There are countless horror movies from the ’90s that still get a lot of love and praise today, fromScreamtoThe CrafttoMiseryandThe Blair Witch Project. TheWishmasterhorror franchise might not be as famous as some of these other films. But the story of a creepy genie who appears when people have made three wishes is as entertaining today as it ever was. Sure, the franchise is corny. But the villain is appropriately sinister and terrifying. And the first movie, which was released in 1997, still holds up.
TheWishmasterfranchise includes some of the best ’90s horror movies, and they are fun to revisit. EachWishmastermovie uses magic in a cool, eerie way, and the franchise is definitely underrated.
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What Is The Wishmaster Franchise?
The 1997 horror movieWishmasterincludes two big names in horror. Wes Craven produced the film and Robert Englund played Raymond Beaumont, one of the main characters. In the first movie, audiences learn from a narrator voiced by Angus Scrimm that there are mysterious and scary creatures among the living. When someone causes a dijnn, one of these creatures, to wake up, they get three wishes. However, if they make it to wish number three, then dijinn will appear everywhere and be able to be part of Earth.
Wishmasterfollows Raymond who works on a ship. While the actor is of course known for playing theultimate horror movie villain Freddy Kruegerin theA Nightmare on Elm Streetfranchise, he has been a staple in horror, most recently playing Victor Creel in season 4 of Netflix’sStranger Things.
Wishmasteris not only a fun watch because of Robert Englund’s performance but it also creates a memorable slasher movie villain. The Dijinn is “The Wishmaster” and a sinister genie who looks pretty terrifying. While somehorror villains have complicated backstories, The Dijinn’s is fairly straightforward. They seem to wait around for people to make it onto their third wish and then they descend onto Earth to cause harm.
There are some things about The Dijinn that fans should know. No one can kill them, which makes them especially dangerous, and they are also good at convincing people to act a certain way. The Dijinn is sinister and seems to enjoy causing people pain. They are definitely not one of theworst ’90s horror villains, although they might not be talked about as often as others.
How Many Wishmaster Movies Are There?
There are fourWishmasterhorror movies: the first movie from 1997,Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Diesfrom 1999,Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hellfrom 2001, andWishmaster: The Prophecy Fulfilledfrom 2002. It’s worth noting that the last two films in theWishmasterfranchise don’t have as many horror elements, which sets them apart.
Wishmaster 3andWishmaster: The Prophecy Fulfilledare also bothdirect-to-video movie sequels. That often speaks to the quality of a film. And in this case, neither movie really fulfills the promise of the original from 1997. They feel like more of the same and don’t stand out.
Andrew Divoff played The Dijinn inWishmasterand thinks of the franchise fondly. In a 2017 interview with Dread Central, he said that he would keep playing theoriginal horror movie villain. Divoff said, “I’ve always said I was happiest about the fact that the franchise lived on, and that the production teams and the studios believed enough in the monster to continue it, but I never felt, and still don’t feel that the depths of what could be possible with a Djinn movie.”
Divoff also said, “I think that we catch ourselves at times (I do it too), and a lot of the Wishmaster fans will write down different wishes and ways that the Wishmaster might trick someone out of that wish, and that’s always fun – there is no end to wishes.”
Which Wishmaster Movies Are The Best?
While there are someunderappreciated ’90s horror movies, not everyone would countWishmasteramong those. But as is the case with many horror franchises, the firstWishmastermovie that came out in 1997 can be considered the best one.Wishmasterintroduces the gripping fantasy world of the franchise and also gives horror fans the chance to watch Robert Englund again, who is always solid.
The appeal ofWishmasteris definitely the fact that it’s a cheesy horror movie. It has low scores on Rotten Tomatoes: a 25% rating on the Tomatometer based on 25 reviews and a 39% Audience Score based on more than 25,000 ratings. Some have said that the ’90s was theworst decade for horror movies. But some fun and entertaining films were released during this time period, andWishmasterholds up as an enjoyable movie that allows audiences to imagine what life among dijinns would really be like.
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