MUSEUM of DITHERED POSTERS

11/19/2023: WISHMASTER (1998)

One of the countless campy-but-fun horror movies out there. Robert Englund (Freddy Kreuger, etc.) plays an actual human for a change, a collector of antiquities who accidentally starts a chain of horrific deaths and injuries. The hero is Alex, an appraiser at the auction house that acquires the jewel inside which the Djinn is imprisoned. Kind of a mouthful, I agree.

The Djinn, a creature older than mankind, possesses unlimited power but can only exert it while granting wishes. While he voices his frustration at being tied to such a pathetic race of beings, this isn’t too much of a problem for him - there are a lot of humans that want things for free and the Djinn gets to choose how he grants these wishes. If he can convince Alex to make three wishes, he can unlock the gates of hell or something (not important, just the opposite of a MacGuffin). I think this could do with a modern-day remake, honestly, with some tweaks.

Act III especially would be super spooky with modern filmmaking technology. Robert Englund’s character, I think his name is Beaumont, throws a party at his mansion. Remember how he’s a collector of antiquities? Beaumont wishes to throw a party that will be remembered for centuries, and the Djinn brings his many statues and paintings to life. This was campy as hell in 1998, but imagine Alex escaping the chaos of the party only to see a creepy dude crawl out of a frame. The Djinn already promised that it would do him no good to kill Alex; she still needs to give him a third wish. But he can certainly make her… wish she were dead.

So not only is that a really creepy climax, but I think it opens up a theme of finding hope in hopelessness, of persevering no matter what. The Djinn actually claims in the 1998 movie that he is, to paraphrase, the emptiness at the heart of all your dreams. I wanted director Wes Craven to explore that more. It’s implied that Alex recently stopped going to therapy. Let the Djinn represent Alex’s personal demons. Why else is she the protagonist? The Djinn sees her tendency towards hopelessness and this is exactly what he needs.

There were some outstanding practical effects, like a skeleton crawling out of its still-living body and a face-hugger type alien creature that emerges from Robert Englund’s throat and attacks Alex while Englund is still choking on it. Seriously, so dope.

Do I recommend it: YES