Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Lord of Illusions Blu-ray Movie Review

"Flesh is a trap. And magick sets us free..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 12, 2025

Like the master himself, Stephen King, Clive Barker has had limited success in seeing his work faithfully adapted to the big screen, even when he's at the helm. While Hellraiser remains a true horror classic, Barker's lesser productions -- Lord of Illusions being a prime example -- have had difficulty capturing the grim grit, grime and gore of the macabre maestro's prose. But at least Barker isn't precious with his stories. Oh no. Even though he was on board as both writer and director of Lord of Illusions, which adapts his own 1985 short story "The Last Illusion," Barker chose to go against the grain of his own writing, retaining key characters (like Henry D'Amour, Butterfield, Swann and Dorthea) but tossing out most of the original short story's plot and creating an entirely new tale with an altogether different antagonist. It almost works too, despite several missteps, some baffling editing decisions, and studio interference that led to the filmmaker shaving twelve minutes of character beats and dialogue from his initial cut, apparently in an effort to deliver a leaner, meaner version of the film. (The 122-minute Director's Cut isn't included with the Sandpiper release, which is a real shame, but is still available via third party sellers on the out-of-print Shout Factory release from 2014.) It is leaner, so score one for the studio there, and even a bit bloodier at times, but it constantly seems at odds with its own origins, tone and drive. How well it holds up thirty years past its prime is entirely up to you.

There are two worlds of magic. One is the glittering domain of the illusionist. The other is a secret place, where magic is a terrifying reality. Here, men have the power of demons. And Death itself is an illusion.

Deep in the Mojave Desert, a violent cult leader named William Nix (Daniel von Bargen), whom his followers refer to as "The Puritan," prepares to sacrifice a child. To what ends or to what deity is unclear, but from the looks of the things, none of it amounts to anything good. His most faithful disciple, Butterfield (J. Trevor Edmond), waits in rapt anticipation for his master's ascension. To his shock, though, a small band of fellow magicians led by Philip Swann (Kevin J. O'Connor) arrive to stop Nix before he can carry through with his plans. Defeating and binding Nix's spirit to his physical form by screwing an iron mask to his face, the rebels bury his body in a secret location to prevent his followers from unearthing and resurrecting his corpse.

Years later, an older, more powerful Butterfield (Barry Del Sherman) is still determined to uncover Nix's body and finish what the sorcerer started. He meets his match in everyman Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula), a no-nonsense private detective who's had limited dealings with the supernatural before; enough to shake him into belief that evil is a real force and that it has influence on the physical plane. During a chance encounter with one of the rebel cult members that helped kill Nix -- a man named Casper Quaid (Joseph Latimore) who Butterfield is in the process of torturing to death to gain information -- D'Amour is warned about The Puritan's return. Confused, the detective soon meets Swann, working as a stage illusionist in Los Angeles. Swann is married to the beautiful Dorthea (Famke Janssen) and is apparently well aware of Butterfield's dealings, hiring D'Amour to uncover Butterfield's plans and to find out if Swann is next on the madman's kill list.

Click here to read Jeffrey Kauffman's review of Lord of Illusions, which he says "suffers from a rather sloppy narrative that is by turns too obvious and, ironically, too opaque." Adding, "The film has an undeniably creepy ambience which is only partially undercut by some less than convincing early CGI" while "filled with disturbing imagery of impalements, vivisections and other bloody, gruesome visions."

Lord of Illusions Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

First, the bad. Lord of Illusions sports a striking 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that, unfortunately, is riddled with print blemishes. It never gets too terribly distracting, but it begins in the opening titles and continues throughout the picture. The same problem affected the 2014 Shout Factory release, but it's an issue that could have been easily eliminated had the otherwise attractive master been given some extra tender loving care. With that out of the way, on with the good. Colors are warm and vibrant from start to finish, with blood taking on an especially vivid red sheen. Grime and grit are suitably earthy too, allowing primaries to pop more dramatically. Swann's magic show, for example, is bursting with color; rich hues that make it every bit as alluring and magnificent as it would be in person. CG elements diminish the power of the film's palette and wreak havoc on clarity but it's to be expected from the era. Detail is by and large extremely satisfying, with crisp edge definition, decently refined textures, revealing delineation and no signs of artificial sharpening or edge halos. Yes, there are a string of non-CG shots that are nevertheless softer than others but it's always optical, never a product of the encode. I also spotted a few slight instances of macroblocking but it was always in conjunction with a composited or CG element appearing on screen, all but certainly making it a product of the original film and not Sandpiper's video presentation.

Lord of Illusions Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I was pleasantly surprised with the Lord of Illusions DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Dialogue is clear and intelligible throughout, without anything in the way of prioritization mishaps or scenes in which the sometimes aggressive Simon Boswell score overwhelms voices or steps on key lines. There's, of course, a touch of tinny, canned ambience but it's perfectly in keeping with the tone and tenor of modestly budgeted horror films of the early and mid-90s. LFE output is bold and weighty too, with plenty to offer supernatural sequences and showdowns. And rear speaker activity follows suit, with precise directionality, transparent channel pans and enough soundfield magic to make more chaotic scenes immersive and more compelling than they might otherwise be.

Lord of Illusions Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Sandpiper Pictures release of Lord of Illusions features the film's 109-minute theatrical cut and its theatrical trailer. Missing from the 2014 Shout Factory edition is the 122-minute director's cut, a Clive Barker commentary (for the director's cut) and nearly two hours of additional extras, among them over an hour of "Original Behind the Scenes Footage," "A Gathering of Magic" featurette, deleted scenes, an interview with storyboard artist Martin Mercer, a photo gallery, and an introduction from Barker. Whether the extended version is worth tracking down is a matter of taste. I prefer the director's cut but also see how it only exacerbates many of the problems of the theatrical edition. The added character beats aren't always illuminating, D'Amour's sudden sex scene with Dorthea is even more jarring and out of nowhere, and there are alternate takes in the film that aren't quite as bloody as their theatrical counterparts. The Shout Factory release is certainly more expensive and tougher to track down but having both cuts makes for an easier decision and a more complete Blu-ray.

Lord of Illusions Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I can't recommend the works of Clive Barker enough... when they're in print. His six-volume "Books of Blood" collection alone bests most other horror author's short stories, and then some. But adapted to the screen, and without the word "Hellraiser" in the title, Barker's story's begin to lose their luster, falling short of capturing the look and feel of the nightmarish, demonic, occasionally Eldritch monstrosities and entities he's known for. Lord of Illusions is lesser Barker, despite being a fantastic shot at adapting a Henry D'Amour story for the screen. Muddled plotting, unclear arcs and characterizations and subpar CG pierce the film with more swords than Swann takes to the chest in its central sequence, and the results are mixed at best. For every bit that works comes a moment that leaves you shrugging your shoulders. At least the Sandpiper Blu-ray version gets AV quality right. A newer master would definitely help (here's hoping for an eventual 4K release from a boutique label), as would including both cuts off the film. Still, it's a decent disc primed for those who enjoy the theatrical cut of Lord of Illusions.