A demonic djinn attempts to grant its owner three wishes, which will allow him to summon his brethren to Earth.A demonic djinn attempts to grant its owner three wishes, which will allow him to summon his brethren to Earth.A demonic djinn attempts to grant its owner three wishes, which will allow him to summon his brethren to Earth.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
- Narrator
- (voice)
- Customs Official
- (as Danny Hicks)
- Mickey Torelli
- (as Josef Pilato)
- Shannon Amberson
- (as Wendy Benson)
- Josh Aickman
- (as Tony Crane)
- Sierra
- (as Ashley Power)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMany crew members, including director Robert Kurtzman (man killed by piano), had small roles in the film, sometimes appearing in different scenes as different characters.
- Goofs(at around 49 mins) Merritt makes two wishes - for his statue to become more valuable, and for money, both of which the Djinn grants. However, with the exception of the waker, the Djinn can only grant one wish per person.
- Quotes
Alexandra Amberson: What happens if I wished you dead?
The Djinn: Why, how remarkably original of you, Alexandra. I'll tell you what. I'll give you one free wish. A sample. Just to get you in the spirit of the game.
Alexandra Amberson: All right. I want you to destroy yourself. Blow your brains out. Right now
The Djinn: Very well.
[He picks up a gun, presses it under his chin, and pulls the trigger, blowing off the top of his head]
The Djinn: [wound heals instantly, surprising Alexandra] That which is eternal cannot die. But if it's any consolation sweet Alex, THAT HURT LIKE HELL!
- Crazy creditsAt the end of the credits, the Djinn says "Careful what you wish for."
- Alternate versionsGerman TV version and some DVDs (rated "Not under 16") are heavily cut for violence, obtaining most of the gore shown in the party-scene near the end of the movie. VHS and DVD releases (rated "Not under 18") are uncut.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Wicked Wishes: Making the Wishmaster (1997)
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?
- bowmanblue
- Oct 1, 2018
- Permalink
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $5,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $15,738,769
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $6,038,516
- Sep 21, 1997
- Gross worldwide
- $15,738,769
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1(original/negative ratio)