Witch Hunt (1995)

Synopsis: It's a mythical 1953 Hollywood, and to most people, magic is just a new everyday tool to make life easier. But to Senator Larson Crockett (Eric Bogosian), witchcraft signals a sinister, moral decay, a threat to the family and the eventual collapse of the American way of life. Thus is the premise... It's a mythical 1953 Hollywood, and to most people, magic is just a new everyday tool to make life easier. But to Senator Larson Crockett (Eric Bogosian), witchcraft signals a sinister, moral decay, a threat to the family and the eventual collapse of the American way of life. Thus is the premise of the clever, allegorical fable WITCH HUNT. Against this backdrop, private investigator H. Phillip Lovecraft (Dennis Hopper) is hired by starlet Kim Hudson (Penelope Ann Miller) to investigate her philandering producer husband (Alan Rosenberg), the assignment turning into a murder investigation when he is killed by sorcerous means. Now Lovecraft must draw on his own skills--which he had sworn off of--to find the killer, bringing him into contact with old nemesis Finn Macha (Julian Sands) and with Crockett's witch hunt trials. Effortless special effects handled in a refreshingly offhand manner and clever McCarthy-era metaphor combine to make this a surprising, original, and highly entertaining film. In addition, there are a number of witty, comic touches; for example, William Shakespeare is transported to the 20th century to act as a script doctor in a cheesy B movie. [More]