Wishmaster (1997) User Reviews (195)

It's only a B-movie.

[wazzuk3000 · 6/10 · 14 May 2010]

Let me begin by saying this film is not as bad as it's been made out to be sure it's a gore-fest at points and yes the dialogue is cheesy but surely that is what a B-movie is meant to be? The film has more substance than sequels that seem to spawn in the realm of horror movies. The film concerns a Djinn, Arabic for genie, who escapes from a statue to wreak havoc onto the world. He can sustain a human form if he can give someone 3 wishes. Andrew Divoff is delightfully malicious as the evil Djinn. The main cast give fair performances which can only be expected in a,remember, B-Movie. At times the film tries a bit to hard to please horror fans with various winks to other horror icons, Candyman and Freddy Kruger to name a few (Tony Todd and Robert Englund, respectively). But if you want a half decent horror movie to watch and don't care too much about substance then this film will not disappoint.

Conclusion.

A fun B-movie and a must for all horror fans. Though it does nothing to forward the genre.

I wish it was more epic

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 14 June 2000]

I first saw Wishmaster at a midnight screening at the London Trocadero in summer 1998. I had been awake for nearly 24 hours but needed to kill some time. I was only 17, not old enough to get into the 18-rated movie, and it scared the hell out of me.

As we get older, fewer and fewer movies have the ability to scare us as we all get more savvy and jaded to the formulaic nature of most horror films. I don't know what it was about Wishmaster that spooked me so bad, but I've been a fan of the film ever since.

On a technical level, Wishmaster suffers from shoddy production design and direction that is barely above that of a cheap daytime soap opera. The acting is mostly appalling (with the exception of Andrew Divoff, who ravages the role of the Djinn/Demerest), and some of the dialogue is clunky. But, as a whole, the movie excels on pure energy alone. I mean, not only do you have more in-jokes than you can possibly count but even Jack the Ripper himself turns up before Lemmy sings hard rock over the closing credits.

There's so much potential, imagination, and over-the-top carnage that the film just whizzes by. A lot of the potential isn't taken full advantage of (the 90 minute runtime keeps things to the bare minimum) but it sets up enough mythology to justify three sequels, the first sequel being the only decent one, however.

The plot focuses on the Djinn, that's Wishmaster to you, and his efforts to take over the world. As you can see...it's pure hokum but it's the gory bits in between and the Djinn's wisecracking that make this movie worth the money. The Djinn will never be as infamous or as iconic as Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers etc, but that's not to say that he's not an utterly brilliant character. Divoff is absolutely perfect in the role. Even if all he did was real aloud from phone book he'd be mesmerizing.

If you like gore, ghoulish make-up effects, and don't mind horror humor that feels like it was conjured up by a bunch of drunken frat boys, then you'll find plenty to like about Wishmaster.

Cheesy fun and special effects-heavy deaths galore

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 6/10 · 1 September 2005]

There are two distinct kinds of horror movies; the serious ones, and the not-so-serious ones. Occasionally, a horror film tries to be serious but winds up being... less than serious. Then there are the ones that set out to be cheesy from the start... this is one of those movies. From the very beginning you can tell that this movie was merely made to entertain horror movie fans who like their shocks with a side of humor. There's more gore and deaths in this in just the first five and last twenty minutes(and quite a few in-between, as well) than several other huge gore-fests of horror movies put together. Even better, you get to see no less than three major horror icons in the film. I'm honestly not a huge fan of this kind of movie, but I have to say I found it highly entertaining... if you're in the right mood for it, it may "work" for you(it definitely never strives to be something more or different than what it reveals that it is from the very beginning). The plot is pretty tame, but it allows for plenty of gore and death(and includes one well-known possible consequence of wishing for stuff from a genie). The acting is decidedly poor, either over- or underdone. The dialog ranges, but mostly it's very bad. That works to the film's advantage, so it's no big deal. The pacing really doesn't leave much room for complaining, the film doesn't really let up for a second(it is, of course, quite uneven... Kurtzman is clearly not a director). The film has a short running time and I found it to possess surprisingly high entertainment value, as well. The special effects are great. No way around it. The deaths and gore effects are original and interesting, not to mention amazingly pulled off. Fairly low budget, but it was spent right... mostly on effects, I'd wager. I recommend this to any fan of horror, particularly cheesy horror. If you're into it, you'll love this. Trust me. And be careful what you wish for. 6/10

Uh-oh...

[Gislef · 12 August 1998]

Geez, after reading all the thumbs-down reviews, I feel almost embarrassed. I _liked_ Wishmaster. No, the idea of wishes-gone-awry isn't particularly original, but there are still some interesting elements done with it: a guard says he'd like to see the Djinn go through him and...it does (heh). Tammy Lauren is adequate as the spunky heroine, and Andrew Divoff (mostly consigned to minor B-villain roles - check him out in the Highlander TV series) makes a chilling threat. Jenny O'Hara makes the most of her role as resident supernatural expert. Yes, the gore is excessive, but I'm not sure if that's a concession to the 90's audience, or a directorial conceit - I'm willing to assume its the former. For a supernatural thriller/horror (as opposed to a Scream-type slasher/thriller), Wishmaster strikes me as one of the better efforts to come along since the last Nightmare and the first Candyman.

great premise, missed payoff

[knifeintheeye · 7/10 · 17 April 2005]

Wishmaster is a movie that promises the world and only delivers a continent. It's not a bad movie, in fact, it's a very good horror movie. It's just that the premise was great, but the payoff wasn't.

Andrew Divoff played the title role of the djinn very well, and hammed it up as the human host, Nathaniel Demerest. Good IL' Freddy K, also known as Robert Englund, had a small role, but played it well. I actually don't recall much else of the cast (sorry people, it's been a couple of months since I saw the movie). The make up on the djinn was neato-keen and the special effects are better then average.

If ever a movie was made for the villain to win, it was this movie. I suppose the ending was fine, but oh how I wanted the evil djinn to win. I know I'm human and I should root for the human but I was hoping to see the djinns take over the world.

Why won't film makers, if the main character is a villain/monster let the guy win?

Make a Wish, but Think First

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 18 May 2007]

In the beginning of the times, God created life into universe: light gave birth to angels, earth to men and fire to djin, creatures condemned to dwell in the void between the worlds. One who wakes a djin shall be given three wishes. Upon granting the third, an unholy legion of djins are freed through a doorway between the worlds upon the Earth. In 1127 A.D., in Persia, a sorcerer lures and traps a powerful Djinn (Andrew Divoff) in the stone of secret fire. In the present days, a drunken crane operator drops the valuable statue of Ahura Mazda over the assistant of Raymond Beaumont (Robert Englund) on the harbor, and one worker finds the huge and priceless opal red stone where Djin is seized. Alexandra Amberson (Tammy Lauren), who works in an auction house, receives the stone for evaluation and accidentally awakes Djin. The evil creature is released later, charges the stone with people souls and feeds with their fears, while chasing Alexandra to force to make three wishes and unleash the demoniac fiends upon Earth.

The gore and funny "Wishmaster" is good horror movie, with original deaths, great special effects (1997) and a refreshing story. Andrew Divoff, presently working in "Lost", is great in the role of the evil, witty and cynical Djin; the blonde Tammy Lauren performs a smart and clever character, following the Djin's advice ("- Make a wish, but think first") and luring and tricking the demon with her intelligence; and there is homage to horrors movie, with the participation of Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund and Tony "Candyman" Todd. I have watched this film at least four times along ten years and it is still one of my favorites in the genre. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Mestre dos Desejos" ("The Master of the Wishes")

WHAT A RIP-OFF!

[Collins · 1/10 · 6 December 1998]

Screenwriter Peter Atkins did a terrible rip-off with this screenplay. The problem is, the guy's ripping off himself. This movie is a near carbon-copy of another movie he wrote called "Hellraiser III." (That one was actually a pretty good movie in my opinion.) It's like they said "we need you to write a movie by tomorrow" and he just pulled out that script and changed the cube to a crystal, the demon to a genie, and set the party scene (which is almost exactly the same in both movies) in a mansion rather than a night-club. Wes, you are such a good director, why can't you learn to produce?

Far better than I expected

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 3 September 2020]

"Wishmaster" is better than I expected. It's quite a bit more entertaining than I thought it might be. As a direct-to-video series of horror flicks from the '90s, it had been on my radar for a long time, but I had never heard it spoken of or recommended, which is a shame.

Of course, it raises a flag that the movie was "executive produced" by Wes Craven. A lot of people have been burnt by that; generally people who don't know what an executive producer does, ie. nothing.

I wonder if the presence of the great, forever underrated Robert Englund ("A Nightmare on Elm Street") is owing to Craven's brand, however. And let's not forget the movie also features Tony Todd ("Candyman") and Kane Hodder ("Friday the 13th") in cameos, as well as Sam Raimi's brother Ted, and is narrated by Angus Scrimm, known as The Tall Man in "Phantasm".

The problem with the movie is that is doesn't hold together very well from scene to scene. It has many entertaining moments and good lines, but the story is simplistic, yet told in a confusing way. One indispensable aspect of these mid-'90s horror flicks is that they were made right before CGI came and ruined everything, and the movie has a lot of cool, practical gore effects.

"I Dream of Jeannie"...the horror version

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 25 August 2006]

After so many years of genies being funny, cute, and maybe even wacky (thanks, Robin Williams!), here's a malevolent one. The overall concept in "Wishmaster" - modern person unleashes ancient evil force - is pretty routine, but there are some really neat scenes. I think that we all have to agree that the coolest part is the party towards the end, especially with the statues.

So, although Wes Craven produced this in between the first and second "Scream", it didn't quite reach the standards set by those two. Still, it's a pretty fun romp, featuring a bevy of filmdom's horror stars (among them Robert Englund, Tony Todd and Kane Hodder). You just might want to think twice about making a wish after seeing this.

Just imagine what might have happened had Maj. Nelson released this genie instead of Jeannie.

Entertaining...

[evil_ape · 6/10 · 28 August 2007]

This was one of my first horror movies (one of many). I first saw it when I was eleven. Back then it was extremely scary, but now, nine years later, it still had those "peekaboo"-moments.

If you want a scary and well made horror movie with a thrilling plot, this is not something for you. But if you want a gory, humorers and easygoing b-movie, this is just what you are looking for.

Although I usually like extremely complex plots, I also like watching movies with plots a three-year old could come up with - like Wishmaster and most action movies. The heroine is cliché - traumatizing past, strong and willful, protective older sister to an impulsive younger. The djinn is also quite cliché, with his cunning and evil ways. He has "I am not going to succeed in my evil quest to enslave mankind" written all over his face.

The movie is all about gruesome and gory things happening to people. Most things that happen are funny and gory. It's not like those movies that look away when the blade meets the neck - here we see everything, the camera even stays to show us what it looks like afterward.

Entertaining - but not much more.

Anyone wished for gore and splatter? You got it!

[Coventry · 5/10 · 23 July 2005]

It's quite sad when you come to think of it, but "Wishmaster" actually is one of the better American horror films of the nineties... It's absolutely no masterpiece of plotting, it's short on tension and atmosphere and the premise is very ridicule, yet it's amusing and reasonable well-made junk that spoils the gorehounds among us. "Wishmaster" brings forward a new type of bogeyman; the evil genie in the lamp (only he's stuck in a piece of jewelry here) who makes every wish come true in an atrocious and ambiguous way. Supposedly, he only requires to fulfill three wishes for the person who woke him and then the ugly Djinn can unleash his evil troops upon the world and wipe out humanity. Tammy Lauren (who mainly just did TV-work before) is the heroine who stupidly has to trick the malevolent Djinn back into his emerald for good (...or at least until the next sequel). What this movie really lacks is a director! Robert Kurtzman is credited as such but he's a special effects and make-up guy to the backbone and he obviously spent more time supervising the gory eye-candy than putting any coherence in his film. Result: everything is well as long as the story only handles about exploding body parts, but when two or more characters are having a conversation it hurts your ears. The Djinn is a fairly ingenious horror icon, only he talks too much and he shouldn't try to be funny (remember, that's what made Freddie Krueger a lot less scary as well). If "Wishmaster" would have been made 20 years earlier, I'm sure that Robert Englund's part was played by Peter Cushing! Englund is the rich and eccentric collector who cares more about a rare artwork than human lives and his vanity indirectly is the origin of all the horror. Englund plays a rather big role while other famous genre actors appear in smaller, insignificant roles. We have Tony Todd ("Candyman"), Kane Hodder ("Jason Vorhees"), Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm (both "Phantasm") all making cameo-appearances, which makes this film slightly more interesting for hardcore-horror fans. This movie will definitely impress younger and enthusiast gore-fanatics whose only experiences with horror so far were flicks like "Scream" or "Urban Legends".... I can imagine "Wishmaster" really looks cooler than cool for them!

Everything a fan of ridiculous 80s horror could want

[markhunnewell · 10/10 · 13 May 2019]

Lets list what makes this movie great:

• Great villain performance, up their with Kruger
• Quality practical effects
• Dodgy early CGI
• Gore
• Monsters
• One Liners
• Cool and well delivered premise

If you like these things then watch this movie

Seriously nineties horror

[bowmanblue · 7/10 · 2 October 2018]

Despite being marketed heavily as a 'Wes Craven film,' the horror mastermind neither wrote nor directed this campy nineties splatter-fest. Also, if you were drooling at the thought of seeing Freddy, Candyman and Jason on the same billing (Robert Englund, Tony Todd and Kane Hodder are all in it) then you may be a little disappointed, as their input amounts to just a few cameos here and there. Anyway, minor gripes out of the way, 'Wishmaster' is actually pretty good fun - if you're into this sort of film.

While bringing an ancient statue to America, it accidentally breaks, releasing a big blue cartoon genie, voiced by Robin Williams, who happily makes various pop culture references and grants our plucky young hero the wishes he needs to win the princess' heart. No, not really. This is one genie you wouldn't find in a Walt Disney movie - he delights in making all the wishes he grants impact on the person who made them in the most negatively-bad way possible. Plus he's not half as sweet as Robin William's classic genie - this one has fangs, red eyes and all sorts of weird, slippery appendages sprouting out of him. Now, it's up to our leading lady, Alexandra Amberson (played by a Linda Hamilton-esque Tammy Lauren) to get this genie back in his bottle - so to speak.

I know a lot of hard-core fans objected to the 'change' in the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' films when Freddy started becoming less scary and more comedic, taking pleasure in his kills with a snappy one-liner here and there. Well, if you (like me!) didn't mind this, then you should also enjoy 'Wishmaster.' The titular evil character is certainly a villain of the latter Freddy films, taking his time to mess with his victims, rather than kill them outright. I felt this possibly works better here in 'Wishmaster' than the 'Elm Street' franchise because the Wishmaster himself - technically - can't kill anyone outright. He has to mess with them enough to get them to (inadvertently) kill themselves. Yes, that sounds a bit weird and you'll have to watch the film to see how.

The film has a real 'nineties' feel; it's not just the clothes, scenery and hairstyles, but it was part of the latter half of the decade where horror films really started to make a comeback (largely due to 'Scream' I seem to recall) and they were really having fun with the budget they were given. Yes, there are hardly any A-list actors involved and the script is a little clunky as times, but there are plenty of excellent practical effects, creepy sets and a genuine desire to try and do something (a little) different.

Wishmaster' isn't 'dark and brooding' like today's horror films, but if you're in a forgiving mood and don't expect too much, this one is certainly entertaining enough to keep you occupied for an hour and a half. Plus is spawned numerous sequels (although not as many as Freddy or Jason), but that's hardly a benchmark with which to judge a horror film, is it?

For 'Fangoria' readers only

[Libretio · 3/10 · 17 January 2005]

WISHMASTER

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS / SDDS

Aimed directly at the 'Fangoria' crowd, though not much fun for anyone else, WISHMASTER is 'presented' by executive producer Wes Craven and directed by makeup maestro Robert Kurtzman, so it's no surprise the movie emphasizes makeup and visual effects at the expense of plot and characterization. The story revolves around an ancient djinn (Andrew Divoff), trapped in an emerald for centuries and accidentally released in modern day America, whereupon it takes human form and grants various characters a series of 'wishes', all of which backfire in gruesome fashion (and I *do* mean gruesome!). For no discernible reason, the monster targets gem specialist Tammy Lauren whose three wishes can release the djinn's evil minions from the Other Side. Naturally, she resists...

Stuffed full of 'Fangoria'-friendly cameos (Robert Englund, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Ted Raimi, Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm, etc.) and visual references to earlier, better pictures (HELLRAISER, THE THING, countless others), the movie has the same kind of bland, homogenized script and production design which afflicts many similar movies from the same period, and the results couldn't be less appealing. Content to showcase a series of grisly set-pieces - most of which, admittedly, are ingeniously designed and presented - the movie hasn't an ounce of depth. Lauren carries the picture with her gutsy performance as the imperilled heroine, and Kurtzman orchestrates the mayhem with enough flash-bang-wallop to hide the scenario's shortcomings, but the story is worthless, despite a smart climactic twist. Three sequels followed - beginning with WISHMASTER 2: EVIL NEVER DIES (1999) - all of which debuted on home video.

"Fear the Djinn."

[Backlash007 · 3 March 2003]

Wishmaster marks a huge return for theatrical gore. What a splatterfest! That opening scene, are you kidding me? The KNB crew have blown me away again. From chest exploding skeletons to lizard men, it's well done and I applaud them. It's not just the prologue, it's the whole movie. There's one bit in particular where a guy gets his jaw ripped off. It's jaw-dropping (no pun intended). There is someone from nearly every important horror franchise, and some that aren't so important, in this flick. Cast and cameos include Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister, Ted Raimi and Dan Hicks, Tom Savini, Ricco Ross, Peter Liapis, Joseph Pilato, and Buck Flower. Not to mention KNB effects group, Harry Manfredini did the score, Peter Atkins wrote the screenplay, Robert (K of KNB) Kurtzman directed, and Wes Craven is producing. This is an unreal cast and crew, a who's who of horror. Let's not forget who's leading this cast: Andrew Divoff. He has the one of the scariest, harshest voices of all time. He is the Djinn and he's cool as hell. I just can't understand why this wasn't as well received by the horror community as it should have been. As for the sequels, what sequels? Stick to the original and you can't go wrong.

Classic Wish ( D+ Movie ) My Ratings 7/10

[THE-BEACON-OF-MOVIES-RAFA · 7/10 · 1 February 2020]

Classic with ambitious effects and a hellish ending sequence. Of course it's a little silly at times, but it delivers the 90s low-budget horror vibes that many of us love. Also, the villain appears very devilish.

A gore fest from 1997!!!!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 7 August 2020]

I find some of the reviews a little bit harsh, this was a b movie, and as such wouldn't have had a huge budget, what they had to spend they did a fair job with. It's not bad, nor is it great, but it is fun.

I've always thought this movie was made at the wrong time, it feels like it came from 1987, the gore and story are fitting of that time, even the way it's filmed is somehow dated way before 1997.

The acting is up and down, some of the characters feel like they belong in a cartoon.

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but time hasn't been altogether kind.

You have to love that worker's mullet.

It's not bad. 6/10.

I wish it was better...

[paulclaassen · 4/10 · 23 January 2022]

I somehow really wanted to like 'Wishmaster'. I had such high hopes for the film after the opening sequence with all those jaw-dropping practical effects and make-up guaranteed to make the viewer cringe in horror.

Unfortunately, the film just got worse from there. The film revolves around an evil Djinn trapped inside a precious stone. Alexandra (Tammy Lauren) accidentally wakes the Djinn when cleaning the Opal. Although her back story was important for character development, I didn't find the character all that interesting. In fact, neither did I find any of the characters all that interesting. The acting also wasn't all that convincing.

The biggest issue I have with the film, is the choice of lead actor: Andrew Divoff as the Djinn. With all due respect to the actor, he simply wasn't the ideal choice for the role. Think what Robert England did for 'Nightmare on Elm Street', or Doug Bradley for 'Hellraiser'. Divoff is too smooth looking to be credible as evil. I suppose they wanted him to be handsome behind a mask of evil, but even that didn't work for me.

The film does dish up some good moments, but I wasn't impressed with 'Wishmaster' in general. The narration felt lazy, as did the filmmaking with it's shaky and shattering transitions, which gave the film a cheap look. I can commend the film of some truly crazy effects and visuals, which are definitely the film's highlight. Also note, this is a very brutal and gory movie.

In closing, 'Wishmaster' is not entirely bad. Watch it for the gory effects; you might get a kick out of it. Oh, and be careful what you wish for... I wished for this to have been better.

An Underrated Gem

[rgs927 · 7/10 · 1 November 2017]

With excellent practical effects, smart writing, and an abundance of creativity, Wishmaster is one of those 90s horror flicks that didn't get the notice it deserved. While several horror mainstays made appearances and the great Wes Craven directed, this film rarely gets talked about these days.

The djinn, the wish-granting antagonist, is handled without relying on many of the genie-clichés we so often see. The female lead was smart and strong in a year before that was the norm. The practical effects are a throwback to 80s horror classics like Hellraiser and The Thing.

Admittedly, this movie comes from the early days of CGI and has some off- putting moments because of it. It can be jarring when they transition between a lovingly crafted practical effect to a weak, computer generated one. Thankfully, these moments are few and far between.

Like many solid horror films of the era, this one spawned several awful sequels. Don't bother with them. Watch the original and enjoy it. It's a great throwback to the sort of scary flicks many of us horror fans have been missing for some time.

"Wish Carefully!"

[gwnightscream · 5/10 · 17 December 2016]

This 1997 horror film stars Tammy Lauren, Andrew Divoff and Robert Englund. This focuses on gemologist, Alexandra (Lauren) who unwittingly unleashes an evil genie, a Djinn (Divoff) that's been imprisoned in a ruby who intends on becoming mortal, but needs her soul. As a way of getting to her, he starts granting wishes to people with deadly results and she can see visions of them. Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) plays Beaumont, an antique collector. This isn't that bad, except for some of the acting. Divoff is creepy in it, Harry Manfredini's score is chilling and there's some gruesome make-up effects. Kane Hodder (Jason Goes to Hell), Tony Todd (Candyman), Reggie Bannister (Phantasm), Ted Raimi (Army of Darkness), George 'Buck' Flower (The Fog) and Joe Pilato (Day of the Dead) make brief appearances as well as K.N.B. make-up artists, Greg Nicotero, Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman. If you're into horror, give this a try at least once.

Not as bad as you expected it to be...

[justin-fencsak · 7/10 · 27 July 2020]

Made on a $5 million budget and tripling that in the US alone, this cult classic movie stars Tammy Lauren as a high school basketball coach who discovers a red stone that harnessses the power of the Djinn, an evil genie with the power to possess others and kill them. Among the cast in this film include Tony Todd from Candyman as well as Final Destination as well as Robert Englund from Nightmare on Elm St. It's worth watching on Amazon. The sequels are not as popular.

ewww

[negeati · 1/10 · 11 November 1999]

This movie is horrible. I rented it because I wanted a horror movie. It is SOOO bad, that I wish for my money back. Can the genie grant me that? No, he can't.

Everything is wrong and cheap in "Wishmaster". The commencement sequence, in mediaval Persia, looks so cheap that you think you're watching a tv series episode, not a feature movie.

The only idea that was interesting (but not original) was how the heroin got read of the genie. But one single idea is definitely not enough to save the movie.

And another thing I do not understand. How is it possible that such a bad movie is followed by a sequel? Why waste the money?

A FANTASTIC FANTASY HORROR FX EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

[lukem-52760 · 8/10 · 9 May 2019]

WOW what a cool fantasy Horror wishmaster is as it's full of amazing practical FX with just a hint here & there of c.g.i as this was 1997 before c.g.i completely took over & that's one of the great things about this Horror gem it's stunning creature designs & inventive grotesque death scenes.

The Wishmaster is an evil demon known as a Djinn basically an evil genie that gets let loose on modern day California 1997. The creature looks FANTASTIC thanks to the legendary Robert Kurtzman who is a practical FX wizard as well as the director of Wishmaster & he's a real genre talent.

I have alot of Nostalgia & love for Wishmaster since i owned it on video when it first came out to buy way back in the 90's & I've loved it ever since. Wishmaster has a real sense of fun about it with dark humour & AWESOME creatures & lots of fun horror legend cameos & one of my fave little cameo bit parts is of Joe "captain Rhodes" Pilato as a drunken crane operator.

If your a horror movie buff you will absolutely love this pure 90's fantasy Horror gem it's become abit of a cult classic now & so it should!!!!

Wishmaster is just good creature feature Horror fun full of very creative fx & crazy death scenes IT'S excellent.

As you wish......

[FlashCallahan · 6/10 · 11 April 2012]

In ancient Persia, an evil creature called the Djinn wreaks havoc on a local kingdom before being sealed inside a fire opal.

Centuries later, the stone, encased in a statue, is discovered when the statue is broken apart in a loading accident.

A young gemologist, Alex, examines the jewel to appraise it. But she unwittingly awakes the Djinn inside.

Soon the Djinn is loose on the streets, twisting people's wishes and and killing them so he can steal their souls.

Eventually the Djinn disguises himself as an elegant man-about-town, Nathaniel Demarest.

In both human & Djinn form, he pursues Alexandra to trick her into making three wishes, to enable his unholy legions to conquer the Earth...

Even thought the film is as subtle as a sledgehammer, it's the nearest cinema has had to a new Jason/Freddy/Michael Myers in a very long time.

Ignore the Presented by... moniker, it's for status,and get ready for some proper B-movie cheese. Divoff is excellent as the titular character, and chews his lines with glee. ##Kills are inventive, but beyond these two aspects, the film is just you average horror.

The inclusion of (at the time) horrors greatest stars, is a little cringe worthy, and the effects are really bad, even for the limited budget.

But if you can overlook, these little flaws, it's quite an good spin on the horror genre, with something original, which was lacking at the time of release (hello ironic horror).

Nasty

[dockbennett · 2/10 · 19 April 2005]

I've watched heaps of gory horrors before... every "Friday The 13th" film, every Freddy film, "The Evil Dead" (1 and 2, which surely must be the two most gory movies ever made), and HEAPS more, and while they have varied in terms of quality, I've 'handled' them very well, as there was a time when I thought I was squeamish and easily sickened.

But "Wishmaster" was different, and I'm not sure how. It upset me, and unsettled me. Decapitation by piano wire, a scene that has stayed inside my head... I've seen more gruesome stuff than that. And yet I have reacted differently. The only thing I can think of is this has a very nasty tone - something that, somehow, other horrors I've seen have not had. It's even got to the point where I have avoided watching the sequels to this extremely gruesome piece.

It's really not much of a film anyway - but, unlike other weak horrors, I was repelled by it.

Maybe I'm getting old.