Lord of Illusions: Collector's Edition (1995)

Details: By Loron Hays; 17 December 2014

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Lord of Illusions - Blu-ray Review

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Front Line Assembly sampled it. Magician Criss Angel recreated one of its more dangerous illusions. Only now, almost 20 years later, can the definitive version of Lord of Illusion - a film that is more of an artifact for a 1990s time capsule than a film in and of itself - be seen as its director, author and horror guru Clive Barker, originally intended.

Barker’s third feature (and his final stint at directing), makes its debut on blu-ray this week in both a theatrical and extended director’s cut. The gorehounds over at Scream Factory continue to roam the cinematic graveyards in search of titles to re-release for horror junkies to devour and this version of Barker’s film is another impressive release, even if the movie fails to make the same impact his book did. Scream Factory honors the director with this special edition release.

The movie may not be for everyone. First and foremost, Lord of Illusions is a combination of genres. It’s what happens when the dense fog of film noir crosses paths with classic jump scares of the horror genre. Based solely on box office receipts, it seems audiences don’t dig this too well. Private Investigator Harry D’Amour (Scott Bakula) always finds himself up against the occult. His new case – after being hired by the slinky and sultry Dorothea (Famke Janssen) to discover what her celebrated illusionist husband, Swann (Kevin J. O’Connor), is up to – takes him to very edge of this world.

Co-starring Barry Del Sherman, Kevin J. O’Connor and Daniel von Bargen as an undead cult leader, Lord of Illusions is a maybe bit more camp than expected but more successfully realized than his other two features. Credit the performance of Bakula who adds a nice flavor to Barker’s P.I. character, making him human and never as hard-boiled as his surroundings. He is appropriately world-weary. Bargen tends to relish his role as the magic-using madman known as “The Puritan” and chews on the scenery around him with a sort of ravenous temper that makes him both evil and a bit cartoonish. The standout, however, is Sherman's sadistic and terrifying portrayal of Butterfield. He’s odd-looking and unrelentingly nasty in pants that are way too tight.

Barker’s direction is spry this time out. He seems more relaxed at the helm than in his other two features. Even though his other films get more of the praise, this release shows what Barker was capable of doing when trusted by a studio, who eventually kept their promise with the extended version. While the special effects are permanently a part of the 1990s, Barker was wise to keep the light moments from drowning out the darker themes. This is a world of magic where death is just an illusion and Barker keeps that fire fanned throughout the film.

Scream Factory presents Lord Of Illusions Collector’s Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray Set on home entertainment shelves everywhere this week. Arriving for the first time on Blu-ray, this highly anticipated release contains both the theatrical cut and all new high-definition transfer of Clive Barker’s Director’s Cut of the movie, insightful bonus content, as well as a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible cover wrap with original theatrical key art.

Clive Barker’s Lord of Illusions is the author at his most ambitious.

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MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and gore, and for language and sexuality.
Runtime: 109 mins
Director: Clive Barker
Writer: Clive Barker
Cast: Scott Bakula, Kevin J. O'Connor, Joseph Latimore
Genre: Horror | Thriller
Tagline: Prepare for the coming
Memorable Movie Quote: "You ever watched a man die? If you watch very closely, you can sometimes see the soul escaping. And if you're very quick, you can catch it."
Distributor: MGM/UA Distribution Company
Official Site:
Release Date: August 25, 1995
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: December 16, 2014
Synopsis: During a routine case in L.A., NY private investigator Harry D'Amour stumbles over members of a fanatic cult, who are waiting for the resurrection of their leader Nix. 13 years ago, Nix was calmed down by his best trainee Swann. In the meantime Swann is advanced to a popular illusionist like David Copperfield and is married to the charming Dorothea. She hires D'Amour to protect Swann against the evil cult members. A short time later Swann is killed by one of his own tricks and the occurrences are turning over, and it crackles between Dorothea and D'Amour.

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Lord of Illusions - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - December 16, 2014
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two disc set (2 BD)
Region Encoding: A

Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of Clive Barker’s Lord of Illusions is a gorgeous AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The crisp image quality is the best you’re going to get with a film like this and, admittedly, even a bit better than expected. Some stuff from the same era hasn’t made the HD transition quite as well, but Lord of Illusions looks better than it did in the theater. Colors are perfect. Blacks are solid. Skin tones are detailed and appropriate. The sound quality is equally impressive and is offered with your choice of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Writer, director, and general author of this entire world, Clive Barker, provides the film’s commentary. He’s in a unique position to offer insight into his work and choices, and he’s never been shy about offering up information. As a result, it is a good listen.

Special Features:

If you’re familiar with Scream! Factory, the genre arm of Shout! Factory, you know this two-disc set is going to be full to bursting with bonus features. Disc one is the 109-minute theatrical version of Lord of Illusions, while disc two is home to a new HD transfer of the director’s cut, with an additional 12 minutes of material originally left on the cutting room floor. In addition to that, there’s an extensive collection of deleted scenes that fill out the story even more. There is also a featurette called “A Gathering of Magic”, as well as a compilation of behind-the-scenes footage from the set that gives you a glimpse of what went on beyond the frame. A new interview with Martin Mercer, the storyboard artist, is a nice bonus, but as usual in these cases, it’s the commentary track with Barker that is the real selling point for this package.

Disc One: