Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (1996)

Two creepy "horror" films joined together by Merlin's Shop which is, in turn, introduced by a Grandpa telling the story.

Director:

Kenneth J. Berton

Writer:

Kenneth J. Berton

Stars:

Ernest Borgnine, George Milan, Bunny Summers

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ernest Borgnine	...	Grandfather
George Milan	...	Merlin
Bunny Summers	...	Zurella
John Terrence	...	Jonathan Cooper III
Patricia Sansone	...	Madeline Cooper
Mark Hurtado	...	Grandson
Nicholas Noyes	...	Nicholas
Hillary Young	...	Nicholas' Mother
Julia Leigh Miller	...	Antique Store Clerk (as Julia Miller)
Ben Sussman	...	Peddler in park (Jake Cosgrove)
Randy Chandler	...	Burglar
Bob Mendelsohn	...	David Andrews (archive footage) (as Bob Mendlesohn)
Struan Robertson	...	Michael Andrews (archive footage)
Bruce Parry	...	Pete (archive footage)
Vicki Saputo	...	Susan (archive footage)

Storyline

This is a movie within a TV movie within a made-for-video movie. A boy is watching TV when a power outage forces him to talk to his grandpa for entertainment. His grandpa, a former screenwriter, re-tells an old screenplay about Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders. In it, Merlin sets up an enchanting store in a modern-day strip mall, accompanied by his gleeful wife and gnomes, snakes, dragons, etc. From this framing device, we then see two stories about people's encounters with items from the shop. The first sequence (created for this film but looking like an episode of "Tales From The Darkside") involves a pompous, cranky newspaper critic who begins casting spells using Merlin's spell book. The second story, an edited version of the full length movie, The Devil's Gift, is about an evil monkey doll (you know, the wicked grin and the cymbals?) who kills every time his hands clap. Merlin of the 1990s is disjointedly tied-in with the 1980 movie.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | cymbal | monkey | dragon | book of magic | 

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Taglines:

In a world where magic truely (sic) exists, anything can happen.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Featured on "Mystery Science Theater 3000".

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Goofs

The oil lamp changes hands after Grampa lights it.

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Quotes

Merlin: Excuse me, but have you seen my little monkey?

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

User Reviews

TRULY A GEM AMONGST HORRIBLE MOVIES

Really....this is a hilarious MST3K episode...this film must have been made for MST3K one would like to think. But as that is not the case I can only say: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! How did this movie ever get made? I love bad movies...but this is something beyond anything I've ever seen. THat it's from 1996 is also something I cannot believe. Who in their right mind joins a project like this? The biggest mystery in this movie is how the hell someone authorized it and got actors to actually play in it (of course..not all of them seem to do so) This is just ...a huge mystery of a film. I thank MST3K for showing it to me. It's really a gem amongst hugely crappy films. It's nice to see how bad a movie actually can get. Someone should really have made documentary about this movie and interviewed the people behind it. It would really solve one of the worlds biggest mysteries. Even the title of the movie is totally messed up. It should be "MERLIN'S SHOP OF KILLER TOYS" But..oh that would probably make it seem more predictable...uhm?

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders

Filming Locations:

Petaluma, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Berton Films, Brencam Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 88 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1