# Magic (1978 film)
**Magic** is a 1978 American psychological horror film directed by [Richard Attenborough](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-attenborough), written by [William Goldman](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-goldman) from his own 1976 novel, and starring [Anthony Hopkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-hopkins) as Corky Withers, a failed magician who finds success as a ventriloquist while losing his grip on reality. The cast includes Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, and Ed Lauter, and the film was produced by Joseph E. Levine and Richard P. Levine for Joseph E. Levine Productions, with distribution by Twentieth Century-Fox.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Opened in Los Angeles and New York on 8 November 1978; distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) |
| Source | William Goldman's novel *Magic* (Delacorte Press, 1976); Goldman also wrote the screenplay[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) |
| Principal cast | Anthony Hopkins (Corky Withers), Ann-Margret (Peggy Ann Snow), Burgess Meredith (Ben Greene), Ed Lauter (Duke)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) |
| Key crew | Richard Attenborough (director), Victor J. Kemper (cinematographer), Jerry Goldsmith (composer), John Bloom (editor), Terence Marsh (production designer)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) |
| Budget and gross | Budget of $10 million per a 1978 Variety item; box office gross of $23.8 million[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) • [2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978) |
| Recognition | Hopkins nominated for a Golden Globe (Best Actor, Drama) and a BAFTA; the film won the 1979 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for Best Horror Film and Best Actress[2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/magic/2000486827/) |
| Running time and rating | 106 minutes, rated R[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Corky Withers is a shy, failing magician whose card tricks leave club audiences cold. Urged on by his dying mentor, the magician Merlin (E.J. André), he adds a wise-cracking ventriloquist dummy named Fats to his act, and the combination of the mild-mannered Corky and the abrasive, foul-mouthed dummy makes him a nightclub success. His agent, Ben Greene ([Burgess Meredith](https://www.edgepedia.org/burgess-meredith)), lines up television appearances and a possible NBC series, but the network requires a medical examination, and Corky, afraid of what might be discovered, panics and flees to his hometown in the [Catskill Mountains](https://www.edgepedia.org/catskill-mountains).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) • [4](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/21188)
There he rents a lakeside cabin from Peggy Ann Snow ([Ann-Margret](https://www.edgepedia.org/ann-margret)), a high school classmate he had loved, now trapped in a loveless marriage with Duke ([Ed Lauter](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-lauter)). As Corky and Peggy renew their relationship, his bond with Fats deteriorates and his grip on reality weakens; the film leaves open whether the dummy acts on its own or exists only in Corky's mind.[5](https://darkskyfilms.com/film/magic/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/magic) The film was marketed as horror under the tagline "A Terrifying Love Story," but critics have often read it as a psychological drama, particularly in its Catskills sequences centered on the romance between Corky and Peggy.[2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978)
## Production
Joseph E. Levine acquired the screen rights to Goldman's novel in March 1976, before its September 1976 publication by Delacorte Press, for a reported $1 million, with the stipulation that Goldman write the screenplay himself.[2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) Magic was Levine's first project after leaving Avco Embassy Pictures, the company he had founded.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC)
**Director and casting.** [Norman Jewison](https://www.edgepedia.org/norman-jewison) was originally set to direct and co-produce, with filming planned for 1976; he was later replaced by Richard Attenborough, who had directed Goldman's screenplay for *A Bridge Too Far* (1977).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) Attenborough agreed to take the film as part of a deal with Levine that helped secure financing for his later project *Gandhi* (1982).[2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978) [Jack Nicholson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-nicholson), Dustin Hoffman, and [Robert De Niro](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-de-niro) were considered for Corky, and Gene Wilder was Attenborough's first choice, but the role went to Anthony Hopkins, who had also worked with Attenborough and Goldman on *A Bridge Too Far*.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) • [2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978)
**Filming.** [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) began on 9 January 1978, in New York and Hollywood, with a budget reported by Variety at $10 million.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) Goldman had originally told the novel's story from the dummy Fats's perspective; for the film he shifted the narrative to Corky.[7](https://blueprintreview.co.uk/2020/03/magic/) Hopkins later alluded to tensions with co-star Ann-Margret during the shoot, telling the *Toronto Globe and Mail* he would never work with her again.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC)
## Reception
By the end of 1978, [John Carpenter](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-carpenter)'s *Halloween* had overshadowed the horror field at the box office, but *Magic* was still a relative success, grossing $23.8 million.[2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978) [Gene Siskel](https://www.edgepedia.org/gene-siskel) ranked it number 9 on his list of the Top 10 Films of 1978, alongside *Halloween* and [Ingmar Bergman](https://www.edgepedia.org/ingmar-bergman)'s *Autumn Sonata*; on *Sneak Previews* he called it one of the best movies of the year, while Roger Ebert gave it a thumbs down.[2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978) • [8](https://alexonfilm.com/2025/07/27/magic-1978/) Reviews were divided: the *Independent Film Journal* criticized the film's inability to maintain tension while praising Attenborough's direction, the performances, and Jerry Goldsmith's score,[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC) while Vincent Canby of *The New York Times* called it neither eerie nor effective, and Pauline Kael of *The New Yorker* found little suspense in it.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/magic) On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 87% Tomatometer rating from 23 reviews.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/magic)
The film earned Hopkins Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his performance.[2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978) At the 1979 [Saturn Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/saturn-awards) it won Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for Best Horror Film and Best Actress.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/magic/2000486827/)
## Place in the ventriloquist-horror tradition
The possessed or dominating ventriloquist's dummy was an established horror figure before *Magic*: James Cruze's *The Great Gabbo* (1929) introduced the theme, the Michael Redgrave segment "The Ventriloquist's Dummy" in the British anthology *Dead of Night* (1945) made it famous, and episodes of *The Twilight Zone* continued it.[9](https://moriareviews.com/horror/magic-1978.htm) • [10](https://time.com/6244473/m3gan-horror-doll-history/) *Magic* is regarded as a centrally influential entry in this canon, and it differs from most such stories in that, with one contested exception, Fats is presented not as a living creature but as a psychological crutch for Corky.[2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978) • [4](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/21188)
Despite its success, the film did not establish a trend toward more nuanced depictions of ventriloquism; later killer-doll films such as *Child's Play* (1988) and *Annabelle* (2014) and its sequels took the subgenre in a different direction, exploiting dolls that no single person visibly controls.[2](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978)
## Legacy and remake
*Magic* has remained a cult favorite among ventriloquist-dummy horror films, and it was listed by the British Film Institute among notable doll films.[11](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/27aef54d-28df-5bbf-a76f-a88e3fac0cd2/magic) In 2025, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Sam Raimi and producer Roy Lee were working with Lionsgate on a remake, with writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon attached and no director or cast named at that early stage.[12](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/director-of-the-evil-dead-and-doctor-strange-2-teaming-up-with-weapons-producer-for-remake-of-underrated-1970s-ventriloquist-horror/)
## References
1. [Magic (1978), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56606-MAGIC)
2. [Magic (1978), Turner Classic Movies article by Matthew Ownby](https://www.tcm.com/articles/021359/magic-1978)
3. [Magic, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/magic/2000486827/)
4. [Magic (1978) Blu-ray review, DVD Talk (Stuart Galbraith IV)](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/21188)
5. [Magic, Dark Sky Films synopsis](https://darkskyfilms.com/film/magic/)
6. [Magic, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/magic)
7. [Magic Blu-ray review, Blueprint: Review](https://blueprintreview.co.uk/2020/03/magic/)
8. [Magic (1978), Alex on Film](https://alexonfilm.com/2025/07/27/magic-1978/)
9. [Magic (1978), Moria: The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review](https://moriareviews.com/horror/magic-1978.htm)
10. [How Creepy Dolls Like M3GAN Became a Horror Phenomenon, Time](https://time.com/6244473/m3gan-horror-doll-history/)
11. [Magic (1978), British Film Institute](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/27aef54d-28df-5bbf-a76f-a88e3fac0cd2/magic)
12. [Sam Raimi teaming with Weapons producer for remake of Magic, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/director-of-the-evil-dead-and-doctor-strange-2-teaming-up-with-weapons-producer-for-remake-of-underrated-1970s-ventriloquist-horror/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works) › Psychological horror films › Psychological horror films, 1960s to 1980s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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