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Our Wishes Have Been Answered With “The Wishmaster Collection”

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Written by Shannon McGrew

I’m not going to pretend that I knew much about the “Wishmaster” series until as of late. Growing up in the 90’s, my main source of horror was from films that were being mass marketed in theaters and on TV, and for whatever reason, “Wishmaster” never made it onto my radar. With that said, this past week, the fine folks over at Vestron Video released the “Wishmaster Collection Series” which includes all four films; “Wishmaster”, “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies”, “Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell”, “Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell”, and “Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled”, that are beautifully restored and remastered. Not knowing what to expect, I took a week to binge watch all four, and let me tell you it was one hell of an experience.

Let’s start with the original “Wishmaster”, the film that started it all. To my delight, I found that I absolutely loved this entire film! The first film in the series introduces us to the evil, demonic Djinn, played spectacularly by Andrew Divoff, who becomes freed from his stone of secret fire, having been placed there by a sorcerer. The Djinn must grant his owner (aka the waker) three wishes so that he can summon his legion of evil Djinn down to Earth. The film is directed by FX legend Robert Kurtzman, and features amazing cameos from Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, Angus Scrimm and Ted Raimi. What makes this movie so enjoyable is a combination of the talent and charisma that Andrew Divoff brings to the table as the Djinn/Nathaniel Demerest mixed with the unbelievable practical effects.

Moving on to “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies”, I still found plenty of things to delight in, but I will admit, I it felt like it was missing some of that charm that the first movie had. It may be due to the fact that this film had a new director, Jack Sholder, or perhaps the storyline wasn’t as enticing, but regardless, I still found myself highly entertained with the film. This time around, the Djinn must collect 1001 souls so that the can commence the Apocalypse, and what better way to find these souls than in a prison. Andrew Divoff once again returns as the devilish Djinn and is just as mesmerizing as he was in the first film. As for the practical effects, they are not at the same level as the first film, but are still quite impressive and there is a fair amount of blood and gore to whet the appetite of gorehounds.

The third film is where we begin to go south real fast. I was optimistic going into “Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell” because of how much I enjoyed the first two movies, but that was because I assumed that Andrew Divoff would be returning. Spoiler alert: he doesn’t return for this or the next one. In his place is actor John Novak, who isn’t terrible, but he doesn’t bring that same level of diabolic charm and 90’s humor that Divoff has. Once again we have a new director, Chris Angel (not the magician), and there is a definite shift in tone and atmosphere. This time, the Djinn is causing chaos and carnage at a college university, because why not? As for the practical effects that I’ve come to love from the first two movies, they weren’t as detailed or as unique as the ones in the prior films. Also, the “human” form of the Djinn, Professor Joel Barash (Jason Connery) was super annoying and his persona irritated me throughout the entire film.

If I thought “Wishmaster 3” was bad, oh man, was I in for a doozy with “Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled”. I think overall this film just made me mad. Director Chris Angel and actor John Novak return once again for the latest installment and I swear this movie is a cross between a low budget horror flick + soft core porn + that scene where Jack draws Rose like one of his girls in “Titanic”. The film is supposed to be a horror movie yet it played out more like a tragic love story with blood and gore thrown in. Combine that with an evil Djinn who suddenly has a conscious, and terrible, terrible acting, I was left feeling disappointed and annoyed due to how far the quality of these films had fallen. The only thing about this installment that I enjoyed was the Djinn in human form, played by actor Michael Trucco. He was much more bearable than the last version in “Wishmaster 3”.

Though the last two films left a lot to be desired, I still enjoyed the first two films enough to recommend this collection to horror fans across the spectrum. The visuals are sharp and gorgeous with colors that pop off the screen making this one of the better restored films I’ve seen. This collection is also chock full of special features that include interviews, commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, and more. Overall, I’m glad I had the chance to watch all these films, and though the last two were pretty painful, I’d be remiss if I said a part of me didn’t enjoy them. Fans of “Wishmaster” will definitely want to scoop this collection up.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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