fwdixon

While many consider "Plan 9 From Outer Space" to be the apex of of Wood's ouvre, this lesser known film demonstrates why over seventy some odd years later Ed Wood Jr.'s films stand the test of time.

The script is laughably bad and performed so very woodenly, that it leads one to believe that this epic is in reality a filmed rehearsal of a fifth rate community playhouse.

As the film plods along its murky path, we are suddenly treated to a combination vaudeville - minstrel act, complete with a blackface comedian who jokes most likely were picked up from Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, and does absolutely nothing to advance the plot one iota.

So why the ten stars? Simple, even after all the years this film is still fun to watch for aficionados (such as yours truly) of films that are so bad it's good genre. A genre of which Ed Wood Jr may be the undisputed master.

I have always enjoyed this possibly guilty pleasure film.

In a performance so over-the-top, John Davis Chandler in his only leading role makes Al Pacino's Tony Montana in Scarface seem to be a reserved, understated example of the thespian art.

Mr. Chandler never really caught on in Hollywood, even though he was, in my opinion, perfect for sniveling punk or psycho roles.

And that is too bad because the times he did get work he was pretty good. He played a demented veteran demolitions expert on an episode of Columbo with Jack Cassidy in the lead role and gave a great performance.

Jerry Orbach is dreadfully miscast, Telly Savalas was Lt. Kojak before he was Lt, Kojak, Vincent Gardenia was a questionable choice for The Dutchman. Except for Mr. Chandler, the performances range from mediocre to bad.

Production values are nonexistent with 1960s era cars showing up in the background in the outdoor shots.

Chandler's sneering psycho killer is an unforgettable performance.

Granted, this film is no "Citizen Kane" but as cheesy as it may be, it is a fun gorefest with a great villain and right up there with the Freddie Kruger Nightmare oeuvre.

Andrew Divoff was perfectly cast as the evil malicious Djinn, his smirking countenance alone is worth the price of admission. One can't help but root for him as he grants wishes for the various lowlifes he encounters.

Tammy Lauren does her best as the lead actress but is singularly unimpressive.

Robert Englund and Ted Raimi also show up in minor roles.

Anyhoo, the film is episodic and choppy with bad early CGI special effects and an enormously silly plot. But the gory scenes more than make up for any deficiencies the film has.

All-in-all, if you like gory, cheesy horror, you'll probably like Wishmaster.