The Djinn 2021

A few months after the tragic suicide of his mother, Michelle, who took her own life in 1989, Dylan Jacobs, portrayed by Ezra Dewey, moves into a new apartment in Burbank with his father, Michael, played by Rob Brownstein. Left alone as his father works a night shift as a radio DJ, Dylan discovers a hidden grimoire left behind by the previous tenant. As he delves into its contents, he stumbles upon a passage titled “Wish of Desire,” which illustrates a spell meant to grant one’s deepest desire, but it comes with a cautionary warning about a deceptive djinn known to ensnare souls.

In a moment of desperation, Dylan performs the ritual with the hope of gaining a voice. To his astonishment, the electronics around the apartment begin to spring to life on their own. When confronted by an ominous supernatural being, Dylan seeks refuge in the bathroom. The malevolent entity manifests as an escaped convict, recently dead, and attempts to assault him through the bathroom door, even flooding the space with gas. Yet, Dylan manages to fend off his attacker and survive this initial confrontation.

As he attempts to escape through the front door and a window, he quickly learns that he is ensnared in the apartment by supernatural forces. The djinn transforms yet again, this time into the old man who was the previous occupant. In his quest for survival, Dylan revisits the grimoire, discovering that he must endure an hour in the company of the djinn to claim his wish; failing which, he risks being condemned to the shadow realm where the entity originates. The text also reveals that the only way to banish the djinn is to extinguish the ritual candle precisely at midnight.

The djinn escalates its torment by assuming the guise of Dylan’s deceased mother. After surviving numerous onslaughts, it attempts to deceive him with his mother’s voice. Nevertheless, Dylan bravely extinguishes the candle, leading to the apparent disintegration of the djinn. Despite his apparent victory, Dylan’s ability to communicate remains elusive, and he drifts into sleep.

In his dreams, he is transported to a pivotal moment where he questions if he could have intervened to save his mother from her tragic fate; Michelle scorns the notion, telling him that nothing could have changed. After a heartfelt embrace, Dylan awakens to the harsh reality of a new day.

As Michael returns home, the djinn slyly attacks from behind, mercilessly crushing his throat. This horrific incident makes Michael mute, albeit transferring his ability to speak to Dylan. With the djinn vanishing, Dylan realizes with sorrow that his wish was grotesquely twisted, and he is left mourning his father’s suffering.