Customer Reviews

Lord of Illusions [VHS]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Unlike many authors who show up in the horror section of the local bookstore, Clive Barker has always stood out as one of the few who is willing to step aside from the mainstream and experiment with the limits of horror. He understands that there is an architecture and symbolism to horror the must be there if the tale is to rise above the modern gore-fest. "Lord of Illusions' is a case in point.

Using the character of Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula), a slightly run down, hard-boiled, compulsively heroic private investigator, Barker turns his eye to the thin line between illusion and magic. D'Amour, who is no stranger to the touch of evil, finds himself witness to the torture and death of a fortuneteller and as a result is hired by Dorothea Swann (Famke Janssen) to look into a set of eerie circumstances involving her husband Phillip (Kevin O'Conner) who is a world famous illusionist.

Just as Harry starts his investigation, Phillip Swann is killed horrifically in the middle of his act. Determined to follow through on his commitment to Dorothea the detective digs and discovers that he is surrounded by ghosts and shadows, full of false realities and illusions that can kill. At the heart is a Nix (Daniel Von Bergen), a cult leader and mage once killed by Phillip and now somehow working his way back into reality.

Barker works the story in layers, using apparent illusions to step from one world into another. Nothing is quite what it seems, other than the ultimate nature of evil. Some of Barker's manipulation is blatant (his heavy use of cruciform and tarot images), at other times, it is the subtle repetition of a rune. The story is unnerving in its progress and eventually our imagination is even worse than what the film presents.

Technically, the film is excellent. A great deal of attention is paid to the details of the settings, right down to carvings on table legs and scrawled messages on walls. Barker prefers a certain gritty reality that is far from the modern trend of antiseptic horror where everyone seems to take a shower between death scenes. He relies on only a bare minimum of special effects, preferring to use make-up and acting to get to make impact.

The acting is uneven, but the action is compelling enough to get the viewer through the rough spots. I have seen far worse performances in films that have drawn more notice. The key extra is a running commentary by Barker, who directed as well as wrote the film. If you have missed this film and have a yen for a combination of diabolic horror and noir detective theme make a point of seeing it. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Based on his short story "The Last Illusion", Clive Barker helmed this adaption entitled Lord of Illusions, and offers up a good amount of shocks, scares, gore, and a near excellent plot; a combination that made one of Barker's previous films, the original and classic Hellraiser, such a great horror film. Scott Bakula (TV's Quantum Leap, now he's famous for TV's Enterprise) stars as private detective Harry D'amour, and he gets involved with a bizarre case involving a magician (Kevin J. O'Connor) who years before had killed prophet and mentor Nix (played to perfection by Daniel Von Bargen). However, Nix has seemingly been resurrected, and he and his followers have plans on the destruction of the world. Just about everything about Lord of Illusions is great: the visual effects and Barker's direction and storytelling are great, but there are some plot holes and now and then some crummy acting (courtesy of the beautiful Famke Janssen), but for the most part Lord of Illusions is a great horror film from one of the great masters of horror. The film has gained quite a cult following over the years, and MGM realized this and packed the DVD with some great extras including a commentary by Barker, an isolated music score (most of the music is absolutely creepy and sets a perfect tone), and some never before seen scenes as well.

I really enjoyed this film. I have been wanting to purchase it for sometime and I am very glad that I finally did. It is full of suspense and has alot of plot twists in the movie as well. I did watch the special features section of "deleted scenes" and felt that there were some deleted scenes that should have stayed in the final cut of this movie. Scott Bakula was a very strong actor in this movie as well as everyone else. I highly recommend this movie for anyone that likes a "classic" horror film.

Clive Barker made history in horror film-making in 1986, with the release of his debut film "Hellraiser". "Lord of Illusions" tries to live up to the legend of its big brother by touching a very interesting subject: magic and the fact that it may be more than just an illusion portrayed by phony Las Vegas performers. However, a hole-invaded plot and some sins of excess end up crashing a wonderful idea, turning it into just another horror flick.

The film's prologue, set 13 years before the main story, actually gets you hooked up right away. It sets the pace for this dark and insane background that we see the rest of the movie. The whole cult idea is a good example of the lack of spirituality and "magic" of modern life, and in this climate the character of Nix (brilliantly played by Von Burgen) comes up as an evil prophet who promises to cleanse the world by showing people the power of magic. Only his dearest disciple, a young man known as Swann, suspects his real intentions and rises up against him, binding him inside an magical iron mask. Nix returns 13 years later in search for vengeance, and detective Harry D'Amour (a regular figure in Clive Barker's literary works) finds himself deep into the plot of magic, evil, and revenge.

From then on, the movie's coherence suffers heavy losses. Barker tries to submerge the spectator in a surrealistic nightmare, but fails in delivering the real gusto that we acquired the first 10 minutes. For our surprise, Swann is no longer the lead, and his actions are shadowed by a superficial love affair between D'Amour and Dorothea, a woman that Swann saved from Nix 13 years ago, when she was still a child.

Despite what other people may think, Scott Bakula is not miscast as Harry D'Amour. The real problem is that we, as spectators, never really care about this detective character that comes out of nowhere in order to solve a so-called mystery, whose solution is already known to us. In fact, I believe that the real protagonist of the whole story should not have been D'Amour, but Swann. His fragility and occasional lack of courage made him a much more interesting character. The fact that he fears Nix so much adds up to the credibility of his persona. Once again, as a spectator, I wanted to know more about Swann's gang, his relationship with Nix, and the love that he felt towards Dorothea, whose presence in the story is not completely justified. The ending, predictable to the bone, doesn't leave a good taste in our mouths either.

For this edition, director Clive Barker includes some deleted scenes now integrated in the film. Most of them are superfluous, but others add a little more punch to the story. The best ones are an extended tour through the Castle of Magic and the sequence where we see all of Nix's followers, 13 years later, gathering for the return of his master. There is also a scene including a weird nightmare that Dorothea has, but this is a failed attempt to give her character more participation. There is not much to say about the Features, since they only include some deleted scenes and some bios.

Anyway, if you are a Clive Barker fan and like some pretty imaginative artwork, then Lord of Illusions will work for you. But don't expect too much from it. This movie sins of pretending a fancy storyline, and lacks the brutal simplicity that makes "Hellraiser" a much superior film. It will not scare you, but at least you'll admit that it could have been a pretty good movie.

Private detective Harry D'Amour (Bakula) who is unwillingly drawn to the supernatural travels to LA to investigate an insurance fraud, but finds himself battling an evil cult leader in the Mojave desert after he gets involved with the death of a stage "illusionist". Barker's most ambitious and engaging film to date (based on his short story "The Last Illusion"). Well photographed and a masterful music score, let down by an over-long script and uneven plotting. Barker's attempted horror/detective film noir blend is far too shaky at times. Still, a winner well above genre standards. Be sure to stear clear of the shorter "theatrical cut".

P.I Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula), who finds himself unavoidably drawn to the supernatural heads to L.A to investigate insurance fraud but gets caught up in a case involving the death of a stage "illusionist" (Kevin J. O'Connor). This then leads our hero out into the Mojavi desert to deal with the resurrection of an evil magician (Daniel Von Bargen) and his band of murderous cultists. Bakula is just perfect as the rough 'n' ready detective in this stylish, well cast and intelligent horror/thriller which is definitly Barker's best work yet. Plenty scary all the way, rich with outstanding photography (Ronn Schmidt), superb visual effects and a masterful music score (Simon Boswell). Only flaw is the director's lagging noir attempt. Best viewed in the 121 min "unrated Director's Cut"; 108 min "theatrical cut" also available: BEWARE of this version. Considering that MGM have little to no reputation for producing outstanding DVDs, they score full points with this delightfully terrifying package. The picture is in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and is anamorphically enhanced which results in the visuals being almost perfect, extremely crisp and clear with rich colours and contrast that make it a wonderful viewing experience (providing you like that sort of thing). The sound is presented in a haunting Dolby 5.1 track which, providing you have the right equipment, makes the viewing totally terrifying. The extras include an very informative commentary by writer/director Clive Barker, stand alone music score which really shows the films magic, deleted scenes which also contain a commentary by Clive and the usual theatrical trailer. Whether you're a fan of the movie, a Clive Barker devotee or a horror buff in general, no collection is complete without this gem.

As before, Clive Barker's imaginative dreams conjured up another horrific epic. Let me start by admitting I love Barker's work. As a little boy I once saw Hellraiser and I got hooked by it's intelligence. Barker doesn't as much try to gross you out as he tries to grip into fears hidden deeper in our subconscious. This movie is definitely totally different from previous movies but the master's touch is recognisable nonetheless.

What I like most about the movie is that it doesn't seem to have one main character. You cannot tell if the movie is about a private eye, trying not to kill himself in another occult case, a magician who got tired of life in the spotlight, or an occult cult and their leader. This all gives interesting plot opportunities.

The movie is quite graphic, but never nearly so much that it all ends up being another splatter flick.

The directors commentary by Clive Barker himself was my main purchase incentive. I already owned the movie on VHS but I am happy to say that the higher quality of the DvD and it's extras proved worthy of disposing of the worn VHS I had.

Well we all knew when Hellraiser won awards that Clive Barker would be back in action and he fails us not. Lord of Illusions is a spectacular film that reaches to the bowels where not many dare to journey. The land of magic and the cult is portrayed phenomenally and all horror fans will definitely enjoy this Barker masterpiece.

If you're a fan of Mr. Barker's work then by all means check out this DVD. MGM has done an admirable job. The transfer is flawless--rich colors, enveloping sound.

Barker's audio commentary is cool although it sounded as if he was suffering with a head cold.

I bought this for my husband and had never watched it before. Its a good movie with a good plot. It keeps you intrested and has some parts that make you do a double take. Its not really scary but its susupenseful but it is not for young children. At least ones that are used to horror films. There were parts that it lagged in but it was quickly picked up again. Plus it ends the way you want it too.