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Robert Englund Thinks Wishmaster Deserved More Respect

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When it comes to modern horror icons, there are few on the level of Robert Englund. Having played dream-stalking killer Freddy Krueger in no less than eight Nightmare on Elm Street films – and countless other memorable roles in other genre projects – Englund is loved and respected by anyone who calls themselves a horror fan.

One of Englund’s most notable non-Nightmare film appearances came in Robert Kurtzman’s 1997 gory good time, Wishmaster. Starring Andrew Divoff as the demented, wish-ruining Djinn, Wishmaster has become a sizeable cult classic over the years, and will soon finally hit Blu-Ray courtesy of Lionsgate.

Wishmaster - Andrew Divoff and Robert Englund

Englund’s small but pivotal role in Wishmaster is that of rich art collector Raymond Beaumont, who first has the statue containing the gem containing the Djinn brought to America. Beaumont also hosts a party at the end of the film, which the Djinn turns into arguably one of the coolest massacres in the history of horror.

During a recent convention appearance, the always fan-friendly Englund was asked about his experience on Wishmaster, and his overall opinion of the franchise. Here’s what he said:

I knew that we were on to something original. I think the Wishmaster movies deserved a little more respect. It’s a great hook, and Andrew Divoff is terrific in those films. I thought it was just a great great hook… a great gimmick for a franchise. That unfortunately didn’t go far enough, I think. I think there was probably at least one more to be made. Would’ve been really interesting.

Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, and Tony Todd in Wishmaster

Englund hasn’t talked Wishmaster much over the years, so it’ll surely delight fans to know that he thinks so highly of it, and of Divoff’s work as a fellow – albeit much more minor – horror icon.

One does wonder though if Englund means that a sequel to the godawful Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled should have been made, or is instead saying that Divoff should have starred in another sequel. Divoff departed the franchise after the first two films, and the movies without him are pretty worthless.

Considering Englund’s praise of Divoff above, he probably was thinking of the second option. The entire Wishmaster series hits Blu-Ray in a special collection box set on March 28th. While fans might wish that an option to only purchase the Divoff films was available, at least the Djinn will now grant wishes in high-def.

Wishmaster - Andrew Divoff as the Djinn

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‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments

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It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.

We already knew about the Sébastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.

Evil Dead Rise

“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”

That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”

Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:

High Desert Hell
The Gemini Project

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‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening

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Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.

Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.

Happy Sad Confused

Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.

Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.

The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

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Jake gyllenhaal presumed innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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