Editorials
Exhumed & Exonerated: ‘Wishmaster’ (1997)
Every decade has its ups and downs when it comes to cinema, no matter the genre. Horror fans love to loft on high the output of the ‘30s & ‘40s, the ‘70s & ‘80s, and the more recent decades. More often than not, however, the 1990s are labeled as the worst decade for the genre. Not only that, but ‘90s horror tends to be written off as a whole, beyond a handful of undisputed classics. The purpose of Exhumed & Exonerated: The ‘90s Horror Project, is to refute those accusations by highlighting numerous gems from the decade. Stone cold classics will be tackled in this column from time to time, but its main purpose will be to seek out lesser-known and/or less-loved titles that I think deserve more attention and respect from fans. Let the mayhem begin!
WISHMASTER
Directed by Robert Kurtzman
Screenplay by Peter Atkins
Produced by Pierre David, Wes Craven, Russell D. Markowitz, Clark Peterson, Erik Saltzgaber, David Tripet, and Noël A. Zanitsch
Starring Tammy Lauren, Andrew Divoff, Wendy Benson, Jenny O’Hara, Rico Ross, Chris Lemmon, Tony Crane, and Robert Englund
Released on September 19, 1997
Wishmaster follows the malicious quest of an ancient dark being, the Djinn (Andrew Divoff), who is accidentally freed from his centuries-long confines by an unaware appraiser named Alex (Tammy Lauren). In order to unleash his dark plague upon humanity, the Djinn must convince Alex to make three wishes for him to grant. Along the way, he must also collect the souls of passers-by by offering them single wishes, all of which are made reality in increasingly horrifying ways.
I’m sure some will scoff at the inclusion of this film, but I’ll counter by saying that it is a lot more fun than some of you remember. Wishmaster is far from perfect. The direction is fairly pedestrian and the budget a little low, causing the concept to lack the scale it needs at times to truly sing, but the good outweighs the bad.
Tammy Lauren has an ‘80s Linda Hamilton thing going on and makes for a capable lead. She is well-supported by co-stars Wendy Benson (as Alex’s sister Shannon), Chris Lemmon as her overzealous boss Nick Merritt, Jenny O’Hara as a mythology expert, Aliens’ Ricco Ross as a befuddled cop, and Tony Crane as Alex’s best friend/would-be lover, Josh. And, as always, Robert Englund knocks his role as the somewhat sleazy Raymond Beaumont out of the park.
The star of the show, however, is Andrew Divoff. Generally stuck playing henchman or simply just “third goon from the right”, Divoff fares well as the scenery-chewing villain. His performance is filled with so much ham that you might still find store shelve under-stocked on the pork product this Thanksgiving, but it suits the film. Given the otherworldly and inhuman nature of the Djinn, the hamminess and mugging constantly flooding forth from Divoff helps to create a disconnect whenever he graces the screen.
In his human form as Nathaniel Demerest, he looks normal at the outset, but there’s instantly something of about him due to the malicious grin constantly adorning Divoff’s face. In his true form as the Djinn, Divoff’s over-animated facial tics carry through the prosthetics and make-up wonderfully, giving us one of the few new iconic horror performances of the ‘90s. It’s really no wonder that this film ultimately spawned 3 low budget sequels, although the third and fourth entries sadly were not smart enough to retain Divoff in the role. I suspect that’s probably the exact reason we aren’t still seeing further DTV entries made to this day.
Back to the style and concept, the film’s rather Clive Barker-esque leanings come as no surprise once one realizes that it was penned by Peter Atkins, the screenwriter of the first three Hellraiser sequels. Pair that with a bit of Warlock-style Anthony Hickox flavor in terms of the film’s look and we have a solid supernatural horrorfest that piles on both the dark magic and the gore. KNB clearly had some fun crafting the deaths in this film, most of which are quite gruesome.
Then we have the cameos, of which there are PLENTY. When horror icons and recognizable genre actors are given bit roles in films such as this, more often than not there is a temptation to fill their scenes with winks and bad references. Wishmaster thankfully eschews this pitfall, instead simply trusting its audience to recognize some (if not all) of these actors. If you aren’t aware of who they are, their appearances still play out organically, instead of jarring the viewer. Chances are I’ve missed a few, but let’s take a look at the full tally…
- Angus Scrimm (Phantasm 1-5) as the narrator.
- Ted Raimi (Evil Dead 2, Darkman) as Beaumont’s douchey assistant.
- Joe Pilato (Day of the Dead) as the drunken dock worker.
- Verne Troyer (Austin Powers trilogy) as the newly-reborn Djinn.
- George “Buck” Flower (The Fog, They Live) as the angry homeless man.
- Reggie Bannister (Phantasm 1-5) as the asshole pharmacist.
- Peter Liapis (Ghoulies) as a pharmacy customer.
- Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th 7-10) as Merritt’s security guard.
- Tony Todd (Candyman trilogy) as Beaumont’s security guard.
- The Pazuzu status (The Exorcist 1-4) as itself!
The nods don’t stop there. The majority of the characters have horror –centric last names, although instead of the usual “name them after horror directors” routine (which grows more stale with each passing year), Atkins was sly enough to adorn them with the surnames of horror authors. Derleth, Leiber, Beaumont, Finney, Etchison, etc. Once again, these are names that will ring a bell with some fans, but not in a way that should take them out of the film itself.
It may not be Hellraiser, A Nightmare on Elm Street, or Candyman, but Wishmaster remains a fun horror romp that manages to offer up an interesting concept, an enjoyable cast, buckets of blood, and an intriguing new horror icon, something that we rarely get anymore. Unlike his more well-known brethren from the ‘80s, the Djinn will likely never see his franchise resurrected in theaters in a big way. That said, this does little to diminish the entertainment he offered up for a short time in his debut decade.
Up Next: Alien 3 (1992)
Previously On…
Species | Mute Witness | Popcorn | Wishmaster | Alien 3 | Cast A Deadly Spell
Disturbing Behavior | The Sect | The Addams Family
Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.
The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.
Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.
With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).
It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.
The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.
The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.
Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.
Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.
Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.
The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.
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