Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders
Encyclopedia
Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders is a 1996 fantasy
/horror
film directed by Kenneth J. Berton. The film stars Ernest Borgnine
, who plays a grandfather telling his grandson a story about the wizard Merlin
opening up a store in modern-day America. He tells him two separate stories about Merlin and the store.
on TV showing a toy mechanical monkey
killing off an eldery gypsy. Suddenly, the power goes out during the movie. The boy's grandfather, who's watching the boy while his parents are out, explains that he used to write for television, and that the Merlin stories were intended to form the basis of a TV series, each episode of which would feature an item obtained from Merlin's shop bringing a little magic into people's lives. Although the opening segment implies that Merlin's magical interventions in people's lives are intended to have a benign
effect, in practice this proves to be far from the case.
The first story focuses on a married couple, Jonathan and Madeline Cooper. Jonathan is a respected, though obnoxious columnist, and Madeline is desperate for a baby, as she and Jonathan have been unable to conceive
. The couple visit the store, where Jonathan berates Merlin and threatens to write a negative article in the newspaper that will cause his readers to avoid the store, to Madeline's chagrin. Merlin loans Jonathan his spell book as proof that he is actually the legendary wizard. Jonathan takes the book home and begins to toy with several of the spells. Jonathan becomes convinced of the book's authenticity when an unsuccessful spell to summon a spirit results in breathing fire. Jonathan quickly grows excited and becomes obsessed with the book's powers, but begins to dramatically age due to the rapid depletion of one's life force required to cast the spells. Jonathan attempts to transform his pet cat into a mystical servant, but it becomes demonic and proceeds to attack him. Using the spell from earlier, Jonathan breathes fire and burns the cat alive. By then, Jonathan has aged so severely that his hair is white and receded. Jonathan retrieves the book's rejuvenation
spell and proceeds to create the required potion. He takes a sample of Madeline's blood and adds it to the mixture. Jonathan drinks the potion, but the spell backfires: Jonathan regresses into infancy. Madeline happily decides to raise her former husband as her own child.
The second story then starts off with a thief stealing a toy mechanical monkey
from Merlin's shop and selling it to a novelty store, where it is quickly bought as a birthday present for a young boy. Merlin discovers its theft and begins trying to track the monkey down, as its magic can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. The monkey strikes its cymbals on its own accord; each time they are struck, a nearby living thing dies. The monkey causes the death of several houseplants, the boy's goldfish, and the family dog. The boy's father learns that the toy is possessed by an evil spirit, and numerous attempts to remove it from the house fail. Before the monkey nearly causes the death of the boy and his family, Merlin appears and recovers the toy.
After the stories, the boy listening to the stories falls asleep and his grandfather tucks him in. We then see Merlin closing up his shop for the night.
, the hosts and writers of which used the sloppy editing on the second subplot, the nigh-total disconnect between the two halves of the movie, and the wildly varying tone of the film (which is presented as though it were a family-friendly fantasy, but frequently features horrific incidents) as the basis for many of the jokes. For example, a host segment depicted Mike and the bots taking a look at an (invented) range of Ernest Borgnine children's books, whose benign titles and presentation belied the frightful nature of the stories therein, with the exception of one which has a macabre appearance but features an innocent story. Another host segment depicted Mike Nelson turning into a baby due to his disbelief in magic.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
/horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
film directed by Kenneth J. Berton. The film stars Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
, who plays a grandfather telling his grandson a story about the wizard Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
opening up a store in modern-day America. He tells him two separate stories about Merlin and the store.
Plot
The film starts off with a young boy watching a horror filmHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
on TV showing a toy mechanical monkey
Cymbal-banging monkey toy
A cymbal-banging monkey toy is a mechanical depiction of a monkey holding a cymbal in each hand. When activated it repeatedly bangs its cymbals together and, in some cases, bobs its head, chatters, grins, does flips, and more...
killing off an eldery gypsy. Suddenly, the power goes out during the movie. The boy's grandfather, who's watching the boy while his parents are out, explains that he used to write for television, and that the Merlin stories were intended to form the basis of a TV series, each episode of which would feature an item obtained from Merlin's shop bringing a little magic into people's lives. Although the opening segment implies that Merlin's magical interventions in people's lives are intended to have a benign
Benign
A benign tumor is a tumor that lacks the ability to metastasize. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.The term "benign" implies a mild and nonprogressive disease. Indeed, many kinds of benign tumors are harmless to human health...
effect, in practice this proves to be far from the case.
The first story focuses on a married couple, Jonathan and Madeline Cooper. Jonathan is a respected, though obnoxious columnist, and Madeline is desperate for a baby, as she and Jonathan have been unable to conceive
Infertility
Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term...
. The couple visit the store, where Jonathan berates Merlin and threatens to write a negative article in the newspaper that will cause his readers to avoid the store, to Madeline's chagrin. Merlin loans Jonathan his spell book as proof that he is actually the legendary wizard. Jonathan takes the book home and begins to toy with several of the spells. Jonathan becomes convinced of the book's authenticity when an unsuccessful spell to summon a spirit results in breathing fire. Jonathan quickly grows excited and becomes obsessed with the book's powers, but begins to dramatically age due to the rapid depletion of one's life force required to cast the spells. Jonathan attempts to transform his pet cat into a mystical servant, but it becomes demonic and proceeds to attack him. Using the spell from earlier, Jonathan breathes fire and burns the cat alive. By then, Jonathan has aged so severely that his hair is white and receded. Jonathan retrieves the book's rejuvenation
Rejuvenation (aging)
Rejuvenation is the hypothetical reversal of the aging process.Rejuvenation is distinct from life extension. Life extension strategies often study the causes of aging and try to oppose those causes in order to slow aging...
spell and proceeds to create the required potion. He takes a sample of Madeline's blood and adds it to the mixture. Jonathan drinks the potion, but the spell backfires: Jonathan regresses into infancy. Madeline happily decides to raise her former husband as her own child.
The second story then starts off with a thief stealing a toy mechanical monkey
Cymbal-banging monkey toy
A cymbal-banging monkey toy is a mechanical depiction of a monkey holding a cymbal in each hand. When activated it repeatedly bangs its cymbals together and, in some cases, bobs its head, chatters, grins, does flips, and more...
from Merlin's shop and selling it to a novelty store, where it is quickly bought as a birthday present for a young boy. Merlin discovers its theft and begins trying to track the monkey down, as its magic can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. The monkey strikes its cymbals on its own accord; each time they are struck, a nearby living thing dies. The monkey causes the death of several houseplants, the boy's goldfish, and the family dog. The boy's father learns that the toy is possessed by an evil spirit, and numerous attempts to remove it from the house fail. Before the monkey nearly causes the death of the boy and his family, Merlin appears and recovers the toy.
After the stories, the boy listening to the stories falls asleep and his grandfather tucks him in. We then see Merlin closing up his shop for the night.
Production
The second segment of the film is a recut version of The Devil's Gift, a 1984 film made by the same director.MST3K version
The film enjoys the dubious honour of being one of the most recent works to be featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
, the hosts and writers of which used the sloppy editing on the second subplot, the nigh-total disconnect between the two halves of the movie, and the wildly varying tone of the film (which is presented as though it were a family-friendly fantasy, but frequently features horrific incidents) as the basis for many of the jokes. For example, a host segment depicted Mike and the bots taking a look at an (invented) range of Ernest Borgnine children's books, whose benign titles and presentation belied the frightful nature of the stories therein, with the exception of one which has a macabre appearance but features an innocent story. Another host segment depicted Mike Nelson turning into a baby due to his disbelief in magic.
First Subplot
- George Milan - Merlin
- Bunny SummersBunny Summers-Film and television credits:Her movie and television credits include the following --* Doctors' Wives * Fuzz * The World's Greatest Lover * Jokes My Folks Never Told Me * H.O.T.S. * Choices * Skeezer...
- Zurella - John Terrence - Jonathan Cooper III
- Patricia Sansone - Madeline Cooper
- Nicholas NoyesNicholas NoyesNicholas Noyes was a colonial minister in Salem, Massachusetts during the time of the Salem witch trials. He was the second minister, called the "Teacher", to Rev. John Higginson...
- Nicholas - Hillary Young - Nicholas' Mother
- Julia Leigh Miller - Antique Store Clerk
- Ben Sussman - Jake Cosgrove
- Randy Chandler - Burglar
The Devil's Gift
- Bob Mendelsohn - David Andrews
- Struan Robertson - Michael Andrews
- Bruce ParryBruce ParryBruce Parry is a Former Royal Marines Officer and Instructor who is now a TV presenter and adventurer, known particularly for the documentary programme series Tribe , co-produced by the BBC and the Discovery Channel...
- Pete - Vicki Saputo - Susan
- Madelon Phillips - Adrianne the Psychic
- J. Renee Gilbert - Grandma
- Olwen Morgan - Elmira Johnson
- Barry Chandler - Man In Car
- Ángeles Olazábal - Girl On Bike