Lord Of Illusions Movie Review 76

This movie was written and directed by horror novelist and director Clive Barker. It stars Scott Bakula(Remember him from Quantum Leap?), Kevin J. O'Connor and Famke Janssen(from the X-Men movies).

The film begins in the Mojave Desert in 1982. There is a cult there led by Nix(Daniel Von Bargen).He has powers that make him seem god-like to his devotees. We see that some people, led by Swann(Kevin J O' Connor) are coming to the cult's dingy hideaway because Nix has taken a child. Swann and his partners enter the complex and they make their way to where Nix is. Swann and Nix face off. We find out that Nix can make people see things that he wants them to see and he makes Swann see horrible things. The young girl manages to get Swann's gun and shoots Nix. Then, Swann and the others 'bind' him with some sort of device to keep him from hurting anyone else and they bury him deep in the desert so he will not be found.

We cut to New York City, 13 years later and Detective Harry D'Amour(Scott Bakula) is hired by some guy for a job in L.A. It is an insurance fraud job and he goes to L.A. and he is watching some guy by the name of Tapert.Tapert heads to a fortune teller and Harry follows. When Tapert runs out of the fortune tellers place in horror, Harry enters and he finds a man there with knives sticking out of him. He stumbles upon another man called Butterfield(Barry Del Sherman) and another guy who have obviously done the deed. What Harry doesn't know is that the two are disciples of Nix who are killing those who bound Nix years earlier. The fortune teller was one of the group who worked with Swann. Harry fights with them, but they escape. Next, Harry gets hired by Swann's wife, Dorothea(Jenssen) to help her husband who knows that they are coming for him. Her servant, Valentin(Joel Swetow) goes to Harry to tell him all this.

He meets Mrs. Swann and she asks him to go and see the show. Harry does and they watch Swann as he performs his illusions. One of them goes wrong and he supposedly dies. The two baddies, Butterfield and baldy, are at the show too and they see this. They corner Harry and ask him what happened but he doesn't know. Baldy is killed. Butterfield escapes. Harry tries to investigate the other magicians and illusionists at The Magic Castle, a club. He meets a guy called Billy Who who knew Swann and who tells him that he will help him. He tells him about Nix and when Harry asks Dorothea about him, she knows something, but she won't tell him. He goes to see another associate of Swann's who is in a mental institution and she tells him that Nix is coming back. She gets hit by a car and she is dead.

Nix's disciples are getting ready for his return and they all murder their families and head to the desert. Harry finds out that Dorothea is the child that Nix kidnapped all those years ago. Swann rescued her and she married him. Harry finds out that Swann isn't dead and that he faked his death. Valentin helped him escape and disappear. Harry and Swann meet and Swann agrees to help him to get Nix. Meanwhile, Butterfield gets Valentin and Dorothea. He takes them to the desert and gets them to dig up Nix. Harry and Swann arrive in the desert later and find Nix's grave empty. They find Valentin who is dying. He tells them what has happened. Nix is brought back to life by Butterfield and his disciples are delighted but not for long as he betrays them and sends them to their deaths. He knows that Swann is not dead and he wants him. He wants to have Swann help him to 'murder the world' as he puts it. Harry and Swann fight against him and they eventually destroy Nix and Butterfield.

I liked this movie. It was interesting and it has a good cast. I recommend it.

Lord of Illusions: 7/10