Lord of Illusions (1995)

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... See full summary »

Director:

Clive Barker

Writers:

Clive Barker (story "The Last Illusion"), Clive Barker (screenplay)

Stars:

Scott Bakula, Kevin J. O'Connor, J. Trevor Edmond

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Bakula	...	Harry D'Amour
J. Trevor Edmond	...	Young Butterfield (as Trevor Edmond)
Daniel von Bargen	...	Nix
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Philip Swann
Joseph Latimore	...	Caspar Quaid
Sheila Tousey	...	Jennifer Desiderio
Susan Traylor	...	Maureen Pimm
Ashley Tesoro	...	Young Dorothea (as Ashley Lyn Cafagna)
Michael Angelo Stuno	...	Lead Male Cultist
Keith Brunsmann	...	Snakeman
Barbara Patrick	...	Lead Female Cultist
Wayne Grace	...	Loomis
Mikey LeBeau	...	Exorcised Boy
Robb Humphreys	...	D'Amours Demon
Jimmy Shaw	...	Hotel Bellboy (as James Brandon Shaw)

Storyline

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 gunned 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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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | private detective | cult | illusionist | warped vision | 

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Taglines:

The evil awaits in the other side.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and gore, and for language and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

MGM-UA

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions

Filming Locations:

Mojave Desert, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$13,293,081

Company Credits

Production Co:

Seraphim Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min 119 min (director's cut) 121 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Composer Christopher Young, who scored Barker's Hellraiser (1987), was initially brought on to work on this film - but he was replaced by Simon Boswell when the film's post-production schedule was stretched out - making Young unavailable. The early 1-sheet has Young credited as composer.

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Goofs

When Harry and Billy find the secret compartment that contains the documents there is a tin box on top of the paperwork, when the bundle is pulled-out, there is no sign of the tin box.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: There are two worlds of magic. One is the glittering domain of the illusionist. The other is a secret place, where magic is a terrifying reality. Here, men have the power of demons. And Death itself is an illusion.

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Alternate Versions

The laserdisc version runs 122 minutes and features graphic violence and 12 minutes of non-violent extra scenes. This director's cut has also been released on video in the US.

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Connections

Featured in A Gathering of Magic: Behind the Scenes of 'Lord of Illusions' (1995)

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Soundtracks

Laura
Written by Bubba Hernandez
Performed by Brave Combo
Courtesy of Rounder Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

A Cult Movie that Needs a Cult Following

It's one of those movies that come from a certain time and place. But then, it's Clive Barker and he tends to primarily make movies that can really only fit into that beautiful era that opened up and allowed for anything to get the green light and small independent films to make it onto the big screen at your local theater.

Man I miss those days.

Anyway, Lord of Illusions should be classified as Neo-Noir...at least a little. It has all the right elements, detective, possible feme fatale, LA..you know it, hits most of the cliché's. And even the dress and make-up has throw backs to to the Bogart Era of film making. Subtle throwbacks.

The cast is terrific, the soundtrack is awesome...but what stands out the most is how creepy it can get and do so without being over bearing and too serious.

It has a Manson Family meets Lucifer himself feel to it while being wound up in an old fashioned detective story...with some of the best lines you'll ever hear come out of a horror movie delivered by some of the more disturbing performances you will see in a genre that is often lacking in serious actors and actresses.

And though it is admittedly far from an all star cast, Scott Bakula, Kevin J. O'Connor, Daniel von Bargen, and Famke Janssen consistently deliver good performances and are all at the absolute top of their game for a movie that can't easily fit into any molded horror cliché.

Two thumbs up, ten of ten stars, one of the films you should see before you die.