July 13, 2017: Review of Horror/Thriller “Wish Upon”

A Brief History

On July 13, 2017, we are on the eve of the release of the major motion picture, Wish Upon, a medium budget ($12 million) supernatural horror film that plays upon the idea that you better be careful what you wish for! We had the privilege of seeing a pre-screening on July 10, 2017, and our reaction and that of the audience was quite positive.

Digging Deeper

Directed by John Leonetti and released by Broad Green Pictures and Orion Pictures, the film is well cast, well directed, and has convincing special effects. In brief, it is a well made film. Although the story line may seem to be an old re-worked cautionary tale in the spirit of The Monkey’s Paw, Wish Upon manages to take the premise of having wishes turn into punishments and give it a new wrinkle.

Like Aladdin finding a magic lamp, the main character, Clare (played so well by Joey King) is a somewhat unpopular high school girl with an embarrassing father that picks garbage for a living. When Dad brings home a fancy Chinese music box he garbage picked, he gives it to his daughter in lieu of buying a birthday present he clearly cannot afford. The music box turns out to be a cursed wish box and the trouble starts! Without explicitly spoiling the details, the movie will keep you guessing as to whom and how the wish will extract its revenge.

The writers do a good job of keeping the audience engaged as the film never becomes totally predictable, with a few jump scares and enough twists to hold your interest. The test audience in the packed theater (other patrons had to be turned away) obviously liked the movie as they showed their appreciation by gasping at the appropriate times and their comments afterwards.

Despite knowing the premise of the plot before the movie, the screenplay is artful enough to give the film a pleasant and fresh feeling. The twists keep up right until the end, and make sure you stay for the credits. We recommend this film highly for those in love with horror/thriller/supernatural tales. Rated PG-13, the film is not so explicit that you have to leave the tweens at home, but is suggestive enough in its horror to give you the occasional squirm.

Go see Wish Upon and enjoy your movie!

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