Lord of Illusions (1995)

A private detective gets more than he bargains for when he encounters Philip Swan, a performer whose amazing illusions captive the world, but they are not really what everyone thinks.

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:
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
Scott Bakula	...	Harry D'Amour
Wayne Grace	...	Loomis
Mikey LeBeau	...	Exorcised Boy
Robb Humphreys	...	D'Amour's Demon
Jimmy Shaw	...	Motel 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 | magician | cult | illusionist | 

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Taglines:

Prepare for the coming

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jennifer Desiderio is named after the opening location in Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire".

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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

Referenced in GoldenEye: Bond 17 Press Conference (1995)

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Soundtracks

The Dream of Gerontius, op. 36
Written by Edward Elgar
Performed by Scottish National Opera Chorus
Conducted by Alexander Gibson
Courtesy of CRD Records Ltd.
By Arrangement with Qualiton Imports Ltd. and Source/Q

User Reviews

Still Great in 2020

In 1982, a group led by a man called Swann breaks in a cult in the Mojave Desert to rescue a teenager from the evil leader Nix the Puritan. Thirteen years later, New York private detective Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula) is assigned to investigate a embezzler that is spending money in Los Angeles and he stumbles upon the fortune teller Quaid (Joseph Latimore) that was tortured and murdered by two men. Soon he is hired by Dorothea Swann (Famke Janssen), the wife of the famous illusionist Philip Swann (Kevin J. O'Connor), to investigate the murder of Quaid. She invites D'Amour to go with her to a show of magic of her husband. When Swann is killed on stage during his act of illusion, D'Amour meets other illusionists in the Magic Castle where he learns that magic does exist in the beginning of his weird journey to the evil world of Nix.

"Lord of Illusions" is an horror film written and directed by Clive Barker and still great in 2020. The noir-style makes the film timeless and with an intriguing beginning. The special effects are ahead of time (for a 1995 movie), with good performance of Scott Bakula and the debut of Famke Janssem in a feature. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Mestre das Ilusões" ("The Lord of the Illusions")

Details

Official Sites:

MGM-UA

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lord of Illusions

Filming Locations:

Mojave Desert, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,800,258, 27 August 1995

Gross USA:

$13,294,422

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,294,422

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