- Directed by Eric Freiser
- October 12, 1999
A woman investigating her past inherits a house containing evil.
Warlock III: The End of Innocence is the third and (mercifully) final of the original Warlock films. Not that Armageddon was great, but this was most assuredly the final nail in the coffin. With a confused story and bad acting one might find themselves asking how it ever saw the light of day.
Our movie is much more focused on nudity and bad eroticism than it is on actual horror or telling a clear narrative. At its center is Kris Miller (Ashley Laurence), a young woman with a past that is equal parts known and unknown. I say that because she seems versed enough in her past that she is aware of her family but when told she has inherited a house, travels to this isolated building in search of answers ON her family.
Present are a few flashbacks to the distant past with a young girl. They’re meant to be the 1600s but she has a very modern looking doll dressed in older attire. I’m confused on whether or not Kris IS the young girl in the flashbacks or she’s just related to the young girl. Time travel is not out of the realm of possibility in this series but the movie in my opinion doesn’t make it too clear what the case is.
The ‘90s had a sub genre of horror that I don’t think exists much if at all anymore. It was the erotic horror film that blended sex and attempted scares or gore into one. Rather than do poorly inserted nudity into film like was once the thing during the 80s, these movies focused on sex as much as possible.
With a title like The End of Innocence and the camera cutting to people barely clothed, this is at best a tepid attempt at the genre if one at all. Other examples I have seen are far more graphic and better directed than what Eric Freiser did here. Most of the characters have some kind of fetish. Some like wax while another likes to scare Kris before they boink.
Ashley Laurence was an acceptable scream queen in her day. A serviceable actress, she helped to make the first two Hellraiser movies classics. She does okay but is the best this movie has to offer. Based on performances the cast members were either first timers or they just didn’t care. What doesn’t help is the hammy performance of Bruce Payne as The Warlock/Phillip Covington. I don’t know if he was trying to be a sinister villain or aloof evil or what, but I just can’t believe this guy is a danger to anybody.
They are they do their best to make Bruce Payne look like Julian Sands. His performance is like he’s doing a mocking Julian Sands impersonation since he doesn’t have the ability to be sinister. He’s more mild ham. His character shows up at the isolated house claiming to be an architect interested in and knowledgeable of the structure. How does anybody believe that the guy that showed up at the door is an architect? He looks more like an escapee from a derivative metal band.
Despite not wanting to be alone at a haunted house Kris was portrayed as almost upset that her friend showed up to support her in their own fashion. They may be mostly terrible people, but it is a good thing to go and support somebody. Often they are rather unlikable though not to the point that you’re wondering why any of them connect. If only modern horror or films in general could get back to that.
Kris is in a relationship with Michael (Paul Francis) a jerk that likes to scare her as part of his sex kink. She hates it to the point of anger yet stays with him indicating a kink of her own. There is Jerry (Jan Schweiterman) who has been Kris’ friend for years while also nurturing a crush for her. He even writes music about her and he’s the only one without a date of some kind for the house. Based on a magical insight from Covington to torment Kris and make her feel isolated, he shows the audience that she never took Jerry seriously on any level. Considering this became a significant part of the climax, perhaps a reckoning of some type was needed. Kris should have had a moment of self-reflection where she regretted or considered her life choices of being with a jerk over a guy who genuinely worshiped her.
I get why Covington went after the wiccan Robin (Boti Bliss) because the pendant she wore protected her from him so of course he had to take her out. Robin, like much of the other cast, was essentially a non-factor. Why? She never even looked like she might pose a threat since she was only taken out when the script decided a kill was called for rather than her catching on.
For some reason which is never explained Covington needs all of Kris’ friends to deny or betray her before he can kill her. Why? How does this play into the spell? And what exactly is the spell for? Does it give him great power or just more power? It only gives him a goal when it comes to the final girl. Extraneous material does a far better task of telling you why than the movie is willing to do.
The historian kill was probably the best kill of the movie, and it came early in the story. You saw some inner workings of the neck with blood and things wiggled. The need for Covington to kill the man is not clear. He was suspicious of him but had not realized what was going on. Considering lies had got him far. Covington just could’ve issued a few more.
I had hoped to find something worthwhile. There was no expectation of greatness but there was one of adequacy. It never scared or titillated or did anything that made it watchable. What kills there were had almost no gore other than the historian. Goals or motivations were hard to follow.
Warlock III: The End of Innocence rightfully ended the Warlock series. The first is certainly a classic but this is confused and just a rough watch.
