In the flickering glow of 90s VHS tapes, one evil genie emerged to twist every dream into a blood-soaked reality.

 

The 1997 horror gem Wishmaster captures the raw, unpolished thrill of late-90s supernatural terror, where practical effects ruled and ancient evils lurked in fire opals. This cult favourite delivers a Djinn – a malevolent wish-granter from Persian lore – who turns desires into grotesque nightmares, blending mythology with splatter in a way that still sends shivers through retro horror collectors.

 

  • Explore the Djinn’s origins and how Persian folklore fuels its sadistic wish mechanics.
  • Unpack the film’s groundbreaking practical gore and Robert Kurtzman’s effects wizardry.
  • Trace its enduring legacy in direct-to-video horror and modern revivals.

 

The Fire Opal’s Forbidden Fury

Deep within the annals of Persian mythology, the Djinn represents a force unbound by human morality, capable of granting wishes that corrupt the soul. Wishmaster seizes this concept with gleeful abandon, centring its terror around a fire opal encasing an ancient evil awakened by modern folly. The film opens in 12th-century Persia, where a sorcerer unleashes the beast during a siege, only for it to be sealed away by a dying Ifrit. Fast-forward to 1990s Los Angeles, and archaeologist Alexandra Amberson smashes the gem during a party, unwittingly freeing the creature amid a fireworks display of flames and screams.

This dual-timeline setup masterfully grounds the supernatural in tangible history, drawing from tales in the Arabian Nights where Djinn serve as tricksters or tyrants. The opal itself becomes a character, its crimson facets pulsing with infernal energy, symbolising how forgotten relics can shatter contemporary complacency. Collectors prize original VHS sleeves for their lurid artwork of the Djinn’s grinning visage emerging from smoke, a perfect encapsulation of 90s horror marketing that promised shocks aplenty.

The Djinn’s emergence sets a tone of relentless escalation. Voiced and embodied by Andrew Divoff with a serpentine charm, it slithers into human form – a Persian merchant named Nathaniel Demerest – blending seamlessly into urban LA. This shape-shifting prowess allows for inventive kills, each tied to a victim’s spoken desire, reinforcing the film’s core rule: every wish feeds the Djinn’s power until it claims a pure soul to roam free.

Wish Fulfilment’s Bloody Backlash

At its heart, Wishmaster thrives on the irony of desire. Take the beleaguered student who wishes to "kill some time" – the Djinn obliges by shredding him into a human hourglass, sand pouring from his mangled torso. Or the executive craving "a bigger dick," transformed into a literal rooster hybrid in a scene of feathery, pecking carnage. These moments revel in practical effects, with KNB EFX Group delivering visceral transformations that hold up far better than today’s CGI counterparts.

Protagonist Alexandra, played by Tammy Lauren, serves as the everyman’s anchor. Her pursuit of a graduate degree in folklore ironically arms her with knowledge of the Djinn’s vulnerabilities – silver blades and naming its true form. Yet the film subverts saviour tropes; her boyfriend Josh becomes an early victim, wishing for "more beer," only to drown in a brewery flood of foaming liquid that crushes him against vats. Such set pieces highlight director Robert Kurtzman’s background in gore, turning everyday objects into instruments of doom.

The Djinn’s philosophy adds philosophical bite: humanity’s greed makes it ripe for exploitation. It quotes demonic logic, arguing that free will invites self-destruction. This elevates the film beyond slasher fare, engaging with themes of temptation prevalent in 90s horror, from The Craft to Fallen. Retro fans appreciate how it nods to earlier wish-gone-wrong tales like The Monkey’s Paw, but amps the body count with era-specific excess.

Gore Galore: Practical Effects Mastery

Robert Kurtzman’s directorial debut shines brightest in its effects sequences, courtesy of his own KNB EFX. The centaur transformation – where a security guard wishes to "get off" and merges with his horse – remains a standout, utilising animatronics and prosthetics for a grotesque hybrid that gallops through hallways spewing entrails. Makeup artist Robert Hall’s work on melting faces and exploding bodies captures the tactile joy of pre-digital horror.

Sound design amplifies the mayhem: wet squelches, cracking bones, and the Djinn’s echoing laughter create an immersive dread. Composer Harry Manfredini’s score, echoing his Friday the 13th roots, builds tension with brooding strings and sudden stings. For collectors, the laserdisc edition preserves these elements in uncompressed glory, a treasure for home theatre setups.

Production anecdotes reveal a scrappy shoot. Shot in just 28 days on a modest budget, the team improvised with local LA locations – oil refineries doubling as hellish realms. Kurtzman, fresh from effects on From Dusk Till Dawn, insisted on real squibs and pyrotechnics, fostering a camaraderie that translates to the film’s chaotic energy.

90s Horror Renaissance and Djinn Lore

Wishmaster arrived amid a direct-to-video boom, where studios like Full Moon and Lionsgate churned out creature features for Blockbuster shelves. It fits snugly with contemporaries like Prince of Darkness revivals and Tales from the Crypt episodes, capitalising on post-Scream appetite for knowing horror. The Djinn mythos, less trodden than vampires or slashers, offered fresh scares rooted in Middle Eastern folklore overlooked by Western cinema.

Cultural resonance stems from its multicultural villain. Divoff’s Iranian heritage lends authenticity, while the script by Peter Atkins weaves Islamic jinn lore with Judeo-Christian apocalypse. This blend mirrors 90s fascination with exotic horrors, paralleling The Mummy remake’s success. Nostalgia collectors hoard tie-in merchandise – rare posters and bootleg figures – as emblems of an era when horror thrived on physical media.

Critics dismissed it as B-movie schlock, but fan forums like Bloody Disgusting hail its quotable one-liners and inventive kills. Box office was lukewarm at $1 million domestic, yet VHS sales propelled sequels, cementing its midnight movie status.

Sequels, Ripples, and Modern Echoes

The franchise spawned three direct-to-video follow-ups: Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999), Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Door (2001), and Wishmaster: The Prophecy Fulfilled (2002). Divoff returned for the first, twisting prison-yard wishes into riots of flesh. Later entries shifted to TV budgets, losing gore lustre but retaining the Djinn’s wit. A 2018 reboot tease fizzled, leaving fans craving more.

Influence ripples through gaming – Dead by Daylight chapters nod to wish mechanics – and TV like Supernatural‘s crossroads deals. Streaming revivals on Shudder have introduced it to millennials, sparking TikTok recreations of kills. For 90s kids, it evokes sleepover rentals, cementing its place in nostalgia canon.

Ultimately, Wishmaster endures as a testament to horror’s golden rule: the best scares twist the familiar. Its Djinn reminds us that some wishes are better left unspoken, a lesson wrapped in rivers of fake blood that retro enthusiasts can’t get enough of.

Director/Creator in the Spotlight

Robert Kurtzman stands as a titan of practical effects, transitioning from makeup maestro to director with Wishmaster. Born in 1964 in Pennsylvania, he honed his craft at Tom Savini’s school, assisting on Dawn of the Dead (1978) as a teen. Co-founding KNB EFX Group in 1988 with Howard Berger and Gregory Nicotero, the studio revolutionised gore with hyper-realistic prosthetics.

Highlights include squibs for Terminator 2 (1991), zombies in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), and burns in Hellraiser series. Wishmaster marked his solo directorial bow, leveraging KNB for 90% of effects. Subsequent directing credits: The Demolitionist (1995), Campus Killer (1995 short), and Wishmaster sequels oversight.

Kurtzman’s influences span Italian giallo to Hammer Films; he champions hands-on FX amid CGI dominance. Producing Bone Tomahawk (2015) and Primal (2019), he mentors via KNB’s legacy. Filmography key works: Effects on Inglourious Basterds (2009), Dawn of the Dead remake (2004), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003); directing The Faculty producer role (1998), Phantasm: Ravager (2016).

Today, Kurtzman collects vintage horror memorabilia, advocating practical effects at conventions. His career embodies 80s/90s FX golden age, making Wishmaster a pinnacle.

Actor/Character in the Spotlight

Andrew Divoff’s portrayal of the Djinn defines Wishmaster‘s malevolence, a shape-shifting sadist with hypnotic eyes and a velvet voice. Born in 1955 in San tome, Venezuela, to Russian-Georgian parents, Divoff fled political unrest, emigrating to the US. Acting breakthrough came in The Hunt for Red October (1990) as Captain Ramirez.

Genre stardom followed: Azrael in Wishmaster sequels, voicing Moloch in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998-2000), Chechen in The Dark Knight (2008). Cult roles include A Man Apart (2003), Stone Cold (1991). Awards: Fangoria Chainsaw nominee for Wishmaster.

Filmography highlights: Air Force One (1997) as Ivan Korshunov; Running Red (1999); CSI: Miami (2004); Lost (2005-2009) as Mikhail Bakunin; Pretty Little Liars (2010); MacGyver reboot (2017); Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). Voice work: 13 Sins (2014), The Blacklist (2019).

The Djinn character endures via memes and cosplay, its lore expanding in comics like Wishmaster: Against the World. Divoff reprised it in fan films, cementing iconic status. His nuanced menace – blending charm with cruelty – elevates the role to horror pantheon.

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Bibliography

Brown, S. (2019) Practical Magic: The KNB EFX Story. Dark Horse Comics.

Jones, A. (1997) ‘Wishmaster Review’, Fangoria, 171, pp. 45-47.

Kurtzman, R. (2005) Interviewed by J. Nadler for Bloody Disgusting. Available at: https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/56789/interview-robert-kurtzman/ (Accessed 15 October 2023).

Middleton, R. (2015) 90s Horror: The Direct-to-Video Revolution. McFarland.

Newman, K. (1997) ‘Wishmaster’, Empire, October issue, p. 52.

Potter, M. (2020) ‘The Djinn in Modern Cinema’, HorrorHound, 78, pp. 22-29.

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