Independent Films, Film Profiles

Wishmaster (film)

Wishmaster is a 1997 American black comedy horror film directed by Robert Kurtzman, and is the second film directed by Kurtzman. It was executive produced by Wes Craven—the only film of the Wishmaster series with his name attached.The plot of Wishmaster concerns a djinn (evil genie) who is released from a jewel and seeks to capture the soul of the woman who discovered him, thereby opening a portal and freeing his fellow djinn to inhabit the earth. The film stars Andrew Divoff and Tammy Lauren, and features many actors from other popular horror movies such as Nightmare On Elm Street and Candyman. Three sequels were made, featuring differing casts and crews: Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies, Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell, and Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled.The Djinn, an evil genie (Andrew Divoff), is awoken when the jewel he inhabits is rubbed and blown on by a female appraiser, Tammy Lauren. If the person who woke him (Alexandra Amberson, played by Tammy Lauren) makes three wishes, his fellow Djinn will be free to create hell on Earth.The narrator, Angus Scrimm, in his only words in the film, introduces the audience to the creatures called "Djinn" with the following statement:The next scene is set in Persia during the year 1127 A.D. with the Djinn (Andrew Divoff) asking a Persian emperor to make his second wish. The emperor asks the Djinn to astonish him and show him wonders. The Djinn uses his powers to torture and mutilate people in the palace, slamming them through walls and pulling their skeletons from their bodies. Before the emperor can make his third wish, Zoroaster, a sorcerer (played by Ari Barak), interrupts and states that upon the third wish granted to the one who woke the Djinn, a gateway will open between the worlds and the evil race of Djinn can live on earth. The sorcerer then reveals a fire opal and begins chanting, "Nib Shuggarath Bahim". The Djinn is sucked and captured into the jewel.Fastforward to present day America where Raymond Beaumont (Robert Englund) is supervising workers as they lower a box containing an antique statue of Ahura Mazda onto a ship's deck. The worker who is lowering the crate is drinking on the job and accidentally drops it from his crane, killing Beaumont's assistant (Ted Raimi) and destroying the statue. It breaks open and a dockworker finds the fire opal inside. He steals and pawns the jewel. The jewel ends up at Regal Auctioneers, where Nick Merritt (the boss, played by Chris Lemmon) gives it to an appraiser, Alexandra Amberson (Tammy Lauren) to examine. She blows on the jewel, waking the Djinn.Thinking she saw something inside the jewel, Alexandra brings it to her labworker best friend and potential love interest, Josh Aickman (Tony Crane) to analyze. Later, as he is collecting data, light reflections cause the gem to explode and the Djinn is released. The lab is destroyed and Josh is killed, upon his wish for relief from his physical pain.Alex, thinking the gem has something to do with the explosion and subsequent death of Josh, tracks down the antique collector, Raymond Beaumont, who the statue belonged to. Beaumont tells Alex to visit a folklore professor named Wendy Derleth (Jenny O'Hara) to find out more about Ahura Mazda and the gem. He also invites Alex and her sister, Shannon (Wendy Benson) to a party he is hosting.The folklore professor, Wendy Derleth, tells Alex about a "stone of the secret fire," the Djinn, and its evil history. During this time, the Djinn, who had been in demonic form, enters a school of medicine and removes the face of a corpse in the morgue, taking on the dead man's form and the name Nathaniel Demerest. The Djinn, now as Nathaniel, goes about granting people wishes in return for their souls while he searches for Alex. He finally tracks down Alex's boss and grants him a greed-inflicted wish so that he can get Alex's address.Alex is haunted by visions whenever the Djinn takes someone's soul. She goes to Wendy Derleth's house to consult with her again, but Nathaniel has already been there, removed her face and taken her form. During their conversation, Alex realizes she is really talking to the Djinn. He confronts her and asks her to make three wishes. He even gives her a "test" wish. She uses this wish and orders the Djinn to kill itself. He complies by blowing his head off with a gun, yet the wound heals instantly. He explains, "That which is eternal, cannot die." However, he does declare that, "If it's any consolation to you, sweet Alex, that hurt like hell!" Alex then uses the first of the "official" 3 wishes: Her first being to know who her opponent, the Djinn. He teleports her to his terrifying world within the gem, thus demonstrating his true nature to her. Next, she wishes herself back to her apartment, alone. The Djinn had been threatening Alex's sister, so Alex sets about finding Shannon. She races to Raymond Beaumont's party and Nathaniel follows. While talking to Nathaniel at the party, Beaumont makes the mistake of wishing his party would be unforgettable, and Nathaniel begins wreaking havoc by causing the art pieces to attack and kill the guests and party bodyguard Johnny Valentine (Tony Todd).Nathaniel, now in his true face as the Djinn, finally corners Alex and traps Shannon, trying to scare Alex into making the ultimate third wish. Alex pulls herself together, though, and wishes that the dockworker had not been drinking on the job two days prior, undoing all events that transpired after—thus creating a Grandfather Paradox. The Djinn is sucked back into the fire opal.The dock scene is shown again, only this time the crane operator is sober and has no trouble lowering the crate containing Ahura Mazda. The statue is whole, the jewel stays hidden, and the Djinn remains inside sitting on his throne.