Lord of Illusions

views updated

Lord of Illusions ★★½ Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions 1995 (R)

New York P.I. Harry D'Amour (Bakula), who has an affinity for the occult, becomes involved with Dorothea (Janssen), the supposed widow of magician Philip Swann (O'Connor). As Harry investigates he discovers some terrifying secrets, including resurrected cult leader Nix (Von Bargen). Gruesome effects rather than excessive gore but you'll feel like you've been dropped in the middle of a plot without a clear idea what's happening. Bakula's Harry obviously has more stories to tell but Janssen's Dorothea, while attractive, is just around to cower. Barker directs from his own short story “The Last Illusion.” The unrated director's cut clocks in at 120 minutes. 109m/C VHS, DVD . Scott Bakula, Famke Janssen, Kevin J. O'Connor, Daniel von Bargen, Joel Swetow, Barry Sherman, Jordan Marder, Joseph Latimore, Vincent Schiavelli; D: Clive Barker; W: Clive Barker; C: Ronn Schmidt; M: Simon Boswell.