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Wendy Derleth
Wendy Derleth
Aliases: Professor Wendy Derleth
Franchise: Wishmaster
Notability: Supporting character
Type: Teacher
Gender: Female
Location: California
Status: Alive [1]
Born: 1942 [2]
Died: 1997 [3]
First: Wishmaster (1997)
Actor: Jenny O'Hara

Wendy Derleth is a fictional teacher and a supporting character featured in the Wishmaster film series. Played by actress Jenny O'Hara, she appeared in the first installment of the series, Wishmaster in 1997.

Biography[]

Wendy Derleth was a professor of folklore at a university in California. Occasionally, she was called upon to lend her expertise to projects going on with the drama department, but admitted that such a thing was not really in her wheelhouse.

In 1997, a woman named Alexandra Amberson came to Professor Derleth for advice under the recommendation of art collector Raymond Beaumont. Derleth had history with Beaumont and saw Amberson's apparent disinterest in the man as a sign of good judgment. Alex had been suffering from recent nightmares and prophetic visions relating to the presence of a Djinn. Without revealing too much, she picked Derleth's brain about the true nature of such creatures. Wendy was quite knowledgeable about Djinn and was quick to point out that these creatures were not cute and funny as one would expect from the likes of Barbara Eden or Robin Williams. They were dangerous and ruthless monsters born from the shadows cast by the first light of creation. She told her that once a Djinn succeeded in performing three wishes to the one who had awakened him, he would then have the power to open the doorway between worlds, allowing the rest of his race the chance to overrun the world. Alex thanked Professor Derleth and went on her way.

The following day, the Wishmaster Djinn began tracking Alex Amberson down. As she is the one who had awakened the Djinn, he was obligated to grant her three wishes. He knew that she had gone to see Professor Derleth and paid a visit to the older woman himself. Unable to get the information he needed, he decided to show Derleth his true form. The sight was so horrific, that the professor made a wish that ultimately resulted in her death. The Djinn then took Derleth's face and assumed her form. He made a telephone call to Alex, asking her to stop by her home.

Alex arrived and the Djinn, as Derleth, greeted her, coaxing her into expressing certain desires that could be interpreted as wishes. Despite his subtle efforts to trick her into making a wish, Alex declined. Ultimately, the Djinn revealed his true face, confessing that he had killed the real professor, whose body was left in the bedroom.

After a series of devastating events, Alex Amberson finally made her third wish. Her wish altered the recent past, preventing the Djinn from ever being awakened. As such, all of the actions he had perpetuated in the previous two days were undone, including the murder of Wendy Derleth.

Notes & Trivia[]

  • The character of Wendy Derleth was likely named after author August Derleth, a contemporary of famed Gothic horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.

See also[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. Killed in the original timeline, but this was reversed due to Alexandra Amberson's third wish.
  2. Date approximated based upon the age of actress Jenny O'Hara.
  3. Original timeline only.


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