As Halloween is almost upon us I’ve taken it upon myself to search out the best horror films that are currently available on Blu-ray in the UK. The movie I’m reviewing here is a nineties classic and is of course Wishmaster that stars Tammy Lauren. This new Blu-ray release claims to have been digitally restored and I expect it to look amazing but let’s find out if that is indeed the case. So without further ado here’s my Wishmaster blu-ray review.
- Wishmaster (1997)
- Genre: Horror
- Directed by Robert Kurtzman
- UK Rating 18
- Discs: 1
- Released By Lionsgate
- Blu-ray Released: 26 February 2018
Plot
When Raymond Beaumont a collector ships over an antique statue of Ahura Mazda a freak accident which results in the container falling and killing his assistant also reveals a gem stone. However this is no ordinary gem this one contains the Djinn that once awoken and released will grant wishes. As with all things in life these wishes come with strings attached and are never what the person making the wish really means or wants.
Unfortunately for Alexandra Amberson (Tammy Lauren) she is the person that has inadvertently awoken the Djinn.
Style / Direction
The film is directed by Robert Kurtzman with the cinematography handled by Jacques Haitkin. It also has a certain Wes Craven attached to the making of the film as an executive producer.
Overall this is a well made horror, the special effects whilst not amazing by today’s standards are certainly good enough and I think hold up well enough.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is composed by Harry Manfredini and is the perfect fit for the tone of horror they were going for.
Acting / Characters
There’s no doubting in my mind that Wishmaster is exceptionally well cast with lead Tammy Lauren as Alexandra the perfect fit for the role. She manages to convey plenty of fear but backed up with a steely determination that she won’t allow the Djiin to get the better of her. Oh and she has the most captivating eyes that really help to make her characters plight come alive.
Speaking of whom, Andrew Divoff plays the Djinn is sufficiently menacing and worrisome exactly what you are looking for in a horror film of this nature. Add in Robert Englund as an eccentric collector and you have a well balanced horror cast.
Now to a couple of noteworthy mentions for all you horror fans, you may or may not have noticed that Angus Scrimm aka The Tall Man from the Phantasm films provides the narration. Also from the Phantasm films is Reggie Bannister playing the Pharmacist that meets a rather nasty end.
Cast
- Tammy Lauren as Alexandra Amberson
- Andrew Divoff as The Djinn / Nathaniel Demerest
- Robert Englund as Raymond Beaumont
- Chris Lemmon as Nick Merritt
- Wendy Benson as Shannon Amberson
- Tony Crane as Josh Aickman
- Jenny O’Hara as Wendy Derleth
- Ricco Ross as Lt. Nathanson
- Gretchen Palmer as Ariella
- Narrated by Angus Scrimm
- Reggie Bannister as Pharmacist
Conclusion: Wishmaster (1997) Film Review
Put simply for any lover of horror films Wishmaster is a must see nineties classic. The acting is good the story whilst not original is well told and film has plenty of jumps and scary moments throughout the 90 minutes.
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Conclusion: Wishmaster Blu-ray Review
There’s excellent news on the picture quality front with it looking simply stunning without any marks of flickers to report. Meanwhile the image is sharp whilst the colours appear as they should. So what of the extras? Well I’m pretty impressed as you can see below there a lot of interviews and features that are interesting and informative. Basically what I’m saying is they are all well worth a look if like me you are a fan of the film.
Extras
- Audio Commentary with Director Robert Kurtzman & Screenwriter Peter Atkins
- Commentary with Director Robert Kurtzman & Stars Tammy Lauren / Andrew Divoff
- Isolated Score Selections + Audio Interview with Composer Harry Manfredini
- Out of the Bottle – Interviews (22 mins)
- The Magic Words – Interview with Screenwiter Peter Atkins (14 mins)
- The Djinn & Alexandra – Interviews with Tammy Lauren / Andrew Divoff (26 mins)
- Captured Visions (13 mins)
- Wish List (12 mins)
- Vintage Making of featurette (25 mins)
- Vintage EPK (6 mins)
- Behind the Scenes Footage (12 mins)
- Trailers
- TV Spots
- Radio Spots
- Galleries
Popcorn Cinema Rating: Wishmaster (1997)
MOVIE RATING: WELL WORTH WATCHING
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
POPCORN CINEMA: RECOMMENDED
Wishmaster (1997) is available now on Blu-ray from Amazon.
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Wishmaster (1997) Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip not be representative of the blu-ray version
That’s the Wishmaster blu-ray review, if you have any thoughts on this film you can leave them over on our Facebook page.
Summary: Wishmaster (1997) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Wishmaster (1997)
Duration: 90 mins
Director(s): Robert Kurtzman
Actor(s): Tammy Lauren, Andrew Divoff, Robert Englund, Chris Lemmon, Wendy Benson, Tony Crane, Jenny O'Hara, Ricco Ross, Gretchen Palmer, Reggie Bannister
Genre: Horror
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
A must see nineties horror classic.
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