Witchboard [DVD]

After moving into her new home with her boyfriend Jim (Todd Allen, "Dollar Bill" in QT's Django Unchained), Linda Brewster (Kitaen, from the classic film, Gwendoline and that Whitesnake video. Or was there two? Anyway...) hosts a housewarming party and, in a friendly gesture, invites her snooty (archetypally 80s) ex-boyfriend Brandon (Stephen Nichols) to attend. Despite her good intentions, the festivity is wrought with tension between the romantic rivals, who we learn used to be childhood friends before the luscious redhead entered their lives. Brandon produces a Ouija board as a party game and lures Linda into joining him at the planchette, but things go awry when Todd unwisely ridicules the spirit of a ten-year-old boy, causing the board to flip into the air and Brandon’s tires to explode. Yikes! The next day, Linda uses the board again (alone), and soon finds herself obsessed with her new beyond-the-plain companion, and, as the bodies start piling up, exhibits signs that she has been possessed by the malevolent tot. The two hunky guys must put aside their differences if they hope to save Linda’s soul...and their own lives.Witchboard was the feature debut from USC film school wunderkind Kevin S. Tenney, who already had a student Emmy to his name and a three-picture deal with Ivan Reitman before graduating. (He'd later direct Night of the Demons and dozens of unofficial sequels to genre hits.) Considering the low budget and relative inexperience of everyone involved, there’s a lot to admire in the flashy cinematography (this was lensed by the DP of Elm Street 3, and dozens of cable/TV series), excellent production values, and (for a B flick) attention to character over scares or gore. That said, it’s still a pretty slow-moving and uninvolving, further hindered by Allen’s off-putting lead performance. We are told several times that Jim has problems with intimacy (he can only respond “I know” when Linda tells him “I love you”), but being emotionally stunted doesn’t have to equate to being an obnoxious jerk. The result is a lack of identification with our protagonist, which no number of beefcake scenes featuring Allen’s manly hairy chest can help.On the flip side, we have the 80s-style hunk, Nichols – who went on to enjoy a career in soap operas – over-emoting as though there was a bet on. (We learn on the commentary track that Tenney encouraged such histrionics, wanting there to be a large contrast between Allen and Nichols’ characters. Mission accomplished, Kev, except that now there are two unpleasant male leads vying for Tawney's heart.) In the middle, there is the lovely but lightweight Kitaen, who does her best with the fanciful material, remaining an engaging presence even as she slips into paranormal thrall. The worst offender in the acting stakes, by far, is Kathleen Wilhoite’s (Private School, Murphy's Law, Campus Man, Roadhouse, and dozens of mainstream bit roles) "punk rock" - the cheesy type created by the clueless - spiritual medium Zarabeth, trotting out lame Valley Girlisms and stupefyingly unfunny examples of “psychic humor.” Only Burke Brynes ( "10" , The Onion Field, Airplane 2, Child's Play 3, Bound for Glory) as a pleasantly low-key police detective, seems to find the middle ground between quirky and appealing. Rose Marie(!) from the Dick Van Dyke show also appears.Tenney’s capable grasp on the mechanics of filmmaking is evidenced by a number of impressive crane shots (presumably the work of the aforementioned DP) and well-staged action sequences – one character’s demise-by-sundial is particularly memorable – and in spite of the errant thesping noted above, the final result remains fairly entertaining. Even when an ambitious shot doesn’t come off successfully, such as a climactic POV crash through a window onto a parking lot below, one has to admire the youthful moxie. (There’s also a Kitaen shower scene to recommend, which avoids being completely gratuitous by actually serving the plot.) The film found an appreciative audience both during its theatrical release and on VHS, spawned two sequels, and has now been brought screaming back to life by the good folks at Scream Factory in a deluxe edition DVD/BR combo, stuffed to bursting with tasty supplements and goodies galore.The commentary track that Tenney shares with Nichols, Wilhoite, and James Quinn (who plays Allen’s ill-fated construction worker pal, who appeared in nearly every film by Tenney), while filled with good-natured conviviality, comes off a little strained – we learn a few enjoyable bits of trivia, but it’s a long road of labored jokes and needling absent friends to get there. Oddly -or not -enough, it is Wilhoite (who as noted, started in teen exploitation and currently a prolific mainstream actress) who proves the most able moderator, asking pertinent questions to keep the track on track. The other commentary with executive producer Walter Josten, and producer Jeff Geoffreys is a more sober and informative affair – not to say they don’t all have a good time reminiscing about their first major success, but Tenney has calmed down considerably, making it a better ride.There’s also a 45-minute making-of doc, “Progressive Entrapment,” produced by Aine Leicht (who has almost a hundred "making of" docs to her credit. All excellent; movies both high and low) which gathers all the major players together for some fond reminiscences. Allen and Kitaen express their deep affections for one another, while Nichols remains effortlessly charming and pleasantly craggy. Tenney, who co-produced the special features, seemingly had the foresight to shoot a lot of behind-the-scenes footage during a time when such a thing was not considered de rigueur. Much of this footage appears in additional interview blocks with Allen and Nichols (each lasting more than 20 minutes), as well as a vintage making-of piece that shows how some of the more difficult effects were accomplished.With a still gallery, trailers, and more, this is a supremely satisfying package that should cause Witchboard fans to dissolve into paroxysms of Steel Breeze-infused ecstasy while giving those who are not as overly impressed with the final product a fuller appreciation and context for the film overall. Hats off to Leicht, Tenney, and all involved.

I enjoyed WITCHBOARD as soon as I watched it! Sometimes it's hard to find an effective horror movie about Ouija boards with 3 dimensional characters but this has those realistic elements to keep it grounded in the supernatural tale. I really liked most of the characters too; I felt for them and that makes it more intriguing and heartfelt. Well crafted plot, believable circumstances, suspensefully directed.Blu-ray resolution is fantastic too! Sound quality is perfect. No complaints with this scream factory release.Extras are absolutely incredible too! I loved seeing the cast and crew discuss the process of making the film. Admirable too, especially from a film graduate's perspective developing her own horror film. I absolutely adore 80's horror!

I think a good number of people have tried a Ouija (a combination of the French and German words for yes, Oui - Ja) board at least once in their lives, most likely when they were younger, as we're generally more open and accepting in believing in the supernatural possibilities inherent within the game. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's a board inscribed with all the letters of the alphabet, numbers from 0 to 9, and the words yes, no, maybe, and good-bye. There's also a piece called a planchette, which is a movable three-legged device people would put their fingertips on, and then pose questions that would be answered by whatever supernatural elements may be around at the time, spelling out words or pointing to the words printed on the board. Do spirits actually move the planchette, sending messages from beyond the grave? No...the movements are really caused by unnoticeable, and usually unintentional, forces of the persons whose hands are on the planchette, and usually end up spelling out gibberish and unintellible words.Witchboard (1985), written and directed by Kevin Tenney, presents the notion that the Ouija board is actually a link to supernatural, even a portal at times, and what happens when a particularly nasty spirit decides to try and make use of the portal. The film stars Tawny Kitaen (yes, the girl from the Whitesnake video), Todd Allen, who appeared in the very excellent western Silverado in the same year, and soap opera regular Stephen Nichols. As the film begins, we are in the midst of a party, hosted by Linda (Kitaen), and her boyfriend Jim (Allen). It seems to be going alright, although it seemed like there was something lacking from your typical 80's party, namely the cocainia...anyway, for some unknown reason, Linda has invited her old beau, Brandon (Nichols), and the tension soon rises between Brandon and Jim, as they used to be best friends, and Brandon blames Jim for stealing Linda away from him...whether he did or not, we will find out later, but mostly this just established Linda as a real bonehead for not taking more care in making up the guest list. As a tension breaker, Linda suggests they play a game Brandon has brought, an Ouija board. Brandon, a true believer, claims to have contacted many spirits, and also claims it's all the real deal, and not some hokem pokem child's game. To prove it, he demonstrates the boards' power by trying to contact a deceased boy named David. Contact is made, but there are a few who aren't convinced, Jim being one, and he basically says it's all a bunch of hooey, which seems to agitate the spirit, and causes some unexplained phenomena included the popping of the tires on Brandon's car. As the guests leave, Brandon forgets to take his Ouija board, and so Linda starts using it by herself, which is dangerous as she soon starts acting strange as the spirit begins taking possession of her. Questions begin arise, after a couple of particularly gruesome death of a friend, regarding the true nature of the spirit, its' intentions, and its' true identity. Jim and Brandon manage to put aside their differences as they see changes within Linda, and fear she may be suffering from her contact with the unknown. Who is the spirit and what does it want? You'll find out...This really isn't a bad little movie, as there seemed to be more emphasis on the suspense elements within the story rather than just a usual slasher picture that was so very common throughout the 80's. The direction was capable, much better than I would have though, considering this was Tenney's first film, although the script did suffer some fairly lame dialog. One thing I found highly annoying was the character of Jim and his constant use of the word `babe' when talking to his girlfriend Linda. The development of the characters was a bit weak, especially the point of Jim's inability to say the words, "I love you" to his girlfriend. His standard reply whenever she would speak the line was "I know you do". This hardly endears him to the viewing audience, but it does set up for him to profess his love later on, as he and Linda endure much by the end of the movie, and allows him to appear to have grown through the ordeal...it was just such an obvious plot device. Ms. Kitaen did better than I would have thought, as she does appear to possess a modicum of talent, and maybe with a stronger script, she might have come off better (there's even a brief nude shower scene). I felt a little disconnected from the story, as the protagonist was an invisible spirit throughout, whose motives were a bit murky until near the end. We finally do meet him, but I couldn't help think the movie would have benefited had he appeared sooner in the film. The plot does manage to stay on track through, avoiding major plot holes, and wraps up nicely with a less than shocking twist. It did plod along at more than one point, causing the film to run longer than I thought necessary, at a whopping 98 minutes. The worst part about the film was that of character Zarabeth, a medium, played by character actress Kathleen Wilhoite. You may remember her starring opposite Charles Bronson in the 1986 film Murphy's Law. I find her so completely annoying on so many levels.The wide screen print here looks great and special features include a commentary track by the director and a couple of producers. Also included is a 23 minute `making of' documentary, a theatrical trailer, and a couple of TV spots. Finally, inside the case, is a mini reproduction of an Ouija board, complete with pointer. Anchor Bay does a great job with the release, so while the film is three stars, I am giving one extra for the overall release.Cookieman108

I love Stephen Nicolas

Linda borrows her friend's oujia board and becomes obsessed with it. Obsession turns into possession. It's up to lover Jim and friend Brandon to save Linda.This movie has it's plot holes and cliches. But hey, it's a great 80's movie. I love the 80's movies. Most of the best cheesy and loveable movies comes from the 80's.One of my favourite things about this movie is the character - Zarabeth. She is so zany, funny, witty and your true American. She always puts a smile on my face!

Quick delivery, exactly as described. Couldn't wait to watch it....didn't disappoint!! Can't beat the 80's films, they knew how to make them back then! Most movies these days are a disappointment.

Played well 3 quarters through then played up and couldn't finish watching it as it wouldn't play

Love this film. It asks a lot of questions on the use of Ouija Boards

still creepy after all these years.... think i hadnt seen this since i was 10 years old which is 30 years ago..glad i bought it