The Final Wish is a 2018 American supernatural horrorfilm directed by Timothy Woodward Jr. (Gnome Alone; 7 Faces of Jack the Ripper) from a screenplay written by Jonathan Doyle, William Halfon and Jeffrey Reddick (Dead Awake; Final Destination), based on the latter’s storyline.
The BondIt-Global Renaissance Entertainment Group movie stars Lin Shaye, Michael Welch, Melissa Bolona and Tony Todd.
Plot:
Aaron (Michael Welch) is a struggling young lawyer who returns home following the death of his father, to help his devastated mother and confront his past demons.
Sifting through his late father’s belongings, Aaron stumbles upon an urn that is far more than it seems. As his desires and wishes start coming true, he thinks his prayers have been answered until he learns the sinister price that comes with the final wish…
Reviews:
“It offers a well-written script and a cast worth investing in. Michael Welch is the perfect choice as a young man facing a terrifying dilemma when it comes to having your dreams come true […] This blend of fantasy horror with a strong character makes for a fun and engaging thriller, one that could easily continue on as a franchise.” Arrow in the Head
” …a kicking fun score, spooky atmosphere, a cool monster, and Woodward displays a keen eye for the camera. Shaye is at her creepy best, and as always Tony Todd shows up to steal the show by delivering exposition like only he can.” Brainwaves
“This is a fairly clever horror flick from the writer of Final Destination. Some of the death scenes have that kind of Rube Goldberg-like complexity to them which made that franchise so entertaining; some are much more straightforward. Some of these complex scenes have nothing to do with deaths either which is an interesting twist on the FD franchise.” Cinema 365
“Welch is believable, at times extremely emotional, and does a successful job of shifting the arch of Aaron’s character. Shaye, a veteran actress, brings her A-game as a very real mother figure who is heartbroken and angry. Meanwhile, Bolona’s Lisa is extremely likable and someone you sincerely hope no harm is bequeathed.” Cryptic Rock
“The Final Wish becomes bothersome because genre vets like Shaye, Todd, and Final Destination scribe Jeffrey Reddick are at the wheel, yet everyone drives under the speed limit on a well-traveled road. If an element isn’t already rote, then the movie makes sure it is ham-handed. If a story beat isn’t already frustratingly formulaic, the movie makes sure to foreshadow it for you.” Culture Crypt
“While it does have some minor issues, as a whole, I liked The Final Wish as it does a good job of mixing up expectations while treading some very familiar territory story-wise, and both Welch and Shaye bring a lot of heart to the project too, making it easy to invest in them as characters and their respective journeys in the film.” Daily Dead
“Focused primarily on psychological horror but also dealing out a fair number of shocks and scares, The Final Wish is a well crafted film that’s likely to appeal to a broad range of genre fans, and it has enough going on upstairs to deserve a wider audience.” Eye for Film
“The Final Wish is a movie that stays squarely on the main players and their shared grief while presenting the effects of the Djinn’s power (albeit sometimes clumsily). The steadiness of the first two-thirds makes the manic tone of the third act much more enjoyable, so you can appreciate the way it’s picking up steam on the way to full climax and a clever finish.” Horror DNA
” …a horror film about wishes going wrong, with those headlining actors and some great design and set dressing (Aaron’s father’s house looks like something out of Night Gallery or an Amicus film and it’s all wasted wasted wasted) should be fantastic and it’s just awful.” House of Mortal Cinema
“By the time The Final Wish gets to the much more effective suspense sequences — and the enjoyably perverse twists — it’s too little and too late. Cult movie favorites Lin Shaye and Tony Todd bring some juice to their small roles; but for the most part this is like a decent anthology TV series episode, stretched to three times its proper length.” Los Angeles Times
“I’m almost disappointed this isn’t a proper Wishmaster reboot. If the Djinn had taken the surprise form of Andrew Divoff at the very end, I would have, as wrestling fans say, marked out so hard. But The Final Wish works just fine on its own. It’s nothing fancy, but it does the premise far better than most of its predecessors.” Nerdist
“While The Final Wish echoes a story like The Monkey’s Paw, the film just wasn’t very scary or very suspenseful. The characters all start out harsh and unlikable and none of them really have a lot of redeeming qualities about them. While I understand what Reddick and Woodward were aiming for with each character, there just wasn’t enough on the screen to build up or to explain their eventual turns in the film.” Nightmarish Conjurings
“Wish is strangely contemplative in its attempt to shine an eerie light on the mysteries of death and estrangement. Woodward’s gory gem is more of the psychological horror variety as it adequately taps into the realm of a messy mindset gone haywire.” SF Crowsnest
“It serves to chill the bones and send a shiver here and there, which is in keeping with the theme of a dark fairytale. There is not an over-reliance on CGI, and the practical effects by Vincent J. Guastini and his team are a freaky and fabulous mix of old-school grunge and slick updated techniques. The Final Wish is an easy watch, fun and simple.” We Live Entertainment
Cast and characters:
Lin Shaye … Kate Hammond
Michael Welch … Aaron Hammond – Z Nation TV series; A Haunting in Cawdor; The Demented; Hansel and Gretel Get Baked; The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1; et al
Melissa Bolona … Lisa – Murder at the Mansion; Mara; Malicious; The Super; The Neighbour; Shark Lake
Spencer Locke … Lynette – Insidious: The Last Key; Landmine Goes Click; The Vampire Diaries TV Series; Resident Evil: Afterlife and Extinction; Monster House
Tony Todd … Colin
Kaiwi Lyman … Derek
Brown Jonathan Daniel Brown … Jeremy
Jean Elie … Tyrone
Christopher Murray … Yates
Douglas Tait … Jinn
Larry Poole … Chester Hammond
Garrett Edell … Luke
Michelle Burke … Mrs Mckee
Timothy Oman … Williams
Dey Young … Alice
Gordon Woloson … Clown
Mohamed Mohsen … Doctor Bashir
Jeffrey Reddick … Landlord
Barbara de Normandie … Everly
Sammy Durrani … Nurse Jackson
Paul Vandervort … Austin
Brent Duffey … Dax
Technical credits:
1 hour 35 minutes
US trailer:
UK trailer:
Watch full film free online on YouTube
