Wishmaster 2 Evil Never Dies is not a bad sequel to the 1997 original. It’s funnier than the original, has some great supporting characters however its underdeveloped protagonist and lack of horror hinders it from being the glorious B-movie that was the first film.

The Djinn is released from his opal accidentally by a thief, Morgana, during an art heist. Taking human form, the Djinn takes responsibility for the robbery and goes to prison, collecting the souls of the inmates. With a priest on her side, Morgana sets out to put the Djinn back into the opal for good.

The Characters

Wishmaster 2 is an interesting case in terms of characters as its supporting cast are more interesting than its main one.

Morgana is our protagonist and even though she is similar to Alex from the first one in terms of her character arc, she is very different in terms of characterization. Unlike the mature and collected Alex, Morgana is rough, troubled and irritable. She and Gregory, the priest who helps her, were once in a relationship, which is suggested to have ended due to Morgana. As the plot progresses, she grows up and takes responsibility by defeating the Djinn. She has a lot of flaws, which should make her an engaging watch but, surprisingly, it doesn’t.

While we spend the majority of the film with Morgana, we don’t really get to know her. Everything about her is suggested but not confirmed. We guess Morgana is troubled from her behaviour but we don’t know how or why. To make things worse, her character arc is resolved very quickly and quite early on in the film. All she does for the rest of the plot is go after the Djinn. This is unfortunate as when she’s first introduced, you’re hooked, you think you’re going to learn more about her but you don’t. She just comes across as a shallow stereotypical bitch character.

Really the protagonist should be the most compelling watch and while that is a great weakness of Wishmaster 2, it does make up for it with its supporting cast.

While they have no desires or arcs, the supporting characters are a lot more fun to watch. In prison the Djinn befriends a fellow inmate called Osip. He’s a greedy criminal who’s loyal and friendly around the Djinn. He’s like a puppy that always follows him. He’s jolly, shady and loves a good time. He’s hard not to like.

Another fun character is the prison guard. He’s a brutal drill sergeant-like character who enforces order and discipline on the inmate population. Hence when the Djinn turns up and starts trouble by granting the prisoners wishes, the guard immediately despises him. Their interactions are gold and full of memorable lines.

The Horror and Comedy

I praised the first Wishmaster for its absurd, B-movie mix of comedy and horror. It accomplished this with a relatable protagonist (Alex), some genuinely disgusting body horror, funny characters and hilarious over-the-top gore. The mix in Evil Never Dies is a little unbalanced in that the comedy is more prevalent than the horror.

By now you’ve probably noticed that, when describing the supporting cast, I’ve emphasized on how fun they are to watch. The reason being is that a lot of the comedy comes from them and I’m not just referring to Opis and the prison guard. Like in the first film, there’re lots of one-off characters who appear, have a scene with the Djinn, make a stupid wish and die. For example, in a holding cell the Djinn encounters a cocky aggressive prisoner. He makes a wish and, if it doesn’t come true, threatens to ‘own’ the Djinn’s ‘little white yellow yuppie mother f*cking golf playing ass.’ Characters like this are scattered throughout the film and they are brilliant.

Of course, the wishes the characters make and the absurd ways they backfire are the funniest. The best example takes place in the prison, where one inmate wishes for his lawyer to ‘go fuck himself.’ Seconds later, the prison guard turns up saying his lawyer wants to see him. The inmate sits down with the lawyer and…well, I won’t spoil it. The climax, like the one in the original, is full of silly deaths. Morgana tracks down the Djinn at a Las Vegas casino, where all hell breaks loose. Razor sharp playing cards launch into people’s faces, flesh eating locusts swarm the place and a woman farts out gold coins (I promise I didn’t make that up.)

The downside of the film’s abundance of comedy is its lack of horror. There is some good body horror such as the Djinn’s gruesome first appearance. The first wish he grants results in a strange and kind of disturbing demise for the wisher. Apart from those moments, the horror is so poorly executed, with cheap jumpscares and unconvincing effects, that it could be considered comedy.

Overall despite the bland protagonist and lack of effective horror, the supporting characters and the comedy makes Wishmaster 2 a fun watch at least. It may not be as well made as the original but if you loved the original as much as I did, it’s definitely worth checking out.

I give Wishmaster 2 Evil Never Dies a decent 6 out of 10.