‘He’ll take your soul… if you let him’
Warlock III: The End of Innocence is a 1999 American supernatural horror film directed by Eric Freiser from a screenplay co-written with producer Bruce David Eisen. The movie stars Bruce Payne, Ashley Laurence and Paul Francis.
It is the third film in a series that started with the 1989 Warlock (1989). The first two movies starred Julian Sands but this third entry, released direct-to-video, stars Bruce Payne in the titular role.
Art student Kris Miller unexpectedly finds that she has inherited a derelict house that will soon be demolished. Accompanied by a group of college friends, she goes there to clear it of heirlooms before the structure is demolished.
The youngsters are joined by Philip Covington, who claims to be an architect. However, Covington is revealed to be a warlock who wants Kris as a sacrifice…
Reviews:
“Payne feels a need to torture Laurence’s college chums in a manner befitting their goals and obsessions, which means a collegiate Wiccan is done away via a spell, a couple into rough sex goes out via sexual torture, and so on. It may be blandly competent, but everything about Warlock III seems painfully arbitrary.” AV Club
“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…” Blu-ray.com
“It reeks of its time in style, tone, editing, and effects; the latter is doubly insulting after the previous installment’s charming practical effects work. The script, penned by director Eric Freiser and Bruce David Eisen, is riddled with overwrought exposition attempting to explain the mess of supernatural nonsense.” Broke Horror Fan
” …the film feels half-baked and manages to be dreadfully dull aside from a few great ’90s tropes, including bad CG and copious use of Kangol hats. I still had a few laughs with it though, so it wasn’t a complete loss.” Film Pulse
“The victimology is standard slasher movie complement – this copies the second film in creating a series of set-pieces giving victims bizarre fates but it adds a more interesting psychological undertow where each of the victims must betray the heroine in order to relieve suffering.” Moria
“Some of the effects work is less than convincing but the old house setting is effective enough. Performances are fairly flat here. Even Laurence, who was great in the first two Hellraiser pictures, fails to really spring to life. Payne isn’t half bad in his part, but the problem here is that Sands made the role his own…” Rock! Shock! Pop!
“This one gives more proof (as also documented in The Beyond) that workmen and old abandoned houses don’t mix. At least we get to groan at a lame dialogue exchange about “witches”, the fact the talisman that scares the warlock is a doll and one sloppy werewolf-like monster in the finale. Yawn.” The Video Graveyard
Choice dialogue:
“Only you would get a call at 7:30 in the morning from a historian.”
“A man is never more a man than when he truly loves a woman.”
Cast and characters:
- Bruce Payne … The Warlock/Phillip Covington
- Ashley Laurence … Kris Miller
- Paul Francis … Michael
- Jan Schweiterman … Jerry
- Angel Boris … Lisa
- Rick Hearst … Scott
- Boti Ann Bliss … Robin
- Eamonn Draper … Mr. Butterfield
- Catherine Siggins … Mrs. Miller
- Majella Corley … Young Kris
- Philippe Zone …Handyman
- Fiona O’Shaughnessy … Kris’ Friend
- Ann Marie Byrne … Old Woman
Filming locations:
Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland
