Lord of Illusions

Legendary Clive Barker skillfully combines the elements of detective story and horror into a mystery thriller that, although of mediocre quality, remains carved into memory. This is not a typical horror that will upset your stomach and raise the hair on your head, nor a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but a dark adventure that leaves an impression similar to reading Barker's books. The relatively well-known cast gives quite believable performances and there's just enough amount of demonic and gore scenes not to disappoint horror fans. I am satisfied.

7/10

In 1982, a group led by a man called Swann breaks in a cult in the Mojave Desert to rescue a teenager from the evil leader Nix the Puritan. Thirteen years later, New York private detective Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula) is assigned to investigate a embezzler that is spending money in Los Angeles and he stumbles upon the fortune teller Quaid (Joseph Latimore) that was tortured and murdered by two men. Soon he is hired by Dorothea Swann (Famke Janssen), the wife of the famous illusionist Philip Swann (Kevin J. O'Connor), to investigate the murder of Quaid. She invites D'Amour to go with her to a show of magic of her husband. When Swann is killed on stage during his act of illusion, D'Amour meets other illusionists in the Magic Castle where he learns that magic does exist in the beginning of his weird journey to the evil world of Nix.

"Lord of Illusions" is an horror film written and directed by Clive Barker and still great in 2020. The noir-style makes the film timeless and with an intriguing beginning. The special effects are ahead of time (for a 1995 movie), with good performance of Scott Bakula and the debut of Famke Janssem in a feature. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Mestre das Ilusões" ("The Lord of the Illusions")

Private investigator Harry D'Amour must stop a supernatural cult from raising Nix, a man with god-like powers, who was killed 13 years before hand. Now he's back, and he must save illusionist Philip Swann and his wife, Dorothea. Clive Barker's "Lord of Illusions" may not be his ultimate masterpiece, but it sure is an entertaining horror film. Pretty good performances from most of the lead cast members, though Kevin J. O'Connor was a little wooden as Philip Swann. The make-up effects, courtesy of the boys at KNB FX, are really cool, and there's enough gore (My favorite being the messy "sword accident" scene) to satisfy horror fans. The visual effects were also very well-done for the most part.

An enjoyable, well-done horror film overall. Not a masterpiece but gory, fun and often imaginative. Worth a viewing.

6/10.

Alright, so maybe this wasn't a great adaption of his short story, the Last Illusion, but it was one hell of a ride. The special effects aren't overdone, the acting was up to par, and the direction was marvelous. This movie is so gritty, its tone is perfect. Bakula may have been a bit too emotionless in a scene or two, but overall he was wonderful as the detective who gets caught up in the trickery, and the evil. There is also one or two funny moments, very very well placed. Of course, to fully appreciate the movie, you must watch the directors cut, with a couple extra scenes, that actually add a lot to the plotline, and the surreality of it all. Great stuff Clive!

Clive Barker, the writer and director, has not made one regrettable step in his career. Lord of Illusions is a phenominal film unlike anything ever seen. Barker is, without fail, the only truely original and visionary man working in an otherwise lackluster industry. His films are bold, original, breathtaking and oddly quite beautiful. Lord of Illusions does not disappoint. The slithering plot is engaging, dramatic, frightening and indeed morbid spinning a tale of a detective who has a lingering tie to the darkside. This is an adult nightmare and is not intended for younger audiances at all. It is intelligent, opulant, impressive and twisted. Georgeous and repulsive at the same time. Though Hellraiser and Nightbreed are wonderful in and of themselves, it is Lord of Illusions that is Clive's masterwork... that is until Tortured Souls comes out.