Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999)

Elevator Pitch: We know that the Djinn once released will attempt to get the one who has released him to make three wishes, to allow the Djinn population to take over the earth. During a botched museum robbery the female robber, Morgana, accidentally releases the Djinn from his opal prison. He takes on human form and allows himself to be arrested for the robbery and jailed, so that he can recruit from among the prisoners. He makes his way through the underworld to take charge of a casino. Meanwhile Morgana, and a former boyfriend, Gregory, research Djinn history and find that he can be banished again if she become a pure person. Can she do it?

Content: Gregory, now a priest, and Morgana, now pure, are irresistibly drawn together. There are  nude photos on the walls of Morgana’s apartment. The Djinn is often seen in demonic form. When wishes are granted the result is often some particularly gory event. For instance a prisoner who wishes to leave his cell is pushed through the bars graphically. As the Djinn gains souls Morgana suffers nightmares. We see her going through her purification process which seems to involve her sticking a knife through her hand.

A View:  The one critic who liked this outing, of the eleven who reviewed it thought that Andrew Divoff did pretty well but that the special effects were a bit limited. Divoff apparently plays Russian mobsters as a rule, and in this film, which requires him to spend a lot of time in the Djinn’s human form, he is working at the limit of his capabilities. The film was originally scheduled for general release but in the end went straight to video. It is not really worth your time unless, like me, you like to collect sets.

Additional Info:  The first film was made or $5 million, for this one the budget was halved.