Warlock III: The End of Innocence

Director - Eric Freiser (Take Out the Beast)
Starring - Bruce Payne (Tales from the Crypt, Necronomicon: Book of Dead), Ashley Laurence (Hellraiser, Lightning Bug), and Paul Francis (Pearl Harbor, The Last Man on Planet Earth)
Release Date - 1999
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "He'll take your soul...if you let him"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Trilogies typically end on a band note.  I love sequels and I'm very open minded about follow up but I'm also realistic.  Typically third installments in a series sucks.  Case in point, Beastmaster III.  Growing up, as I stated in their respected reviews, I never knew that the film Warlock had a sequel and I was shocked as hell when I discovered that it was actually a trilogy.  I actually enjoy the first film.  Probably more than I should but it is a childhood favorite.  The film's sequel was different in tone but was still a fun watch.  As I moved into the third and final film in the series I was afraid that I was going to find myself in the middle of a shitstorm that was branded the Warlock name.  Also, I was a little disappointed that Julian Sands was not returning but I was pleasantly surprised with the film.

     The film follows a young woman who receives word that she has inherited a house that once belonged to her family.  She visits the home with a group of her friends to try and learn about her family when she is approached by someone with a letter for her when they are interrupted by an architect looking to purchase the home.  The architect is actually a warlock who plans on turning her friends against her so he can use her for her blood.
     I didn't know what to expect from Warlock III.  I really enjoy the first two films but the artwork that I kept coming across for the film reminded me a lot of the late 90s horror films that copied the look and feel of Scream.  The film itself was actually pretty good but nowhere near the level the first two films were.  It was far from perfect but still satisfied to an extent.  The acting in this one is easily the worst in the series.  Ashley Laurence is a horror legend after her connection with the Hellraiser series but she was lacking here.  Her performance was very forced and she does not feel genuine at all.  The same can be said for most of her co-stars with the exception of Bruce Payne.  Payne is no Sands but he still delivered a fun and memorable performance.  If the film had a little more originality Payne could have went on have his own horror icon.  The story for this one is a watered down version of the what we got in the previous two films.  The film is easily the slowest in the trilogy with very little character development aside from Ashley Laurence's character.  We get no back story on the warlock or the other's in the film.  I love films with character development and backstories and this one skips on that.  Also, there is several "plot holes" where the film's story is not consistent creating errors in it's logic.  Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills that make good use of practical effects.  Some scenes have better effects than others but they all deliver the blood.  Overall, Warlock III: The End on Innocence may not be perfect but I enjoyed.  I may catch hell for this but I can see myself revisiting this one.  I liked the look of the film and how the story played out.