Lord of Illusions Review

Arriving direct to video is Clive Barker’s first film as director since Nightbreed, and sadly it’s more in line with that would-be epic’s uninvolving incoherence than it is with Barker’s still effective debut, Hellraiser. A mix of private eyes and sorcery, it suffers because the prologue explains the mystery that rumpled shamus Scott Bakula spends the next hour catching up on, while the villain turns out to be an unthreatening overweight slob with a rectum in his forehead. Bakula does well, but Famke Janssen is wasted as the heroine. It’s not without interest as it parades bizarre supporting characters and bits of scary business, but Barker deserves better.