20 Films That Prove The 1990s Was The Worst Decade For Horror

This attempt at creating a new horror icon for the late 1990s has fan-pleasing written all over it. FX legend Robert Kurtzman directing, script from Hellraiser series screenwriter Pete Atkins, and a cast including most of the biggest names in the genre at the time (and, indeed, to this day). Of course, you know how the saying goes: be careful what you wish for.

Wishmaster casts Andrew Divoff (beneath a somewhat OTT make-up design) as an evil genie with a tendency to grant wishes in the nastiest of ways. Typically, his methods include breaking out corny one-liners, then mystically conjuring a rather silly-looking FX creation to painfully do away with the wish-maker. When all's said and done, though, the viewer's most liable to wish they never bothered sitting down to watch it.

Credit where it's due, Wishmaster is doing its utmost to reclaim a fun 1980s vibe, and it might just about warrant a pass as a guilty pleasure - but (even if it did spawn three direct-to-video sequels) it utterly fails to create another movie monster for the ages, as was clearly the intent.

It's memorable primarily as a novelty for hardcore horror fans, given it boasts cameos from such notables as Robert 'Freddy' Englund, Kane 'Jason' Hodder, and Tony 'Candyman' Todd.