special or greatly important about Lori Singer's character, but at least the character is able to act as an unlikely guide through the late 20th century for our kind-hearted hero from the 17th century.  Redferne is also a worthy adversary as he is knowledgable and experienced in hunting the Warlock, and is more than capable of not only combating him, but ridding the world of him.  And basically, Redferne has heart - which is something you don't usually see in this sort of genre picture.  It's a perfect contrast of good and evil where the performances of Grant and Sands are concerned.

The few visual and makeup effects were all right for the time and the low budget, but are undoubtedly dated by today's standards.  They may even seem obsolete by the groundbreaking standards of the day (i.e. The Abyss, Predator, A Nightmare On Elm Street 4).  Though, I doubt the low budget effects will hinder your enjoyment of the film.  I have witnessed films, released before and after this one, with tremendously lower quality effects.  Steve Miner does as good of a job as ever here despite the film not being high on scares or blood - unlike his work on the first two Friday The 13th sequels.  Later, Miner would very rarely delve into the horror genre as he directed the overly sappy Mel Gibson drama Forever Young as well as directing a lot of dramatic television including "Diagnosis Murder," "Chicago Hope," "The Practice", "Smallville," and various sappy UPN and WB teen melodramas.  Though, Warlock is a worthwhile supernatural horror film, and Miner should be proud of what he was able to create here since this was the final film made by New World Pictures before they filed for bankruptcy.  Later, Trimark Pictures picked up the film for distribution, and produced an inferior sequel.  The screenwriter for this film was David Twohy (The Fugitive, Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick), and he definitely wrote a fine script that shows a rough, early version of his now well-known style.  If Twohy wanted to direct a remake, or a worthy sequel - I'd definitely be privvy to seeing it.  With a budget and little studio interference, he can churn out a really good film.

The one last thing to praise is Jerry Goldsmith's score.  I have loved his work for years from his work on the Star Trek franchise to an endless MASSIVE list of feature films.  His score for Warlock had haunting, mysterious elements, and an epic feeling at the film's climax.  This musical master always delivered something memorable and wonderfully cinematic, no matter what the film or genre.  It's a sad thing he is no loner with us.

This film had some good, solid talent behind it, a nicely written script, and a competent director, but lacked a sufficient budget to allow it to achieve its full potential.  Ultimately, I give Warlock about an 8.5 out of 10 because it could've been much better in production values, but considering the circumstances of its production, I can't blame this European import for being the way it was.  I thank the now defunct Trimark Pictures for picking up this film from the then defunct New World Pictures.