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Film: Magic

Abracadabra, I sit on his knee

Presto chango, and now he is me

Hocus pocus, we take her to bed

Magic is fun; we're dead.

— Fats in the trailer

Magic is a 1978 horror thriller directed by Richard Attenborough and written by William Goldman (The Princess Bride), adapted from Goldman's own novel.

Failed magician Corky Withers (Anthony Hopkins) manages to revitalize his on-stage career with the addition of ventriloquism; unfortunately, Corky begins to manifest a split personality through his dummy, Fats, and when about to hit it big with a television deal, he flees due to the required medical examination. Corky heads to the Catskills where he encounters his high school crush, Peggy and her grouchy husband, Duke. Unfortunately for Corky, his agent Ben Greene(Burgess Meredith) has pursued him and quickly becomes suspicious over Corky's mental well-being. Shortly after, the situation turns violent.

This film contains examples of:

Adaptation Distillation: Goldman's novel would have been very hard to put on-screen as it was written.
Daylight Horror
Demonic Dummy: Fats. He managed to scare Hannibal Lecter, for God's sake.
Disposing Of A Body: Corky throws Ben Greene's body in the lake...only for it to be rediscovered during a fishing excursion.
Downer Ending