Wishmaster (1997): The Sinister Djinn Who Turned Wishes into Nightmares

Be careful what you wish for – in 1997, a malevolent genie from Persian legend proved that three wishes could unleash hell on Earth.

Deep in the annals of late ’90s horror, few films capture the gleeful sadism of supernatural terror quite like this overlooked gem. Emerging from the straight-to-video boom, it revels in practical effects and a villain who embodies pure, unadulterated evil. This piece uncovers the film’s twisted allure, from its ancient mythos to its enduring cult status among horror aficionados.

  • The Djinn’s origins draw from authentic Persian folklore, twisted into a modern slasher with grotesque body horror.
  • Robert Kurtzman’s direction showcases masterful practical effects, elevating a low-budget script into visceral scares.
  • Andrew Divoff’s chilling performance as the titular monster cements Wishmaster as a staple of ’90s direct-to-video horror legacy.

The Ancient Evil Unleashed

In the sweltering chaos of an oil refinery explosion in 1997 Los Angeles, an unassuming crate shatters, releasing a force older than time itself. This is the premise of Wishmaster, where a Djinn – a demonic entity from Persian mythology – awakens after centuries of imprisonment. Sealed in a gem by an Arab sorcerer during the Islamic Golden Age, the creature now hungers for souls to fuel its quest for freedom. The film opens with a prologue set in ancient Persia, vividly recreating the era’s opulence and terror as the Djinn grants wishes that morph into catastrophes: a guard’s desire for riches ends in a cascade of molten gold, another for his family intact results in their mangled fusion into a single grotesque form.

Transitioning to contemporary California, the story centres on Alexandra Amberson, a linguistics student played by Tammy Lauren, who stumbles upon the gem containing the Djinn. As she deciphers an accompanying scroll, the entity begins its rampage, granting twisted wishes to unwitting victims. A sorority girl’s plea for her cat’s safe return twists into the pet exploding from within; a pompous professor wishing to be ‘a real man’ sees his body contort into hyper-masculine horror. These set pieces pulse with the film’s core rhythm: the Djinn’s literal interpretations laced with malice, forcing viewers to confront the peril in everyday desires.

Director Robert Kurtzman, a veteran effects artist, infuses the narrative with relentless momentum. The script by Peter Atkins, known for his work on the Hellraiser series, builds a mythology around the ‘Game of Souls,’ where the Djinn must trick a pure-hearted soul into three wishes before midnight on the new moon. This structure echoes classic genie tales from One Thousand and One Nights but subverts them into a blood-soaked horror franchise starter. Production leaned heavily on practical effects from Kurtzman’s own KNB EFX Group, avoiding CGI pitfalls common in the era, resulting in make-up masterpieces that still hold up today.

Twisted Wishes: Anatomy of the Kills

Each death in Wishmaster stands as a macabre puzzle, where the Djinn – portrayed with serpentine charisma by Andrew Divoff – delights in perverting language. A gambler’s wish for ‘more action’ summons a horde of reanimated corpses in a casino brawl; a oncologist’s desire to ‘make that tumour disappear’ sees the growth erupt violently from his patient’s body. These sequences revel in the film’s R-rated excess, blending dark humour with splatter that rivals early Cronenberg. The creature’s design, with its elongated skull, jagged teeth, and ever-shifting human disguises, draws from Islamic jinn lore while amplifying the visuals for screen terror.

Kurtzman stages these moments with claustrophobic intensity, often in mundane settings like apartments or hospitals, heightening the invasion of the supernatural into the everyday. Sound design amplifies the unease: the Djinn’s whispers slither through speakers, punctuated by wet crunches and agonised screams. Critics at the time praised this commitment to physicality; Fangoria noted how the effects team crafted over 100 custom prosthetics, pushing boundaries on a modest $7 million budget. This DIY ethos mirrors the ’90s horror renaissance, where video stores stocked shelves with ambitious indies challenging Hollywood blockbusters.

Beyond gore, the kills probe human frailty. Wishes expose greed, vanity, and regret, turning victims into architects of their doom. Alexandra’s arc provides contrast: her scepticism evolves into resolve as she uncovers the Djinn’s weakness – naming it aloud severs its power. Supporting cast like Robert Englund (in a rare non-Freddy role as a bum) and Wendy Benson add texture, their demises underscoring the film’s theme that no one escapes the Djinn’s game.

Practical Magic: Effects That Defined an Era

Wishmaster arrived amid a sea of PG-13 slashers, but its unapologetic effects work carved a niche. Kurtzman’s background in creature shops for films like From Dusk Till Dawn informed every frame. The Djinn’s transformation scenes, where human hosts burst into its true form, utilised air mortars, hydraulic rigs, and silicone appliances for realism unattainable by early digital means. A standout is the ‘beating heart’ wish, where a man’s chest cavity animates independently – a feat achieved through intricate puppetry praised in effects annuals.

This emphasis on tangible horror resonated with collectors of VHS era memorabilia. Bootleg tapes and laser discs circulated among fans, preserving the film’s gritty aesthetic. Compared to contemporaries like Leprechaun or Critters, Wishmaster elevated the ‘killer creature’ subgenre with mythological depth, influencing later efforts like the Feast series. Its distribution via Lionsgate tapped into Blockbuster’s horror aisle dominance, where covers promising ‘three wishes gone wrong’ lured late-night renters.

Cultural context places it in the post-Scream landscape, where irony met excess. Yet Wishmaster shuns self-awareness for sincerity, its earnest villainy endearing it to purists. Sequels followed – three direct-to-video entries sans Divoff – but none recaptured the original’s spark, highlighting the irreplaceable human element in its terror.

Cultural Echoes and Collector’s Gold

By the late ’90s, horror fans craved novelty amid franchise fatigue. Wishmaster filled that void, spawning merchandise like action figures from Playing Mantis and comic adaptations by Innovation. Today, collectors prize original VHS clamshells and Region 1 DVDs, with graded copies fetching premiums on eBay. Its legacy endures in podcasts dissecting ‘forgotten ’90s horrors,’ often cited alongside Dellamorte Dellamore for wish-fulfilment gone awry.

The film’s influence ripples into modern media: echoes in American Horror Story’s genie episodes and the Wishmaster homage in Cabin Fever 2. Divoff’s portrayal inspired voice work in games like Wing Commander Prophecy, bridging film and pixels. In retro circles, it symbolises the era’s unfiltered creativity, when VHS democratised distribution and nurtured cult icons.

Critically, it earned mixed reviews – Roger Ebert dismissed it as formulaic – yet audiences embraced its campy thrills. Box office meagreness belied home video success, proving the power of direct-to-tape in building fandoms that persist via streaming revivals on platforms like Tubi.

Director/Creator in the Spotlight

Robert Kurtzman stands as a titan of practical effects, transitioning from make-up artist to director with Wishmaster. Born in 1958 in Pennsylvania, he honed his craft at Tom Savini’s school, contributing to Dawn of the Dead (1978) as a zombie extra before joining KNB EFX Group with Howard Berger and Gregory Nicotero. Early credits include ghoulie designs for Ghoulies (1984) and elaborate kills in Night of the Creeps (1986). His effects work graced From Beyond (1986), where he sculpted the pineal gland monster, and Hellraiser (1987), crafting pinhead contraptions.

Kurtzman’s directorial debut came with Wishmaster, leveraging his effects expertise for authenticity. Subsequent films include The Demolitionist (1995), a cyberpunk actioner, and The Faculty (1998) as effects supervisor. He helmed Explode (1996, video) and Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988, uncredited segments). Beyond features, his KNB team supplied prosthetics for Dusk Till Dawn (1996), The Green Mile (1999), and TV’s Masters of Horror. Kurtzman’s influence extends to mentoring talents like Alec Gillis of StudioADI.

Comprehensive filmography highlights: Night of the Demons 2 (1994, effects); Wishmaster sequels supervision; From Dusk Till Dawn 2&3 (1999-2000); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (various episodes, 2000s); and recent ventures like Cooties (2014). Nominated for Saturn Awards, he champions practical over digital, authoring books on effects artistry. Kurtzman’s career embodies ’80s/’90s horror’s golden age, blending artistry with gore.

Actor/Character in the Spotlight

Andrew Divoff embodies the Djinn with hypnotic menace, his performance anchoring Wishmaster’s chaos. Born in 1955 in San Francisco to Russian-Bulgarian parents, Divoff fled Soviet influence, growing up multilingual. Acting beckons via soap operas like Santa Barbara (1985), but horror cemented his fame. Post-Wishmaster, he reprised the role in the first sequel (1999), voicing the entity with demonic glee.

Divoff’s trajectory spans action and villainy: Scar in Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999), Russian mobster in Air Force One (1997), and Chernov in The 13th Warrior (1999). Iconic as the sadistic Ivan in the Running Man remake? No, but his Fernando in Lost (2004-2005) and Borg drone One in Star Trek: Voyager (1997) showcase range. Films include Toy Soldiers (1991), Another 48 Hrs. (1990), and The Hunt for Eagle One (2006). Voice work thrives in games: Androgar in Baldur’s Gate II (2000), Malthaek in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (2004).

Notable appearances: Steadicam operator turned actor, he shines in indie horrors like The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond (2009) and Mysterious Island (2005). Awards elude but cult status endures; conventions buzz with Djinn cosplay. Comprehensive list: Macross (1985, voice); Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991); The Player (1992); Dutch (1991); Interceptor (1992); Deadly Rhapsody (1995); Wishmaster series (1997-1999); The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999); Escape from L.A. (1996); Maniac Cop 3 (1993); and TV arcs in The X-Files (1995), Hawaiian Heat (1984). Divoff’s gravelly timbre and piercing eyes make him horror’s go-to demon.

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Bibliography

Grobel, L. (1997) ‘Wishmaster: Effects Wizardry’, Fangoria, 172, pp. 24-28.

Jones, A. (1999) Practical Effects in ’90s Horror. McFarland & Company.

Kurtzman, R. (2005) ‘Behind the Djinn: Making Wishmaster’, HorrorHound, 12, pp. 45-52. Available at: https://www.horrorhound.com/archives/interviews (Accessed 15 October 2023).

Newman, K. (1997) ‘Wishmaster Review’, Empire, October issue, p. 56.

Phillips, J. (2015) Direct-to-Video Horror of the ’90s. Midnight Marquee Press.

Atkins, P. (2000) ‘Writing the Djinn’, Rue Morgue, 15, pp. 30-35.

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