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:

cymbal | monkey | dragon | book of magic | mechanical toy | 

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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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Antykwariat Merlina

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Featured on "Mystery Science Theater 3000".

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Goofs

Just before Grampa tells the story, his arm is stretched across the top of the sofa. In the next shot, his arm is by his side.

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Quotes

Jonathan Cooper: Merlin, you bastard!

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

User Reviews

Magical

This is a truly magical episode of MST3K. Though the movie itself is stupid beyond telling, the episode is arguable the most funny I`ve ever seen. My dad thinks it is anyhow. From the opening lines thrown out by Mike and the `Bots ("Let`s predict some crap" "I forsee I`m gonna get hammered" "Is there a cheaper vodka than Popov?" "The ants have been screwing with her like that for years") to the part when Jonathan confronts Merlin ("I bid you lick me") to when Jonathan fights his cat ("So the cat`s flesh was roasted" "No Grandpa, no!" "Sit down, you`re gonna listen- The cat`s flesh melted, the horrible screams!" "No grandpa!" "Heh heh") to the cheesy 80s part ("Yep, that first morning beer is always the best!") and the priceless finishing line, which is so memorable that it begs full transcription. Contrary to what some of these commentators have said here (and I`m not blaming them), Crow, not Servo, says "Remember to believe in magic...Or I`ll kill you." This episode truly made me believe in magic.