Review of Wisher, The

Introduction

"Oh no, not another teen horror" I hear you cry. Well yes, it`s another in that long line of I Know What Scary Movie You Screamed at Last Summer films. The high school setting and some "pretty little rich kids" certainly see to that, as does the villain, a stereoyped baddie with a rubber mask/fish hook/black cloak/long raincoat type. Actually, it`s a villain with shards of glass for fingers, but that`s almost standard (a bit Krueger-ish no?)

If you`re wondering why you`ve never heard of it, it`s because it`s gone straight to video/DVD everywhere except Canada (where it seems to have been released as Spliced.)

Video

A pretty good 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer and I don`t think I remember seeing a single flaw on it. The technical quality (contrast, detail, colours) is spot on.

As for the visuals themselves, you`ll get plenty of what you might expect given the subject matter, as well as some surprises. There`s a nice (!) sequence involving a cake too.

Audio

A DD5.1 soundtrack which pushes most of the usual buttons for a horror type film. Plenty of bass to try and make you jump out of your seat and some nice directional sounds to get you looking over your shoulder. Some of the music used fits the film very well too.

Features

A trailer, some very brief interviews and an alternate ending (not quite as rubbish as the actual ending).

Conclusion

Let`s wrap up with a couple of lines from the film:-

I guess that means a sequel.

I hope not.

And I really, really hope not. It`s pretty easy to see why this film has gone straight to video/DVD almost everywhere - it`s a pile of dross. You just know whodunnit, what`s going to happen, which characters are going to get gored, and how tediously and predictably it`s all going to end. I had high hopes for this film before I sat down to watch, but in the end I was very let down by it all.

The film-within-a-film idea is not a new one, but I thought it could have been used in a new way to give us some good viewing. Sadly not.

So in the end, just a big let down. More "pretty little rich kids" get slashed up by an evil baddie on a reasonable DVD lacking in extras. I think I`d rather watch the Simpsons episode I Know What You Diddily-Iddly-Did (from Treehouse of Horror X).

Avoid unless you really love mindless teen slasher films. And then avoid unless you`ve seen all the others in the shop.