Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999 Video) User Reviews

Mediocre sequel.

[FiendishDramaturgy · 4/10 · 5 October 2003]

They put neither the thought, nor the financing, behind this installment as they did the first, but it is still a moderately entertaining endeavor. They cut back on both the creativity and on the execution of what creativity they did exhibit.

In this installment of the series, the Djinn effects are not nearly as good as they were. They went for a new look, and for me, it just did not work. The story was not as well written and not as well enacted as the first. I found it marginally enjoyable, regardless of the apparent lack in quality effects, and also find it to be a decent sequel. But only that. At least they did bring back Michael Divoff as the Djinn.

Honestly, this was a bit of a disappointment. The first installment was not Oscar worthy material, but it did entertain. I found myself having to work at being amused with this chapter of the Wishmaster story.

It gets a 4/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Wish-A-Do Wish-A-Two

[jcholguin · 5/10 · 5 July 2003]

A new twist to the Wishmaster story in that the Djinn must gather 1000 souls before granting the waker the three wishes. Andrew Divoff returns as the Djinn which is a perfect role for him. Divoff looks so evil with the voice to go along with it. When granting a wish, his reply is an unemotional "done" which can cut right to the hearts of many people that make a wish. In the first film the waker was a likeable woman but in this one it is a woman that kills when committing robbery. Someone that is not likely a person that can defeat the Djinn. She enlists the help of a priest which was her one good choice in life. The Djinn goes into a prison for 200 souls. Where can a Djinn get another 800 souls? A place where people wish for something that they don't have. A place that people are so concerned about wishing that they do not realize that their soul is now required? This place is so logical that when you realize it, it becomes a place where you better not wish. Who knows if an evil Djinn is waiting for you?

fun to be had in this gory sequel!

[atinder · 6/10 · 12 January 2013]

This is yet another re-watch, ,I have seen this movie 3 times now, as I saw this before seeing the original.

I really loved this movie, I found it to be a lot of fun but not as fun as the Original.

This as some really nice gory deaths, which I really liked, effect are so fun to watch and some were just playing weird, even for the Wishmaster series.

Andrew Divoff is outstanding playing the Wishmaster, his face just give you the creeps.

The lead actress went bit over the top with some of her acting , some of cast were really bad in this, the most of them were decent, they could have done better.

I loved the last scene in the movie, thought it's was so funny!,

I didn't like some of the effects , near the end, I don't think it fitted well with other gory effect, that worked really well with the rest of the movie.

Not as good as the first , still a fun to be had in this gory sequel.

6 out of 10

The Wishmaster gets consigned to Direct to Video Hell

[JoeB131 · 5/10 · 18 November 2012]

After a kind of underrated first appearance, the Wishmaster got consigned to Direct to Video Perdition, where he is handled by a less talented director and less talented co-stars.

This was before Divoff had the good sense to get off the crazy train, as like every movie monster from Frankenstein to Freddy Krueger, each sequel kind of diminishes you a bit.

It's more or less the same plot as the first one, with a smaller budget and less talent.

The change is that instead of a kind of nice girl gemologist, the protagonist here is an art thief who frees the Djinn from a different statue of Ahura Mazda, the Persian God of Plot Device. He gets sent to prison, where he kills a bunch of his fellow inmates in ironically themed wishes.

It's good point. The actress playing the lead is smoking hot. And lies in bed in her underwear a lot.

Tongue-In-Cheek Sequel

[Mike-842 · 24 November 1999]

Campy, Tongue-In-Cheek sequel brings back the Wishmaster from the '97 original. Remains entertaining enough from beginning to end, and has a wider sense of humour, with campy situations replacing the original's gore. Andrew Divoff's performance as the Wishmaster is a must see, he alone makes the film worthwhile.

***

"Everybody needs help... even the devil."

[drewnes · 5/10 · 30 May 2021]

Not as good as the first one, but still a better horror sequel than most horror series. The Djinn is still a scary villain and the deaths are still creative. I don't even want to watch Wishmaster 3 or 4 because Andrew Divoff isn't the Djinn anymore, and he is what makes the first two films fun.

Absolutely Horrible!

[MizSlick · 1/10 · 21 August 2002]

I wish I could get the hour and a half (or whatever) of my life back that I WASTED watching this horrendous sequel! The first 'Wishmaster' was imaginative, original and fun. It had excellent effects (by KNB Efx Group) and a great storyline. Unfortunately, this sequel didn't offer any of that. The only thing it did offer was some laughable dialogue. And there's nothing sadder than a horror movie that's unintentionally funny! I almost feel sorry for Andrew Divoff (who plays the djinn) for having to act in it! He was the only person who worked on the original who returned for this sequel. Too bad. Maybe if Robert Kurtzman had directed again and they'd had the same writers, it might not have been so incredibly awful.

I like this movie. **potential Spoiler

[Hagard1956 · 7/10 · 27 October 2005]

This movie is A lot like the first few Hellraiser movies. For a movie made in 1999, its got pretty awful special effects, and the real OLD looking GORE scenes (Which I love) (like from Hellraiser 1+2, and Dead Alive). To summarise, this movie was made in 1999, but looks like it was made in the mid 1980's.

The majority of the WISHES granted in this film ended in a comical TWIST of what was asked - much like the (so-so) movie, BEDAZZLED

Andrew Divoff was really great in this film, joke here, joke there, but really serious-looking. Holly Fields was very good in this movie, all of her scenes were great :) . All in all, if you are a fan of Hellraiser/Dead Alive, you will appreciate and enjoy this entertaining piece.

7/10 for a great movie

Absolutely awful

[larsgorzelak · 1/10 · 14 July 2002]

Will somebody please explain to me how the very same Jack Sholder who was responsible for the superb "The Hidden" in 1987 has ended up directing utter crap like Wishmaster 2? The actors all act as if all they're thinking of is to go home and have coffee, and they really can't be blamed since the story and dialogue appears to have been written by a five-year-old. I wish I had never watched this film.

A Solid Sequel, True to the Original

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 24 November 2010]

The Djinn breaks free of his prison inside the Ahura Mazda statue during a burglary resulting in a shoot-out. He confesses to the burglary and murder, despite obviously being innocent. Why? Because inside the prison walls, plenty of men have desires just waiting to be fulfilled...

This film picks up exactly where the first left off, with Andrew Divoff reprising his role as the Djinn. The gore effects seem slightly nastier here, at times appearing almost like something from a Cronenberg film.

It was written and directed by Jack Sholder, probably best known for directing "A Nightmare on Elm Street 2" in 1985 (14 years prior). I hate to say it, but in many ways this film exceeds Robert Kurtzman's original vision.

Of course, some liberties are taken with when the Djinn can use his powers, but I suppose that is not new. And after Andrew Divoff left the series, I don't even know why they kept making sequels.

a sequel or remake?

[dunny · 8/10 · 20 September 2002]

If you enjoyed the first Wishmaster then you would probably like this, its pretty much exactly the same story ... awaken the jjin have him kill some people before the complete butchery at the final scene before he is stopped, enjoyable and better then half of the horror rubbish today...could have done more then just rip the originals plot though :(

Be Careful With Your Wishes – A Good Sequel

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 3 August 2004]

Three small time crooks robber a museum and after a shooting with the guards, one of them dies, the other one is wounded and the last one, Morgana (the gorgeous Holly Fields) survives and accidentally releases the evil Djinn (Andrew Divoff) from a stone. Djinn assumes a human form as Nathaniel Demerest, takes the blame for the crime and is sent to prison, where he intends to collect one thousand and one (1001) souls. In accordance with the prophecy, after Djinn accomplishes his intent, Morgana shall ask him for three wishes. Then, his race will domain earth, destroying human race. Morgana and her friend, Father Gregory (Paul Johansson), try to avoid Nathaniel to be successful in his objective. This sequel was a great surprise for me, since I did not expect such a good story without the name of Wes Craven in the credits. Further, the beauty of Holly Fields, with lips that recall Liv Tyler's, is impressive. A good entertainment, combining humor, horror and special effects, unfortunately underrated in IMDB User Rating. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `O Mestre dos Desejos 2' (`The Wishmaster 2')

I Wish...for a better sequel...

[NotAnotherMovieCritic · 3/10 · 25 August 2020]

I am someone who loves horror films, especially corny horror films such as Leprechaun and the Critters films. Being a huge fan of the first film, and buying the collection on Blu-Ray recently, I was excited about seeing the other films, bad or not I was ready to be entertained. Of course I had seen the rating on IMDB at 5.1, not a bad rating for a straight to video sequel. Maybe that was my problem, I went in with high hopes and walked away with nothing. The story line is pretty decent, not really sure if it follows the first movie or if it's a stand alone sequel like Leprechaun 2. The acting wasn't great, but I didn't expect Academy Award winning. The first problem I noticed in this film was very early on when we are introduced to the Wishmaster played by the great Andrew Divoff...well not so great in this one. For some reason this version of Wishamaster didn't sound like he did in the first one, it didn't have that creepy quality. I didn't mind that the Wishmaster looked a little different, still keeping in line with the first film.

The kills this time around, albeit corny, as not really that interesting. The special effects looked childish, especially in the casino scene towards the end. There is not much to say about this film. I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as I did the first, but I don't regret watching it and I'm sure someday down the road I will watch it again...just not any time soon.

GOOD SEQUEL

[Big Movie Fan · 23 April 2002]

If you've read my review of Wishmaster then you'll know that I really enjoyed it. This sequel was just as good.

Again, it was interesting to see what people wished for. And that evil Djinn caused havoc everywhere-in jail and particularly at the casino towards the end. The wishes were truly great in this film but I won't spoil them for you. I was quite amused by what happened to a lawyer in the film.

It's rare that a horror sequel is good as the first but this was. The Djinn came back and was twice as nasty (if that's possible). This was a great film which I urge any horror fan to see.

Evil never dies - it just gets more and more boring

[winner55 · 1/10 · 30 June 2009]

The original Wishmaster film was a pleasant surprise. Director Robert Kurtzman and writer Peter Atkins cleverly married very traditional old-school horror movie plotting and contemporary FX laden gore-splattering. The film benefited from a sense of humor, and had a fairly rapid pace that kept one distracted from any flaws.

The direct-to-video sequel, by contrast, shows no savvy at all in it's plotting, its (very limited) use of FX, or its pacing. For most of the film, the monstrous Wishmaster is confined (in his human form) in a prison, where it takes the longest time for him to get anyone to ask for a wish. This prolonged prison scene might have been salvageable if the dialogue were witty, but it basically reduces to:

Wishmaster: "I grant any wish, ask for something." Prisoner (or Guard): "F*** you!" Wishmaster: "No really, just ask."

If such is your idea of snappy dialog, this movie's for you.

Holly Fields is mighty pleasing to look at, but there's nothing much for her to do, so they decide to toss in some "inspirational" Christian redemption drivel into a story involving ancient Persian mythology - huh? - oh, never mind, it's not worth the effort.

Andrew Divoff, who did a fine job in the first Wishmaster film, stumbles around looking for something interesting to do, can't find it, and stands around and sulks instead. We would certainly feel pity for him if we hadn't grown numb from boredom.

Generous with a 5 cos of the lock up scene n a tiny role of Robert LaSardo.

[Fella_shibby · 5/10 · 8 November 2019]

I first saw this in the late 90s on cable tv. Revisited it on a dvd which I own. Director Jack Sholder (Alone in the Dark n The Hidden) failed to revive this series. In this film, the demon is once again set free accidentally but the conclusion of the first part made sense while the conclusion of this part is jus a convenient way to end a lousy sequel. The only new twist is that the demon has to collect 1000 souls before granting the three wishes to the awaker n for this he lands himself in a prison where it's an easy way for fellas to ask for wishes. In fact, the demon visits a casino to cash in on the remaining souls. The kills r nothing compared to the first part, except for the lock up scene where an inmate has to pass thru a metal barricade. Ther is a sex n shower scene minus the nudity. The gothic girl suddenly becomes chaste even after sleeping with a priest. Maybe fornication with a priest is ok when u want to be pure n clean.

Some sequels are worth a fun watch, even if they are tacky

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 4/10 · 2 November 2006]

I know "Wishmaster" was never really that popular with the horror fans, but I think it's a guilty pleasure for some, and you have to got to admit that these were the deadliest wishes ever! I loved seeing how the Djin twisted the wishes and loved all the gory scenes, they were just great. I have to say that the actor who played Nathanal, his face must've hurt that entire movie. :) I think if you liked the first Wishmaster, you would get a kick out of this one.

Basically, a group of thieves take art from a gallery, including the Djin stone, when a girl, Morgana, is stopped by a security guard, he shoots her and she shoots back killing him, but the bullet that hit her was stopped by the stone, releasing the Djin. The boyfriend of Morgana tells her to run, she does so, and the Djin takes the rap for the gang going to prison granting wishes upon wishes. He has to gather 1,000 souls and grant 3 wishes to Morgana before his hell will reign on Earth!

I thought the wishes were extremely cool, I think my favorite one was with the lawyer and how he "did" himself, it was very funny in a sick way, you've got to admit that it was original. I think horror fans will get a slight kick out of the second Wishmaster and I'm looking forward for the next sequel.

4/10

Not awful, but far from the original

[Sandcooler · 6/10 · 29 November 2010]

If anyone in the world knows writer/director Jack Sholder by name, it's probably because he directed "The Hidden" and more infamously, "Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge". Apparently he's somewhat of an authority on lackluster horror sequels, because as it turns out he's also the uhm, creative force behind "Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies". I have to say though, there's one truly good thing about it: Andrew Divoff is still on board in this installment, so it's not at all a complete waste of time. His performance is significantly less subtle this time around, but it's still consistently entertaining. The biggest problem with the movie is Sholder's weak script, which lacks inspiration and just feels very far-fetched and forced. I know the Wishmaster can bend pretty much everything people say to him into a wish, but here it just gets ridiculous. At one point a cop yells "freeze!", which somehow ables the Djinn to freeze him. How does that work? Little illogical things like those are all over this movie. It's not all bad though, because from time to time there are some cool scenes. I actually liked quite a few of the prison scenes, the deaths looked very good. This is not the worst of the bunch, but definitely not the best either.

. he just waits for more bad sequels !

[Phroggy · 1/10 · 7 July 1999]

I wonder who had the brilliant idea to release a video movie in the theaters, at least in France, even if horror movies are back with a vengeance in Phroggyland ("The Faculty" just gained a huge success). The first one was an aw-shucks job, this one is just boring and seems to drag endelessly (And I thought Jack Sholder was a good action director !) None made any sense, though considering the budget, the look of the movie was pretty classy. As many pointed out, Divoff went the same way John Voight did in "Anaconda" : the kind that might as well wear a t-shirt that says "I'm the bad guy". The characters were terrible, the religious angle stupid. Since this turkey was barely released in four parisian theaters, it was probably just to pump up the TV/Video rights. The only good thing in two hours was the teaser for "The Blair Witch Project" in the beginning.

Saved by Andrew Divoff

[eVan_Diesel · 7/10 · 17 March 1999]

Ok, I saw this on HBO last night, and I was pleasantly surprised! So, the plot was similar to the first Wishmaster, and the special effects were not the greatest, BUT Andrew Divoff's creepy performance in the title role really hits the mark. I found myself "wishing" they would have replaced the scenes with the "goth" chick turned "saint" and the uninteresting priest with more of Divoff's subtle charm and offbeat wit. One word of advice to the Wishmaster franchise - More Divoff, less everything else!

it was ok

[pieterjanspiessens · 5/10 · 7 September 2018]

The movie started ok there was some gore and it had a VERY 90's feel to it, which i love.. BUT then there was an entire movie revolving around a story thats pure nonsense. At the end there was some cool gore again mixed up with some awful 90's 'special effects', but all together it didn't feel it was worth to watch the whole thing if ur in it for the gore.

Many people didn't like this movie

[Eraser81 · 10/10 · 5 January 2000]

Many people didn't like this movie due to low budget and hardly any big actors. But I was entertained by this film, and Andrew Divoff, had me laughing through the whole thing. Even his smirk and his lines crack me up, no matter how ordinary his lines are its just the tone he delivers his speech.

I just hope Divoff returns for a third installlment if offered.

Original was better, but still worth it.

[Paradigm-3 · 7/10 · 24 August 1999]

Without Wes Craven, this movie does lack that certain "dream-evil" that Craven has made so popular, but that in no way means that this movie is a waste of time. It basically tells the same story as the first, and I'm definately up for that. Once again, I couldn't believe how well Andrew Divoff fit the part of Nathaniel/The Dijnn. The special effects of the actual monster were amazing (Loved the tattoos). Missing a bit of plot, but who cares? The witty way The Dijnn makes wishes come true more than makes up for that. Another excellent night-time scare.

Pris-Djinn Yard Rules.

[southdavid · 4/10 · 16 October 2020]

If the first "Wishmaster" just about made it to the guilty pleasure category, then this even lower budgeted sequel unfortunately does not. The bad acting from the previous film has returned, but not the tremendous practical effects.

The Djinn (Andrew Divoff) is this time released accidentally, when a robbery damages the statue that contained his crystal prison. This binds him to Morgana (Holly Fields) one of the robbers. Though Morgana escapes, particularly as Demerest inexplicably agrees to go to Prison for the crime, their bond is set and she see's him use his powers on the population, claiming souls for Monkey's Paw wish granting. When he has 1001 souls, Morgana will make her three wishes and that will release him to take control of the world.

Andrew Divoff returns as the Djinn but unfortunately neither of the aspects that made the first film palatable have come back with him. There are a couple of physical effects scenes that aren't terrible, but nothing to match the scenes that bookended the first film. There's also no return for a series of classic horror actors, either in cameo or in more complete roles. The nearest thing is that Tommy "Zeus" Lister has a small role. The Djinn is now played for laughs more than horror, with Divoff cracking wise throughout and at one point literally winking down the lens.

It doesn't help that Morgana opposite him is an odd character. Holly Fields isn't particularly good in the role but it doesn't help that she's badly defined. The plot requires her to lie around in not much clothing in the early stages, until realising that it's virtue that will be her saving grace, so she is rebaptised and cuts something out of her arm (I honestly don't know what that was about) and then is free to try and take the Djinn down. She's joined by a priest, Gregory, played by Paul Johansson who is unfortunately a bit of charisma vacuum. The two have sex later in the story, which I assumed would mean that she'd been unable to win the day, as she was no longer chaste - but turns out I was thinking about it more than the writers did.

It's a half-assed, cheap, sequel to a film that wasn't top drawer to begin with and apparently I have two more to grit my teeth and get through.