BAD MOVIE REVIEW: Wishmaster (1997)

Wishmaster is a special effects guy's wet dream. The gore in this movie is only limited to the imagination of the people creating the effects. I don't really think there was much supervision when it came to the kills in this movie. I'm pretty sure the director just told his crew to go wild because that's what this movie is: WILD.

Like the opening scene for example, a skeleton explodes out of this guys body and then runs around killing people. That's just so awesome.

 I've come for your women and beer.

Some people will argue with me on this, and that's ok, but Wishmaster is, in my opinion, a "Perfect" horror movie. What I mean by perfect is that I can watch this movie OVER AND OVER AND OVER and still enjoy it every time. Actually I think I enjoy it MORE every time I see it. I don't think I could ever get bored with this movie. (Some other movies I would consider perfect include Predator and Re-Animator) Wishmaster isn't perfect, no movie is perfect, but it's perfect for me. And that's all that matters.

I've always liked this movie. From the very first time I saw it up until my umpteenth viewing Sunday. It still shocks me how awesome it is. The effects are top notch, the Wishmaster is so fucking badass, and the CAST AND CREW: Oh lord the cast and crew. THAT is where this movie shines brightest (amongst B movie fans anyway)

• Andrew Divoff as the Wishmaster (Lost, Executive Decision)
• Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger)
• Kane Hodder (Some Friday the 13th sequels and the Hatchet movies)
• Angus Scrimm narrates (The Tall Man from Phantasm)
• Reggie Bannister (Speaking of Phantasm, here's the star)
• Chris Lemmon ("star" of Thunder in Paradise)
• Tony Todd (CANDYMAN!)
• Buck Flower (Most ever John Carpenter movie, he actually has an OPENING credit here)
• Ted Raimi (Sam Raimi's brother. Boy does that guy like dying.)
• Ricco Ross (Aliens)
• Robert Kurtzman (Director of Wishmaster, also an amazing special effects guy for tons of movies)
• Peter Aitkins (writer of Wishmaster, also the writer of Hellraiser 2 & 3)
• And finally, Wes Craven (Executive Producer of Wishmaster, guy that invented Freddy Krueger)

That's a long list. They space out each appearance so well too. It was such a joy to see Reggie Bannister and Buck Flower in the same scene arguing with each other. I love it.

Wishmaster (if you don't already know) is about an evil Genie. They portray them as a race of beings called the Djinn in this movie. They live in the plane of existence between Earth and Hell. One particular Djinn, the Wishmaster, is wrecking havoc on Earth. You see, when someone wakes the Wishmaster he must grant the person that woke him 3 wishes and upon granting the third, the Wishmaster can open the gate from his world to Earth and all the Djinn will take over the world. But a sorcerer traps the Wishmaster in a Ruby. (This is just the first few minutes of the movie.) So we fast forward to present day, a statue is broken that has the Ruby inside and a woman inadvertantly releases the Wishmaster. The Wishmaster spends half the movie granting wishes to strangers in exchange for their soul while searching for the woman that released him. (Which is really fucking awesome, not only because it paces this movie so well but also because the kills are so amazingly gory) Finally, he find her and more amazing things happen. I don't want to ruin the ending for you because the wishes this woman makes are pretty awesome.

Like this one.

It's ok to click that link. There isn't any major spoilers there. It's actually a FREE wish the Wishmaster first grants the woman to get the ball rolling. It's really awesome and actually shows just how amazing Andrew Divoff is as the Wishmaster and this scene portrays the general personality of the Wishmaster. He's like this the whole movie. If you like this scene, you'll like the whole movie.

 Hey baby, when this is over, you wanna come over to my place?

I really can't praise this movie enough. (But I'll sure as hell try) The effects are top notch, the majority of them being actual practical effects. (Which if you know me, are the BEST kind) The CGI included here just enhances any practical effects they got going on. It's quite impressive.

This movie, even with its flaws (what movie doesn't have flaws?), is perfect to me.

Check out the Hatchet 2 Trailer and Production Stills

EXCITED!

Hatchet 2, I know its just the teaser trailer but it's got me pretty excited. Looks like they're gonna utilize Tony Todd more in this film. At least that's what they've been talking about for awhile. I'm really excited about that.

BAD MOVIE REVIEW: Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)

Tony Todd is back as Candyman, the hook for a hand son of a bitch slashing through people left and right. This film is really good for the backstory alone. It wasn't anywhere near as scary as the original. The lighting and the director just didn't make any of it seem all that haunting to me.

I love hearing the whole story of candyman. I love all the little nuances that explain various things about the mythos of candyman. The mob saying his name five times, the child calling him candyman for the first time, and of course the mirror. It's a sad story really and candyman being a victim to a mob of chrisitan racists in the glory days of slavery is a tragic tale. It's no wonder he's takin out all his aggressions on "whitey" but thats ok...it's fucking Tony Todd. He can kill all the white folks he wants cuz that mofo is god.

Yes I like Tony Todd. He's so evil in everything he does. He only 'acts' normal when his character needs to be. His portrayal as candyman is excellent once again. His stance and his glare is the same as the first. When he's on screen he really owns it. I love it.

The effects are great. The majority of the kills are done with candyman's trademark hook. I guess I don't understand how he's pushing it through someones back...since that part is the blunt end. It is nevertheless effective in mutilating the hell out of his victims.

All in all...Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is a pretty decent horror sequel. It can be tedious trying to find a decent sequel in the sea of straight to video crappy sci-fi channel produced sequels (which this one is not) but this one happens to come off as a good flick. To quote Candyman, "Death is only the beginning."

BAD MOVIE REVIEW: Candyman (1992)

Candyman…Candyman…Candyman…Candyman…Ca...WHOA! Careful saying it a fifth time.  The results could be deadly.  Saying his name 5 times to yourself in a mirror summons the wonderfully gruesome killer Candyman.  Armed with a rusty hook jammed into his stub of an arm and held in by massive antique nails, Candyman is one scary dude.

Candyman is a genuinely scary movie.  Brought to you by Clive Barker, this tale is just as wonderful as Hellraiser.  They both have that dark tone to it, a WONDERFUL back-story, and a truly memorable killer.  At least this time around, Candyman gets in on the fun…instead of summoning objects of torture.  The musical score too kind of follows suit with Hellraiser in the sense that it really builds up the suspense and makes even the generic of scenes seem epic.

I better bring this up right now…Tony Todd is Candyman.  That alone should make you want to watch it.  Everytime that man speaks, his voice far exceeds ANY noise in the film at the time all the while sending shivers down your spine.  “What’s blood for? If not for shedding?”  Muwhahahaha!  PERFECT choice for that role, Tony Todd is awesome at everything he does.  And lest not forget Virginia Madsen.  She is really hot in this movie…with some nudity.  Not completely…but at the same time completely.

I first saw this movie when it first came out in 1992.  At the time I was only 7.  The only part I could remember was the story of that boy getting torn up in the public bathroom stall by Candyman.  (along with the flashbacks)  That in itself made me terrified to step foot into a public restroom.  I was so SURE that Candyman was gonna kill me.

The only real problem I have with the movie is the ending.  Well I should say “endings.”  While the “final” ending was awesome…the film seemed to end like 6 times.  It felt like LOTR 3.  It came to an end, then faded back to the story, then ended, then faded back to story, then ended, etc.  But in the end after it was all over, I wasn’t upset with it.

All-in-all I classify this movie as classic.  I believe that it will stand the test of time and future generations will be able to appreciate this brilliant masterpiece.  Candyman will continue to terrify unsuspecting viewers.  Oh one final thought…Candyman! AAAAHHHH!!!!!