Actors: Tammy Lauren, Andrew Divoff, Robert Englund, Angus Scrimm, Paul Johansson
Directors: Robert Kurtzman, Jack Sholder, Chris Angel
Number of discs: 3
Rated: R
Studio: LIONSGATE
Release Date: March 28, 2017
Run Time: 370 minutes
Collection: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
“Wishmaster” is and always will be one of my favorite horror genre flicks. I was one of the many few that saw this in theaters, dragging my father at the time (who still hates me to today over 20 years later). This is a great movie. It is made my horror legends for horror fans. It has everything. Gore. Comedy. Practical Effects. Great cameos including Robert Englund (“A Nightmare on Elm Street”), Kane Hodder (“Friday the 13th”) and Tony Todd (“Candyman”) aka horror icons Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Candyman respectively. This is a must see for all horror fans…the sequels are…watchable but never lived up to the first.
This four film collection on Blu-ray contains the following films: “Wishmaster”, “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies”, “Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell” and “Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled”. Like I said, I have seen all the sequels but they never really wowed me. I enjoy the character but the limited budgets and production value doesn’t give them potential to reach far.
The A/V presentation on these films vary quite a bit but are all together impressive. “Wishmaster” and “Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell” both feature a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, even though “Wishmaster” claims on the box it comes with a 5.1 surround track. It doesn’t. A little bit of a let down I thought but overall it still impressed me. “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies” and “Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled” both pack a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks.
“Wishmaster” come stocked with the best special features in the bunch. There are two audio commentary, first with director Robert Kurtzman and screenwriter Peter Atkins and second with Kurtzman (again) and stars Andrew Divoff and Tammy Lauren. They are both great and worth checking out. There is also isolated score selections and an audio interview with composer Harry Manfredini.
Next up there are a ton of interviews with everyone from director Robert Kurtzman and co-producer David Tripet to screenwriter Peter Atkins to stars Andrew Divoff and Tammy Lauren to director of photography Jacques Haitkin and actors Kane Hodder and Ted Raimi. Lastly there are some trailers, spots, vintage featurettes and behind-the-scenes footage along with galleries…and that is only on disc one!
Disc 2 for “Wishmaster 2” has an audio commentary with writer/director Jack Sholder. As well as a trailer and still gallery. Not a whole lot for the sequel. The commentary track is solid. Disc 3 “for Wishmaster 3” features an audio commentary with director Chris Angel and cast members John Novak, Jason Connery and Louisette Geiss. There is also a vintage making-of featurette and a trailer included.
Lastly “Wishmaster 4” which shares disc 3 with the previous film comes with two audio commentary tracks. The first is with director Chris Angel and cast members Michael Trucco and Jason Thompson and the second is with director Chris Angel (again) and actor John Novak. Also included is a featurette called “Wishmasterpiece Theatre” and a trailer included closing out this fantastic set!
