Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, August 26, 1995                   TAG: 9508280054
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

'LORD OF ILLUSIONS' IS NOTHING WITHOUT ITS STRONG SHOCK VALUE

It's a supernatural tale based on sadomasochism, torture and self-mutilation with a strong undercurrent of kinky homosexuality.

Is that entertainment or what?

The story begins with a particularly nasty introduction involving Nix (Daniel Von Bargen), a Mansonesque cult leader, and his unattractive followers in the Mojave Desert, 1982. Flash forward to the present where Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula), a private detective with a bent for the supernatural, is recovering from an exorcism he assisted. A flimsy pretext takes him to Los Angeles where he involves himself with a magician (Kevin J. O'Connor) and his wife (Famke Janssen). Several folks are killed in the course of Harry's "investigation," though that's really too strong a word to apply to the plot.

It's difficult to tell exactly how serious all this is meant to be taken. There's virtually no intentional humor in the film (though there would certainly seem to be strong parallels between Ace Ventura and Harry D'Amour), and the characters regularly make pronouncements about Good and Evil, the nature of reality, etc. At the same time, one of the main bad guys runs around in skintight gold-lame pants, and the big finish is a drawn-out affair with about a dozen you-think-he's-dead-but-he's-not cinematic cliches.

Though Barker is known best as a novelist, the characters are thin and the dialogue is pedestrian. As a director, he relies on the admittedly strong shock value of his material to hold the audience's attention. Otherwise, the pace is leaden.

In the end, those who find something enjoyable about watching sharp glass and metal objects pierce human flesh may find a lot to like "Lord of Illusions," but everyone else can give it a pass.

Lord of Illusions *

An MGM/UA release playing at the Salem Valley 8. 92 min. Rated R for violence, brief nudity, subject matter, strong language.