Wishmaster 2- Evil Never Dies May 2026

While not as iconic as the original Wishmaster, the sequel expanded the Djinn’s on-screen mythology and kept the franchise alive, paving the way for further sequels. For fans of wish-twist horror and practical effects-driven gore, Wishmaster 2 offers a satisfying—if flawed—continuation of the Djinn’s terror.

The film opens with a heist: Morgana “Morgan” Trudeau and her boyfriend Gregory steal a large, ornate statue from a museum. During the heist, they discover a hidden compartment containing a carved ruby. When Gregory cuts his hand, his blood drips onto the gem, releasing the Djinn (Andrew Divoff). The Djinn’s first act is to twist Gregory’s wish (“I wish we hadn’t come here”) by rewinding time, placing him back in prison.

The Djinn, adopting the alias Nathaniel Demerest, gets himself arrested to follow Morgan, who is also imprisoned after the botched heist. Inside the prison, the Djinn begins manipulating inmates and staff, granting wishes with horrifying results:

Morgan, who discovers she has the ability to unwish (revoke wishes), becomes the Djinn’s primary target. He needs her to make the final wish that will allow him to collect 1,001 souls and open the gateway for his kind. The climax occurs in a chapel, where Morgan uses her unwish power to destroy the Djinn, but the ruby remains intact, implying the cycle can continue.

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Weaknesses:

The film opens with a direct continuation of the first film’s mythology. The Djinn (the late, great Andrew Divoff) is trapped within a statue—a cursed ruby-eyed artifact. During a poorly planned heist led by a two-bit gangster (played with sleazy perfection by Robert Englund, in a cameo that sets the tone), a gunfight erupts. A stray bullet shatters the statue, releasing the Djinn back into the mortal plane.

Here, the film makes its smartest (and silliest) pivot. Instead of targeting a museum curator or an academic, the Djinn is accidentally summoned by Morgana (Holly Fields), a petty thief and the gangster’s girlfriend. She wishes for a “way out” of the shootout, and the Djinn obliges by sucking the souls out of the entire Las Vegas Police Department. The cost? Morgana is immediately arrested and thrown into a maximum-security prison.

The bulk of Wishmaster 2 takes place behind bars. The Djinn, shape-shifting into a lawyer, a guard, and eventually his horrifying natural form, follows Morgana to prison to collect the final wish that will unleash hell on Earth. The stakes are simple: If Morgana makes a third wish, the Djinn will free an army of his kind to conquer the human race.

Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies is the direct-to-video sequel to the 1997 cult horror film Wishmaster. Directed by Jack Sholder (known for A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and The Hidden), the film follows the ancient, malevolent djinn (genie) as he is accidentally released from his prison of carved ruby. Continuing the premise of the original, the djinn attempts to gather 1,001 souls to unleash hell on Earth, using his power to grant twisted interpretations of people’s wishes. The sequel shifts the setting from a metropolitan museum to a prison environment, but retains a heavy reliance on practical gore effects, cameos, and the iconic performance of Andrew Divoff as the Djinn.

The Djinn (Andrew Divoff): Divoff is the anchor of the film. His performance is theatrical, embracing the villain’s sadistic pleasure in twisting words. Unlike the first film’s polished antagonist, Divoff’s Djinn in the sequel leans into a rougher, more cynical persona, particularly in his human disguise as a prison inmate. His deep, raspy voice and prosthetic makeup remain effective scare tactics. Wishmaster 2- Evil Never Dies

Morgana Truscott (Holly Fields): As the protagonist, Morgana is a departure from the first film's "final girl." She begins as a criminal and a thief, adding a layer of moral ambiguity. Her arc involves transitioning from self-preservation to spiritual redemption. While Fields commits to the role, the character often serves as a passive vessel for the plot's exposition until the finale.

Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies is a serviceable horror sequel that delivers on gore and the villain’s charisma but fails to recapture the atmospheric dread and narrative coherence of the original. Its direct-to-video origins are evident, yet for fans of late-’90s practical effects and Andrew Divoff’s iconic Djinn, the film remains a guilty pleasure. It stands as a middle chapter that maintains the franchise’s core concept without significantly expanding it.

Recommended for: Horror completists, fans of Andrew Divoff, lovers of practical gore effects, and those who enjoy prison-set genre films.
Not recommended for: Viewers seeking high-budget horror, complex mythology, or serious drama.

Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies is a 1999 direct-to-video horror film that serves as the first sequel to the 1997 original. While it didn't achieve the same cult status as its predecessor, it remains a notable entry in the franchise for its campy humor and the return of its primary antagonist. Production & Release Information

Release Date: It premiered on television on March 12, 1999, and was later released on DVD on August 17, 1999. While not as iconic as the original Wishmaster,

Director/Writer: The film was both written and directed by Jack Sholder, known for A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.

Budget: The production had an estimated budget of approximately $2.5 million. Plot Overview

The story begins with a botched museum heist where a thief named Morgana Truscott (Holly Fields) accidentally releases the Djinn from a fire opal.

The Goal: The Djinn must collect 1,001 souls to fulfill an ancient prophecy that would allow his race to rule the Earth.

The Strategy: To gather souls quickly, the Djinn (as his human alter ego, Nathaniel Demerest) surrenders to police and goes to prison, where he grants twisted wishes to the inmates. Morgan, who discovers she has the ability to

The Climax: Morgana teams up with a priest and former lover, Father Gregory (Paul Johansson), to stop the Djinn before he can trick Morgana into making the final three wishes required to end humanity. Cast Andrew Divoff The Djinn / Nathaniel Demerest Holly Fields Morgana Truscott Paul Johansson Gregory Valentin Bokeem Woodbine Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. Prison Warden Tillaver Reception & Legacy

Here’s a feature breakdown for the film Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999), directed by Jack Sholder and starring Andrew Divoff as the Djinn.