The Horror Show
Wish Upon
by John R. Leonetti
What would you do if you had seven wishes?
The film Wish Upon explores what a troubled teenage girl does when she’s given the opportunity to make seven wishes, and like all horror films in this sub-genre, things couldn’t work out worse for her.
At first, I really enjoyed the film. Our main character, Clare (Joey King), innocently wishes ill upon the most popular and equally most vicious girl at school, and the results made me giggle with twisted glee. I say innocently because unbeknownst to Clare, the wish box her father (Ryan Phillippe) gifted her actually does work. I enjoyed the fact that even though Clare soon finds out that she could have anything her heart desires, but with deadly consequences, she continues to use it. There was a great set up for the darkness that greed and selfishness inflict upon the soul, but alas, the film soon ruined anything it had set up by following a paint by numbers plot in the final act.
I did have high hopes for how things might turn out for Clare, there was even a great opportunity to really showcase how obsessed she’d become with her wish box that was ruined. I had hoped that the film would have taken a dark turn at that point, turning Clare into a deranged nutcase when she found out who stole it, but it didn’t, and it took the predictable “safe” path instead. I think the other thing that was so disappointing was just how predictable the wishes were. After the first few, my husband and I were making bets on what the next wish was going to be and who would be the next character to bite the bullet.
There were a few saving graces, like the appearance of the fabulous Sherilyn Fenn of Twin Peaks fame, Ryan Phillippe is still as gorgeous as ever, and Sydney Park was fantastic in her role as Clare’s best friend. There were also a few comedic moments that added a bit of flair to the film and a couple of the death scenes were entertaining, but overall this one was a miss for me.
Wish Upon had potential during the first act but then fizzled out. It makes me glad I didn’t watch by myself, it really is more enjoyable with someone else there because you can talk about the lame parts during the boring parts. If you and your friends are looking to kill some time, give this movie a go, but don’t expect anything to blow your mind.
Stevie Kopas, HMS
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