Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Warlock III: The End of Innocence Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 23, 2017

Note: This film is available as part of the Warlock Collection.

Like many a good American kid raised on endless afternoon reruns seen after getting home from school, I’m pretty sure the first time I heard the term “warlock” was a reference to a male character on Bewitched, where it was shorn of any nefarious (let alone Satanic) subtext. The Warlock franchise posits a titular (and otherwise unnamed) character who is hardly in that “kinder, gentler” context of a mid-sixties sitcom, even if there are manifest differences between the stories revolving around him in the three Warlock films. Like a lot of ostensible horror franchises, Warlock starts out at least relatively winningly, but then offers what some may perceive as an example of the law of diminishing returns. The first film at least presents a time traveling tale that is a kind of odd combo platter of elements from The Terminator, Highlander, Time After Time and Witchfinder General, though the two sequels also included in this set have little if anything to do with that original setup, instead merely porting over the Warlock branding into what are essentially standalone stories.

Warlock III: The End of Innocence takes a page out of the first Warlock’s playbook by opening the film in the 17th century, with a mother and daughter wandering through some woods. The young girl suddenly disappears, leading to an understandably distraught mother trying to figure out what happened to her. This mother and daughter, along with a doll who may or may not be some sort of inanimate “version” of the daughter, recur throughout the rest of the film in interstitial sequences, even though the rest of the film takes place in contemporary times and boils down to something akin to a haunted house mystery.

The film gives away a central piece of information in the early going which deprives it of some suspense but which at least tethers the 17th century vignettes to what’s happening in current times (that piece of information won’t be spoiled in this review). The contemporary story follows the adventures of a young college girl named Kris (Ashley Laurence), who has a mysterious past, but who finds herself on the receiving end of an inheritance which ultimately leads her and a bunch of her friends to an abandoned fortress like building in some indeterminate rural location.

Kris’ college dorm mates, several of whom are introduced with various questionable acts (some of which might be thought of as sins, something that recurs later in a kind of Se7en-ish sort of way), end up following Kris to her familial mansion, and of course soon enough a suave if slightly threatening guy (Bruce Payne) shows up to begin wreaking havoc. (It’s notable that this third entry gives the Warlock a name, or at least an alias, in this case Phillip Covington).

There are several effective moments in Warlock III: The End of Innocence, but the film never builds to any cathartic level of release. The connection between Kris and the flashbacks to several centuries earlier is too obvious to create much of a jolt when it’s formally revealed, but the film does manage to work up a bit of angst when the Warlock starts “encouraging” Kris’ supposed friends to turn on her, often utilizing various forms of torture and/or magic.

Warlock III: The End of Innocence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warlock III: The End of Innocence is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films' Vestron Video imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While I'm rating this at the same 3.5 level as I rated the second Warlock feature, this film's transfer is at least arguably a bit better, with less of the variability I discussed in my review of the second film's video presentation. The palette here looks slightly muted, never really popping with much immediacy, though detail levels in close-ups are quite good (some of the excellent make-up effects in the latter part of this film may induce a bit of queasiness in some). This exhibits some of the same age related issues as the second film, and while not as prevalent as in the second film, there are occasional resolution hurdles that are encountered in terms of grain reproduction.

Warlock III: The End of Innocence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the two other films in this set, Warlock III: The End of Innocence features a nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. This film has a few less over the top sound effects, and so sounds a bit more reserved than the two previous films. There's some good ambient atmosphere in the echo laden halls of the mansion, as well as the interstitial 17th century forest vignettes. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.

Warlock III: The End of Innocence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080i; 2:22)


• Video Sales Promo (1080i; 00:45)


• Behind the Scenes Footage (1080p; 14:06)


• Still Gallery (1080p; 3:44)


• Vintage Interview Segments with Cast and Crew (1080p; 43:19)

Warlock III: The End of Innocence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is pretty standard direct to video fare, seeking to cash in on what was perceived as a marketable franchise title while having absolutely nothing to do with either of the previous films bearing that franchise title. There are moments of creepiness in the film, but it's a generally slow moving and predictable effort. Video is on a par with the second film (and perhaps a bit better), while audio is fine. This has the fewest supplements of the three films in the set, but what's here is enjoyable.