Wishmaster (1997) Review: Why This Supernatural Horror Villain Deserves More Love
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Wishmaster (1997) understood something most horror forgets: a great villain needs a great engine. On Slept-On Cinema, we make the case for this supernatural horror as a showman's showcase with a killer wish-gone-wrong premise.
Play the Wishmaster episode here:
What Is Wishmaster About?
An ancient evil Djinn is released into the modern world and begins granting wishes — each one twisted into a gruesome, ironic curse — as it works toward freeing its entire race. Every wish is a trap, and the fun is watching exactly how each one curdles.
Why Critics Were Wrong
Critics filed it under disposable late-90s horror, but the wish-gone-wrong engine is genuinely clever — a built-in anthology of inventive set-piece kills with real internal logic. It's a creature feature with a brain and a wicked sense of humor.
Why It Works
Andrew Divoff's Djinn is a true horror showman — charismatic, theatrical, and clearly having the time of his life. The practical effects are gloriously gnarly, and the genre-fan cameos are a love letter to horror history. It's a film that knows exactly what it is.
Why Andrew Divoff Makes the Movie
In Episode 69, both hosts had Divoff at number-one-pick level. GrobeStreet kept coming back to the mix in the voice: menacing and cruel, but also intelligent and oddly charming. Stan agreed that the performance works because the Djinn feels dangerous without becoming a generic growling monster. Pair that performance with the practical makeup and the movie suddenly has the thing every durable horror franchise needs: a villain you want to keep watching.
BOLO
Be on the lookout for the opening museum massacre, the “wish” kills escalating in creativity, and the parade of horror-icon cameos.
The Bumper Sticker
Wishmaster: be careful what you wish for — he's counting on it.
Listen to Slept-On Cinema
Watch Wishmaster, then listen to Slept-On Cinema for the full defense from Stan Steamer and GrobeStreet. Follow the show there, then continue through our horror cluster.
Keep Rewatching the Cluster
FAQ
Who plays the Djinn in Wishmaster?
Andrew Divoff plays the Djinn in the 1997 supernatural horror film, directed by Robert Kurtzman.
Is Wishmaster underrated?
Yes — its clever wish-curse engine and showman villain make it far more fun than its reputation suggests.
Questions people ask about Wishmaster
What is Wishmaster (1997) about?
An ancient Djinn is freed from a fire opal in modern-day America and immediately starts granting wishes, each one twisted into the most literal and most gruesome reading available. He needs a specific set of wishes from the woman who woke him before he can open the door for the rest of his race, so the whole film is a countdown disguised as a monkey's-paw anthology. Every wish is a trap, and the pleasure is watching exactly how each one springs.
Is Wishmaster a good movie?
Yes, if you want a horror movie with a villain who is clearly enjoying himself. Andrew Divoff plays the Djinn as a showman rather than a lurker, the practical effects from director Robert Kurtzman's effects background are gloriously handmade, and the wish-curse structure hands the film a fresh set piece every ten minutes. It is lean, generous, extremely 1997, and it never stops moving.
Why did critics dismiss Wishmaster in 1997?
It arrived in a crowded late-90s horror market wearing a "Wes Craven presents" banner that set expectations the movie was never trying to meet, and most reviewers filed it under disposable and moved on. What they walked past is the craft: a genuinely clever engine, a parade of horror-icon faces including Robert Englund and Tony Todd, and a villain who commits harder than the reviews ever did.
Keep going
See where Wishmaster lands on The Qualification List, our running ledger of every movie that scored under 50% with both critics and audiences. Then keep the practical-effects streak alive with our best underrated creature features, or read our The Nun (2018) review.
Hear the Full Wishmaster Reappraisal
Start spoiler-free, watch the movie, then come back for the Draft, BOLOs, one-change ideas, and the full case from Stan Steamer and GrobeStreet.
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