Corky (Hopkins) is an extremely shy man who wants to be a magician and it's only after his mentor, Merlin (Andrê) pleads with Corky to go after his dream, that Corky goes for it. Unfortunately, Corky's act bombs, badly and it's suggested that he introduce something new to his act, so Corky brings Fats into the act. Fats, is an obnoxious, foul-mouthed ventriloquist dummy and soon Corky and Fats are a big hit and with the help of Corky's agent, Ben Greene (Meredith), the duo are offered a TV special with the stipulation that Corky submit to medical exam. Greene is shocked that Corky is so unwilling to have the exam and suddenly unable to deal with the pressure of the exam and his newfound fame, Corky and Fats head back to Corky's hometown in upstate New York. When Corky finds his family home boarded up, he rents a lake-side cabin from a high school classmate, Peggy (Ann-Margret), someone Corky was always attracted to and in love with, but who married Duke (Lauter). It seems Peggy's marriage is in serious trouble and Peggy and Corky begin a torrid affair. Corky admits to Fats that he is seriously considering leaving showbiz and this is definitely not what Fats wants to hear and soon it's apparent that Fats is in control and will stop at nothing to be placed back in the spotlight.

Magic is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1:85.1) and looks excellent, easily the best I've ever seen this film. Although, admittedly, this gem hasn't been seen that often, I've never seen it on VHS and I certainly haven't seen it on TV in years. Colors are solid, fleshtones are realistic and life-like and the picture appears nice and sharp. Audio options include English only (Dolby Digital 2.0) with optional English subtitles. The audio sounds solid and clear. This disc offers some nice bonus features and they include:

I've always been uneasy watching any ventriloquist act and so this film had me unnerved from my very first viewing, several years back. After viewing this DVD, I can gladly say, I still don't feel comfortable with watching ventriloquist acts! This film isn't flat-out horror by any means, but there's definitely an underlying feeling of uneasiness and dread when I watch this, which with certain scenes of this film, flow into a sense of horror. Fats isn't a living, breathing being and he isn't animated in this film to be a doll of evil with any ability for physical action, beyond what Corky 'gives' him, so that in itself is creepy, because we know from the get-go that Corky is extremely unstable and we get to see him fall deeper and deeper into madness and that's a bit unnerving to watch and adds to the creepiness of this film. Anthony Hopkins does a fantastic job in the role of Corky and the supporting cast holds their own, as well, but when Corky and Fats are onscreen, it's tough to even notice anyone else. 'Abracadabra, I sit on his knee. Presto, change-o, and now he's me! Hocus Pocus, we take her to bed. Magic is fun...we're dead.'! With a tagline like that, you know you want to check this film out!

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