Movies
I Wish I Didn’t Watch ‘Wishmaster’
My God. As horror fanatics we all know how cold and lonely the Netflix instant streaming can be. There are some real gems, but among them are some real pieces of shit, like Wishmaster. A 1997 effects heavy reimagining of genie lore that will numb your brain into jelly before destroying your mind with horrible acting, atrocious editing, and a severe misuse of Robert Englund.
The movie’s heart is in the right place. It’s practical effects heavy and features nods to horror classics like The Exorcist. However, the plot is so ill conceived and inconsistent that the list of things to love is pretty much that short.
Everything begins with a gigantic infodump. Several screens of text are hurled at you in quick succession before whisking you away to Persia, amidst a ton of insanity caused by an evil Djinn who sits at the side of the Sultan whispering sweet nothings into his ears. Chaos erupts and there is a cavalcade of death all brought on by the deceptive wish granting of the Djinn. He’s a tricky bastard with dicks for ears.
We instantly travel to America in the present day. SEE?
The Djinn is trapped in a stone. He quickly escapes and asks a very important question of a bystander in the room where he is revived.
”Am I to understand this is something you do not wish to see?” YES, this fucking movie. Make it stop.
For 1997, there are a lot of good ideas here. The design of the Djinn is super inspired. His body reminds me of Gary Oldman’s Dracula armor, and his slithering head tentacles really captivate when the evil bastard is on screen. It’s just a damn shame he changes into this freak about halfway through the film.
On the left: the newly formed exposition machine.
You see now that he’s a human we’re treated to an assortment of scenes that force us to think about the premise of the film. He challenges an assortment of one off supporting characters to make a wish for their soul. Often after the deed is done, he turns to the camera and explains his motivations right to us the viewer. Just look at the photo above, he’s about to do it, I swear.
So just when you’re thinking this movie couldn’t get any worse. Shit like this goes down. I’m not sure if this is awesome or makes everything worse.
So Wishmaster should be watched by those of you brave enough to see the insane depths of hell that horror was at in 1997. This movie had a 5 million dollar budget but looks like it was shot by people who knew nothing about framing or editing. There are a ton of good ideas here, but the execution is just plain awful.
But let’s take a look at some of the excellent deaths it features, because boy it features a lot.
ACTING
So now I’ll watch the rest of these fucking things, and, I imagine wish that my soul had been eviscerated long before I finish. Wish me luck.
Hey bro it’s Wishmasta, just wanted to let you know I’ve got 3 more sequels.
Did any of you ever see Wishmaster, what did you think? Am I being too hard on it?
The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
In Lockbox, “Seeking peace after her mother’s death, Ellen retreats to a rural town and takes in her severely traumatized cousin Winthrop. Their fragile domestic balance shatters when an erratic neighbor warns that Winthrop is dangerous. As strange phenomena escalate, Ellen must put everything on the line to defend Winthrop from a dangerous otherworldly entity determined to track him down.”
Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me, Evil Dead), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, The Fall of the House of Usher) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Backrooms) star.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by Lockbox.
Be careful who you let in. Carla Gugino and Lou Taylor Pucci star in Lockbox, only in select theaters this Friday. Get tickets.
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