WISHMASTER 3: BEYOND THE GATES OF HELL

Diana Collins is a young university student who has not yet overcome the tragic car accident that claimed her family's lives, an event for which she feels responsible. At her university, in addition to studying ancient religions and mythologies, she works as an assistant to Professor Barash. One evening, before leaving the professor's office to return home, she discovers an ancient box containing a mysterious red gem: the Opal. Unintentionally, the young woman summons the Djinn, a malevolent demon imprisoned for centuries in the gem, eager to grant three wishes to whoever awakened him in order to free his race and finally dominate the earth. In 1998, "Wishmaster" was released, a horror film with fantastical elements that tells the story of the Djinn, a mythological demonic figure who, by granting three wishes to whoever summons him (in his own twisted way), aims to awaken his race, banished from the earth centuries ago, to assert his dominion. The film managed to achieve respectable levels for several reasons: it involved several "illustrious" names in the project (Robert Kurtzman as director, Robert Englund in the cast, Wes Craven as producer), showcased original and imaginative deaths, and featured an excellent villain in the Djinn, a monstrous and original being that could be considered the alter ego of the famous "genie in the lamp." After the moderate success of the first installment, it was decided to turn the Djinn into the new boogeyman of horror cinema and create a series around him. Thus, the following year, "Wishmaster 2 - Evil Never Dies" was born. This new film, released exclusively for home video, proved to be a misstep due to a sharp decline in quality, demonstrating that "Wishmaster" should have remained a standalone film. Several years later, an attempt was made to relaunch the series with a third installment. In 2003, "Wishmaster 3 - Beyond the Gates of Hell" was released, again exclusively for home video. Unfortunately, this third installment failed to repair the damage caused by the second film. In fact, "Wishmaster 3" turns out to be an extremely pointless film, with nothing interesting to tell, once again producing a clumsy clone of the first film, though this time (as often happens with sequels) relocating the action to a university campus populated by rather foolish and unpleasant young people. Moreover, this third installment falters precisely on the two strengths that characterized the series: the Djinn and the creativity of the murders. There is, in fact, a very poor decision to change the demon's appearance (which had already undergone some minor changes in the second installment), losing all its charm and becoming truly unscary. Meanwhile, the murders, which are fewer in number here, turn out to be mostly unimaginative and forgettable. Noteworthy is the ridiculous and pathetic choice to include the Archangel Michael in the film, who, invoked by the protagonist as a wish, incarnates in her boyfriend to fight the evil Djinn. Thus, we witness clumsy battles between the angel and the demon, facing off in a grotesque and ridiculous manner with punches, pirouettes, and sword strikes. However, the choice to include some rather bloody sequences in the story, bordering on splatter (such as the scene where a girl, after wishing to lose weight, ends up vomiting her own entrails), can be appreciated, satisfying, albeit slightly, the horror fanatic who hopes to see at least a few drops of blood here and there. But ultimately, "Wishmaster 3 - Beyond the Gates of Hell" turns out to be the typical dull home video film that fails to satisfy even the biggest Djinn fan. Avoidable.