Warlock – Das Geisterschloss (Video 1999)

Warlock – Das Geisterschloss: Directed by Eric Freiser. With Bruce Payne, Ashley Laurence, Paul Francis, Jan Schweiterman. A demonic stranger preys upon a woman and her friends in a quest to unleash the ultimate satanic evil.

“Itu0026#39;s hard to keep a movie interesting for 90 minutes, especially when you fill it with stock characters and an episodic plot that goes nowhere but in circles.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI was really hyped for this movie when it began. The cinematography, acting and editing was above the standard direct to video tripe thatu0026#39;s out there. I thought that someone actually cared enough to try and make Warlock 3 a good movie, and I felt relieved in knowing that the next hour and a half would be an entertaining one. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd it is for the first 35 minutes, as we see our heroine arrive at a spooky old house that she has inherited. That night, weird voices drift through the hallways, freaking her out until she tries to flee the house.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHer friends all show up and convince her to stay, and after this point the movie becomes just another ten little Indians. Kill and repeat. The maniac this time is a Warlock that kills people with magic. The victims are the slut, the basket case, the goth dude, the pothead, and the bland boyfriend guy. We learn nothing about them, theyu0026#39;re tissue thin, and as they are killed off, the plot just runs around in circles until the inevitable conflict between heroine and Warlock. Yawn.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere is a nice psychological aspect involving the friends having to give the Warlock permission to kill the lead, I liked that. But still I became restless after the stylish and atmospheric opening.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt is of note that Ashley Lawrence plays the lead. The Hellraiser girl has grown into a fine naturalistic actress and is too good for this movie. Bruce Payne is back, and I normally dislike him, but this time he had a sinister charisma that worked well for the character.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI must say that I did enjoy this one more then part two, but only marginally so. While part two was a total goof, this one tried to build suspense, and did until dissolving into slasher formula, and ended in an insulting manor, complete with magic daggers and a porcelain doll that scares our Warlock out of his wits. What kind of evil being is afraid of a doll, even if itu0026#39;s a magic doll, it doesnu0026#39;t play well in a movie. The ending lacks all the style and craftsmanship of the first half of the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI commend the Warlock series for always having flashier visuals then your typical horror flick, but with exception of the original which was fast, funny, and intelligent, the sequels have all been handicapped with screenplays that wallow in beaten to death clichés and hollow characterizations.”