wishmaster Tagged Articles at Cinematical

When it comes to making movies, few things are more subjective than horror. There's nothing that scares everyone, and even if your movie is about something that most people find frightening, that's no guarantee you'll depict it in a way that earns goosebumps. Meanwhile, plenty of good filmmakers have produced terror with things that audiences wouldn't have thought would scare them. (Before Psycho, was anyone ever afraid of showers?) So it's a crapshoot, basically.

Still, some horror films have had villains that they must have known -- or should have known -- wouldn't be scary, no matter how skilled the execution. (And the lousy execution of some of these didn't help.) The Child's Play films got intentionally goofy later in the series, but in the beginning Chucky the murderous doll was actually supposed to be scary, despite being 18 inches tall and weighing only a few pounds. Then there was the title character of Leprechaun, also diminutive and silly, AND he didn't even speak with an Irish accent! If I'm going to watch a movie about a leprechaun, that leprechaun had damn well better sound Irish. I'm just sayin'.

Or remember Darkness Falls, where the supernatural villain was the tooth fairy? Or the evil genie in the Wishmaster films, putting ironic, malevolent twists on people's wishes? Or Julian Sands' time-traveling he-witch in Warlock? The killer snowman in Jack Frost? What's your vote for the silliest horror villain? One of these, or someone else? Let us know in the comments.

Forget those rumors you heard last week about Robert Englund possibly reprising his role as Freddy Kruger (a franchise re-launch of A Nightmare on Elm Street was confirmed last week). They may not be true. But also forget what you might have read today about Kruger not returning. According to an interview with Englund by Bad Taste, the actor has not been approached ... yet. (Moviehole had said he would be approached). Of course, he may still be asked to suit up in the striped sweater and razor glove (Englund mentions needing to speak to his agent about it), but the actor doesn't seem to think it a good idea. He says he's too old to play Freddy -- apparently he hasn't been following the geriatric casting trends in Hollywood lately -- and joked that the new film's title would have to be "Freddy vs. Viagra" (har har). He did, however, mention that he'd be down for a cameo.

Englund spoke to Bad Taste from Italy, where he's prepping his next directorial effort, The Vij, in which he will also star alongside Christopher Lee and Russian actress Olga Shuvalova. According to Englund, the film is based on a short story by the Russian author Gogol, and will involve, "The Viji [sic], the guardian of the purgatory, who came to Earth." He also stated that it should be in black and white, but it will actually be in color (to appeal to a larger audience) and will be a mix of Kafka, German expressionism, the cinematography of Vittorio Storaro and classic stories like The Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Snow White. According to Variety, the film will be a "dark gothic fantasy" with a plot revolving "around an evil genie who conditions the actions of a young priest, leading him to commit murder and fall in love with an old witch who is actually not what she seems." The evil genie part makes me think of Wishmaster, which also starred Englund and which actually makes The Vij sound better than it probably will be considering Englund also directed 976-EVIL.

If all you know of Wishmaster is a bunch of lame-o sequels, I might recommend that you give the original flick another shot. It's not exactly a modern classic or anything, but it's a fun enough horror flick, packed as it is with crazy kills, colorful actors and a head baddie who's pretty darn creepy. (Plus, heck, it's not every day you find a horror flick that co-stars Freddy, Jason, Candyman AND the voice of The Tall Man!) And the original is actually kinda dark and spooky, whereas the sequels got progressively stupider.

Directed by K.N.B. co-founder Bob Kurtzman (which guarantees some gooey gore), Wishmaster earned just under $16 million during its 1997 theatrical run but has gone on to earn somewhat of a cult following among the gorehounds of the world. One cannot say the same thing about Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies, Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell or Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled -- mainly because none of the sequels earned a theatrical release, but also because nobody really likes 'em.

But if you're a fan of the Master and you'd like to celebrate his 10th birthday in style, you can head on over to FEARnet.com and pick through their new sub-site that's been dedicated to all things Wishmaster-y. It's there you'll find behind-the-scenes videos, interviews with cast and crew members, storyboards, photo galleries and all sorts of geeky little gizmos. Plus you can register to participate in a June 1 online chat with Goremaster Bob Kurtzman AND win a bunch of blood-soaked prizes, which you can then show off to all your friends who'll probably think you're insane.