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A 17th-century Warlock is transported to the 20th century, where he looks to end all of creation.
The 1980s were synonymous with time travel, just watch “Back to the Future,” “Highlander,” “The Terminator,” “Time Bandits,” “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” and “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” for proof. If this decade could allow cyborgs, high-school teenagers, and an immortal Scottish swordsman to travel through time, then it was only a matter of time before witches and witch hunters could follow suit. “Warlock” was released in 1989 as a horror flick but in all honesty, it has to be one of the least scary and cheesiest films ever made. The fact that it was produced by Arnold Kopelson, the Oscar-Winning producer of “Platoon,” directed by Steve Miner, the man who helmed, up to this point, “Friday the 13th Part 2,” “Friday the 13th Part 3,” “House,” and “Soul Man,” and had a soundtrack by composer Jerry Goldsmith, meant that the overall production quality was way above other movies of its ilk. And it had a damn fine cast too, including Julian Sands, Lori Singer, and Richard E. Grant. It eventually went on to become a cult classic on home video with two sub par sequels not far behind, “Warlock: The Armageddon,” and “Warlock III: The End of Innocence.”
In “Warlock,” set in 1691, Julian Sands plays the titular character and just as he is about to be sentenced to death for his activities, including the death of witch hunter Giles Redferne’s (Richard E. Grant) wife, his father, Satan, appears and sends him through time from 17th century Boston, Massachusetts, to present-day Los Angeles, but before the portal closes, Redferne manages to jump through it as well. Now the two must play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse as Warlock attempts to locate a Satanic book that will reveal the “true” name of God, and by calling it out loud, it will unmake all of mankind and its existence.
In “Warlock: The Armageddon,” the Warlock is reborn so that he can wreak havoc on earth but he must first battle it out with a young man and woman who come from a long heritage of druids if he is to successfully raise Satan from the depths of hell to rule the world.
With “Warlock III: The End of Innocence,” the Warlock returns, yet again, to battle the forces of good so that he and Satan can dominate the planet. In the first two movies, the Warlock was played by actor Julian Sands, this time around, however, the role is played by Bruce Payne, best known as Wesley Snipes’ adversary in the action thriller “Passenger 57.” As the final chapter unspools, Warlock encounters a young woman and plans to exchange her soul with a consort from hell to mother a race of evil. As before, he has his work cut out for him when the power of good stands in his way.
The first film was pure cinematic bliss, the cheese factor oozing out of every crevice but with its two subsequent sequels, who took themselves way too seriously, the franchise began to run out of steam and by the time the last movie’s credits rolled, it was time to call it a day. Lionsgate acquired the rights to Vestron Video, who was renowned throughout the ’80s and early ’90s as a film distributor of mostly B movies, especially low-budget horror films such as “Warlock,” and with this 2-disc Special Edition Collection, which includes all three films from the “Warlock” franchise, it gives fans of the series, a terrific glimpse into the making of all three movies, with most attention given to “Warlock.” If you are a die-hard fan, this is most definitely worth checking out. If you just like cheesy ’80s and ’90s horror flicks, it’s still worth looking into, you never know, it might make a fan out of you yet.
Now available on Blu-ray
