(from my review at mst3kreview.com)

Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders is a fine satire on stupid people. If it was intended for that...I'll check back with you. The story starts out with the worst child actor in history watching a violent movie, while his demented grandfather (Ernest Borgnine) smiles down upon him. The electricity goes out so the grandfather decides to tell his grandson some stories. At first, you might think that these stories were harmless fairy tales about whimsical, Spielbergian children stories. It isn't until the first story begins that you learn that this grandfather is truly demented.

The first story is about this cynical guy with bad sperm named Jonathan that reviews things for the local newspaper. Merlin has set up this shop somewhere in some city, and Jonathan threatens to give Merlin a bad review. He tells Merlin that he is full of crap and magic is also a bunch of crap, so Merlin gives him a book of spells. Jonathan takes it home and starts reading spells. Before you know it, the cat is roasted alive, knives are flying through the air and demons from the darkest places in hell start visiting him (wow, what a fun children's film!). He then turns old, and then into a baby, and the first segment comes to a merciful end.

The second segment is somewhat more easy to tolerate, although not by any stretch. In this one, Merlin apparently keeps an evil toy monkey in his shop and it is stolen. The robber pawns the monkey and it ends up as a present at a kid's birthday party. Before you know it the kid's goldfish dies and his dog also gets roasted (Oh my God, a cat, goldfish and a dog all get killed? I hope PETA never saw this episode!). The kid's father learns that the toy monkey was behind everything, so he goes to a psychic for help. She yells at him for no reason and doesn't give him much help either. After trying to throw the toy monkey away, it escapes via the kid. The kid almost gets run over by a car. The dad takes the monkey into the middle of the desert and tries to destroy it once and for all. The monkey then unleashes the wrath of God upon him - Although he is buried alive, struck by lightning and hit by a tree, we learn that all is well and he only suffered a minor scratch on his head. His mother comes in town to visit, and she gives her grandson a gift....yup you guessed it, the toy monkey. The monkey almost kills everyone, but Merlin comes just in time. By this time, Borgnine's grandson (and the audience) is shocked, sickened and thoroughly traumatized, so Borgnine decides to stop.

Here's my review Review: This movie never fails to disappoint. And my most current viewing is yet another disappointment. Has society sunk so low that we are reduced to watching movies about satanic monkeys and such nonsense? Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders once again proves just how inept and pointless movies can be. Not only is the movie devoid of content, but of style too! It's just so cheap. Bah! Merlin. BAH! Magic. Who believes in magic? Really? What kind of sick, irrational idiot actually believes in such crap. And so, I end my review, gentle readers....wait....what's that....Oh dear Christ! Oh my God, it's a demon! Yes, yes Satan! I am sorry. Yes! I believe in Magic....don't kill me! Yes, and this is a great movie! Best damn movie ever made!! A ! A ! No don't kill my cat! Noooo!ddsaf dgsfdrgfd66 6kdfd@*$@FJSsg fds.g.ddg.s.p ppppp ..pppppp pppppppp...dfdfdsk,fmsa


Recommended:
No