The Wisher aka Spliced (2002)

(In French, On Cable TV, December 2022) I have always had a soft spot for horror movies about horror movies, even if that fondness is rarely rewarded. The Wisher, for instance, gets a few points for focusing on the experience of watching horror movies compared to the more frequent horror moves about making horror movies. But it doesn’t get very far in originality within that framework: Apparently inspired by the first Scream films (down to the use of “Do you like scary movies?” in its trailer), this one follows a young woman as her fascination for horror films ends up echoed in the apparition of a murderous supernatural figure. Her powers even extend to directing that figure to do harm to people she dislikes… but don’t expect much more than this in terms of digging into questions of guilt, power and fantasy. While The Wisher was never designed to fly high (it’s still a Canadian horror film…), it’s still hampered by a workmanlike script, low-budget production values and unambitious direction. While it’s cool to see a young Liane Balaban playing a female lead that isn’t limited to screaming at knife-wielding psychos, there’s still not as much for her to do. The period details of the early 2000s are now coalescing into a definite aesthetic, so that may add a bit of unintentional interest to the result. Still, the overall impression here is one of missed opportunities. Much is made of horror watching in the opening minutes, but it turns into a moral lesson by the end of the film. Too bad—Canadian horror fans may enjoy, but that’s an admittedly narrow niche.