There is something about the Wishmaster films that intrigues me. I'm not usually one who enjoys the devil style films in our beloved genre, but there are aspects of these films that I enjoy. (It must be noted that the villain of the film, the Djinn, is not the devil. He is a Persian demon.)

         Let me explain:
         AHURA-MAZDA: According to a Persian legend explained in the film, the Djinn defeated soldiers and destroyed the court of Persia. As the creature prepared to conquer the Earth, a royal alchemist imprisoned the Djinn in a fire-red opal. The god Ahura-Mazda was enlisted to guard the gem and keep the Djinn trapped in a statue between worlds.

         Perhaps it's the twist on the typical "genie in a bottle" storyline, or maybe the Djinn's obsession to collect souls, but whatever it is... I like it.
         Andrew Divoff returns with his portrayal of the notorious Djinn and his alter ego Nathaniel Demerest. Divoff never ceases to amaze me with his acting. He is always 100% in character and there's never a moment where it seems he's not putting in his full effort. The newest babe in the Wishmaster series is Morgana, played by Holly Fields, who participates in a art museum robbery during which she discovers the Djinn's fire-red opal. After the Djinn has been released, he needs to collect 1000 souls to aid him in opening the portal to Hell. After collecting the souls, he will need the one who set him free (Morgana) to complete 3 wishes to unleash the armies of Hell.
         This time around, the writers came up with some pretty clever ways for the Djinn to collect souls through preying on peoples desires. After the beginning robbery attempt, the Djinn confesses to police that he was the mastermind behind the robbery and is sent to prison. (Although it's unclear how he obtained the face he used throughout the first film.) What better place to find people who constantly wish than prison? (Well there is one place, but we'll get to that in a bit.) The Djinn finds multiple prisoners who supply wishes, who are then brutally murdered for doing so. One example is a wish made by a prisoner (Robert LaSardo, who you may remember from Strangeland) who wishes for the lawyer who fucked him over to "fuck himself". We soon get the pleasure of seeing his lawyers legs fold back around his shoulders while he humps the fuck out of himself. Although, I never figured out how, even in that position, he could get his dick in his own ass. Then there's the other place where people wish more than Rosie O'Donnell wishes to not be an ugly fat sow! The place I'm referring to is a casino! This is where the shit really begins to hit the fan. There is plenty of blood, guts and brains for even the most blood thirsty horror fans.
         There are, however, some flaws. As I mentioned earlier, where does the Djinn find Nathaniel Demerest's face again? In the first film, the Djinn removed that face from his cadaver in a medical lab then morphed it onto his head. In Wishmaster 2, he simply becomes Nathaniel Demerest without any cadavers in sight. Oh well. Then there's Morgana. Why did they pick the name Morgana? That name belongs in an episode of The Munsters and it makes it painfully obvious the writers thought it would be appropriate because it's a horror film. Sigh.
         Overall, Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies is a respectable sequel to the original. It doesn't have the big name horror stars from the original, but this means nothing. Think the Djinn will collect enough souls to unleash the armies of Hell? Guess you'll have to find out for yourself!