Horror Movie Review: The Claire Wizard Thesis (2018)

Written and directed by Ishak Issa, The Claire Wizard Thesis is a comedy ‘horror’ that spoofs The Blair Witch Project. The self-proclaimed ‘next big thing’, Jacob Lewis is unashamed in his plan to make a found-footage horror in exactly the same style as the hit movie.

To make it his own he just plans to make a few adjustments such as the title and instead of a witch it’s a wizard. It really is as absurd as it sounds but it has a huge amount of charm, is very funny at times and pokes fun at all the right horror tropes.

Jacob (Alex Dona) thinks his plan is so fool-proof that he enlists his younger brother, David (James Mitry) to film a documentary about the making of the film! Which is the footage we are watching.

The problems with Jacob’s plan are apparent from the moment he starts talking. He doesn’t have a clue how to actually make a movie and just keeps talking about who he is going to be bigger then. He constantly annoys David who can see through the whole stupidity of the idea (such as the moment where he explains how Claire can’t be a wizard using Harry Potter logic).

Jacob’s attraction to Sophie (Krystal Lencova) sees him hell-bent on making her his leading lady even though she has zero talent. She’s not the worst of the bunch though as French model Diego Acosta (Issa himself) can’t even speak English and Samuel (Will Averill) is just a mate who wants to get high all the time. In fact the only one with any discernible talent is the extra (Tim Love) who Jacob loves to insult every couple of minutes.

It’s Jacob’s narcissism that sees him clash constantly with David who despises how he treats Lucy (Rose Marel). She is so hopelessly in love with him that she is willing to do every aspect of the crew’s job including having her father fund the movie.

Tensions continue to run high as the ‘movie’ takes shape and then Samuel disappears…

Truth be told there isn’t much in the way of horror in The Claire Wizard Thesis. It leans way more towards the comedy aspect but thankfully it hits way more times then it misses. Many times I found myself laughing out loud over some of the back and forth dialogue with a personal favourite being the dispute over continuing to film once trouble has started.

The cast are excellent. Alex Dona is funny and kind of endearing with just how focused he is on his goal to be the greatest. Tim Love is hilarious as an extra who wants that little bit more and can’t understand why Jacob hates him so much. Then there is writer/director Ishak himself whose portrayal of the vapid, empty pretty-boy is absolutely on point. This man has talent.

While calling it a horror is stretching it, The Claire Wizard Thesis is well worth watching thanks to a clever script, great acting and memorable funny moments. Even its abrupt ending works in the context of what we saw up that point!