Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it. “The Final Wish” is a horror film written by Jeffery Reddick, most widely known for creating the “Final Destination” franchise. The film was screened during Screamfest in October of 2018, and was released in select theaters for one night only on January 24th.

The premise of the film follows Aaron (Michael Welch) a struggling lawyer who is forced to return home to help his mother grieve over the loss of his father. While rummaging through the house Aaron finds a mysterious item of his father’s that is more than meets the eye. He slowly starts to realize that this mysterious urn is granting all his wishes, but in the most grotesque way possible. Aaron wishes the dog outside his window would shut up. The next day he is awoken to find the dog was not only shut up, but also disemboweled. Like I said before, be careful what you wish for because you might just get exactly that.

The film was lined with a cast not shy to the big screen. Aaron’s mother was played phenomenally by none other than Lin Shaye (Insidious, A Nightmare on Elm Street).  The early part of the film Shaye does an excellent job of playing a grieving mother. I genuinely felt bad for her, as she mentions that Aaron never visits and left his parents alone. She is devastated by the loss of her husband, and this pulled at my heartstrings. Partway through the movie, Shaye’s character starts to go insane – no thanks to the urn. She does an utterly convincing job of going from a sweet, saddened mother, to snapping in a heartbeat. I still have her creepy smiles implanted in my brain.

For most of the film the audience is only given hints and clues about the urn and everything surrounding it. Like in ‘The Final Destination’ series, Reddick gives us a character that is there to explain it all. Collin (Tony Todd) appears before the big ending, explaining to the main characters everything they need to know about the urn.

Giving Tony Todd a quick appearance was the icing on the cake for me. Every horror fan should know who Todd is, and having him play the same role as he did in the ‘Final Destination’ movies was a nod to genre fans.

The ending did a great job of taking the film full circle. Early on audiences learn that Aaron is arrogant and selfish. During the ending, Aaron makes “the final wish,” doing the most selfless act he could, given the situation.

The “monkey’s paw” idea that the film follows has been done quite a few times before. Film and television alike have been making adaptations of the cursed relic that grants wishes for multiple decades.  Director Timothy Woodward Jr. does an excellent job of putting his own spin on it, making it stand out from past projects that took a swing at this idea. 

‘The Final Wish’ is set for a DVD and Blu-Ray release on March 19th. Since the film was only shown for two nights, I highly recommend horror fans picking up a copy.