It is always intriguing to explore new dimensions of beloved cartoon heroes such as Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and even Popeye the Sailor Man. So, imagine my glee at discovering that the newest character joining the ranks of “good-gone-bad” figures is none other than the would-be prince, Aladdin!  

This dark tale of nightmarish dread serves up more suspenseful horror than graphic gore…and that is well received when assembling a semi-complexed story of the origin of this mystical lamp and the ancient curse that clings to its owner. Let’s begin this eerie path…  

Rachel (the lovely Devanny Pinn in a demurer role than normal), struggles with megalophobia: an intense fear of large objects such as skyscrapers, airplanes, statues, etc. Although treatable, it requires exposure therapy…aka, facing your fears. Her mildly intolerant boyfriend, Jake (an impressive Billy Blair) brings the reluctant Rachel to a beautiful, albeit LARGE cabin for a weekend getaway on “doctor’s orders” in hopes of curing this mysterious condition.  

As she hesitantly strolls from one room to another, she uncovers the cryptic lamp that was stored away in a bathroom drawer and is immediately mesmerized by its magical beauty. Or is it a bewitching chill that becomes hauntingly attractive?  

Once their married couple friends Mel and Derrick arrive to add a laid-back atmosphere of pleasantry fun to the mix, all hell breaks loose when Mel tempts fate by testing the lamp’s powers in a mimicking manner by…what else? Wishing for one million dollars. Very cliché, however it slowly opens the doors to the evil entity that will possess the visiting household of believers and turns sinister quicker than you can say genie in a bottle.  

With an unbelievable turn of events involving a “Rosemary’s Baby” pregnancy, sacrificial murders at the demands of the wish bearer and the learned legacy of a sweet young orphan named Aladdin, the friends are pitted against each other in pre-conditioned tactics, completely void of emotional ties they once had for one another.  

Aladdin is a vicious fable constructed through a ruthless curse that singles out an innocent child, transforming him into a soul-seeking demon for malicious intentions. The woven thread of wickedness which binds him to this prophecy of doomsday is what perpetrates further suffering in the one wholesome identity that refuses to submit to the menacing force suffocating her. Aladdin will make you second guess what your three wishes ought to be when dealing with repercussions of literal vs figurative meaning. Perhaps the ladies should have listened to Jake and Derrick – take the money and run. Great greedy advice, gentlemen!