Lord of Illusions (1995)

“Lord of Illusions” is perhaps one of the most stylish, beautiful horror movies I’ve ever seen. If I could have listed my top ten favorites instead of only seven, this would have been there. It’s dark, elegant, engaging, and totally Barker. This is the fourth and final film that Barker directed and it’s his finest moment as a film maker in my opinion. The mood and pacing is perfect, the cast is made up of strong known actors, the plot is eerie and feels true to Barker’s style, and the special effects are just right. Part film noir and part horror, "Lord of Illusions" is the perfect movie to watch over and over again.

There is a devoted cult who is following the “Puritan” named Nix out in the desert (a natural place for a cult of course!). Nix has a student named Swann, the only one from the cult who can perform real magic like himself. Unfortunately Swann doesn’t have dreams of godhood like Nix and betrays him with three other former followers when they learn that Nix is going to sacrifice a young girl. They save the girl and kill Nix, binding his soul within his body and burying him deep in the ground. Nix’s assistant Butterfield is able to get away but plans for the future…

13 years later private detective Harry D’Amour, who has a habit of working on cases that involve the occult, stumbles across the murder of one of Swann’s conspirators at the hands of Butterfield and a bald man. After seeing a new article about the murder and a picture of D’Amour, Swann’s wife hires him to find out if the Puritan and his cult were behind the murder and if her husband, now a famous illusionist is in trouble. D’Amour takes the job and learns the difference between illusions and real magic.

As I mentioned, the cast of "Lord of Illusions" is quite impressive. Scott Bakula stars as Harry D'Amour, Kevin J. O'Connoras Swann, and Famke Janssen as Dorothea. Besides being strong actors, each one was perfect for their role in this film. 

Favorite moment – I love how Nix is bound; heavy black pieces of forged iron with screws that turn by themselves when blood is applied. It’s medieval and gnarly.