A woman (Tawny Kitaen) finds an interest in her friend Brandon's Ouija Board when he brings the occult tool by her party.This was the beginning for much of the crew. Writer-director Kevin Tenney had never written or directed before, Kenney's college friend Gerald Geoffray had never produced before, nor had executive producer Walter Josten. Indeed, much of this came out of Tenney's film school classes.Tawny Kitaen was cast because guys in the office were "drooling" during casting when they saw her. Tenney had actually favored another actress, but went with Kitaen because of this perceived charisma. (This casting also was a lucky break, because between filming and release, Kitaen blew up thanks to her infamous Whitesnake videos.) As a side note, O. J. Simpson was dating Kitaen at the time and would visit the set with his red-dyed poodle.While not the greatest of the 1980s horror films, one has to admit this still holds up well. In some ways, it is more amusing now (2014) than it ever was originally because of all the 1980s hair and clothing. For example, just look at Zarabeth (Kathleen Wilhoite)... that is some weird 1980s style.But really, this is something of a modern classic because what other horror film really captures the danger of the Ouija? None come to mind for me, and it seems like such an obvious choice... well played Kevin Tenney for going with this.The Scream Factory disc contains a wealth of bonus features, including two audio commentaries. One of them features Tenney, Gerald Geoffray and Walter Josten, and is excellent, featuring many fine stories, including how much craft services loves doughnuts.

** out of (****)Growing up as a mere lil' fellar, I always had this cautious curiosity with the unknown. I always had this fascination with the paranormal and would be exposed to films such as "The Others", "The Ring", and so on. But one little gadget I had my heart set on was a Ouija board. I heard that absolutely nothing good had come out of it and I've heard some bone-chilling stories that would make the trickle of hairs on my neck stand up. When I recently found out a little 80's cult classic beauty named "Witchboard" surfaced the video shelves, my curiosity was intrigued, and with impeccable interest. Just glancing at the title "Witchboard", it's pretty sensible to assume it's about a woman who draws a connection to the Ouija board, which at first turns out safe and harmless, but as her obsession grows with the object, the board turns evil on her and evil spirits are released.Going by the concept, it sounds amusing enough and it is. One of the strongest suits about movies involving the paranormal is that they always find a way to keep things going. Whether shedding some light on the background history of them, a bump in the night, or a shadow in the day. It's always moving along, same with "Witchboard". It doesn't take long to get the ball rolling and when we're introduced to the little doohickey, all interest is piqued. The acting? Eh, not so much. The performers here aren't exactly the most likable and what they offer is next to nothing. It's almost as if the directors copied some good looking twenty or thirty-somethings and pasted them into the movie, and handed them their scripts. But granted, they aren't terrible. As the film progresses, so do the characters and you'd actually be surprised at the character's motivations or purposes they serve near the film's rising action. The direction? It's a bit on and off here. There are some moments where I thought it used the premise to its fullest potential and others I thought were a true waste of time. The pacing for the most part is right on the money. It feels like one cohesive picture, (possibly) save for the ending.Now the one million dollar question: is it scary? Unfortunately, no, but that doesn't mean it's not suspenseful. There are times where I sprung about a foot or two from my seat. And the tone is consistently suspenseful thanks to the score. But when I say there are some moments where it makes you jump, it's not because the director uses the jump-scare tactic (basically minimizing the volume for about 5 minutes and just making a U-turn with the camera and cranking up the speakers to haphazardly affecting your eardrums). It's because there are its moments that build up genuine suspense and creating a chilling atmosphere.But, my one gripe, that ending. Save for the last three or so minutes and I was contemplating on giving this movie a "6" instead of a mediocre rating, but that resolution just did it for me. They went in such a predictable and uninspiring route. It's almost like eating a nice sandwich, but then finding a hair in it when you're almost done.All in all, "Witchboard" makes for a decent watch. It has its moments and if there's one thing this movie accomplishes, its the setting and tone. However, the acting and the ending just kill "Witchboard". I bet you if I showed someone this movie, being a non-paranormal fan and replaced the ending, they might actually get into these types of movies. But now I see why people steer clear of them. It's just that typical Hollywood resolution.

This is a movie that definitely had some potential, since it featured a good and interesting enough horror concept but this gets ruined by its unimaginative story and approach by its film-makers.This is a movie with a story that would had worked out great as a supernatural thriller but it instead picks a more easy and common horror approach. It's really made like a typical horror flick, while its story called for a more subtle approach. This really goes at the expenses of all of the tension and build up of things. Instead now we have a movie that is lacking in good horror and in which besides far too little is happening.It really isn't until half way through that things really start to kick in. But just when you thought the movie was getting good and interesting again, it gets ruined by its final 30 minutes, which aren't really in tone with the rest of the movie and it ends things quite abruptly as well, which is so disappointing. In fact, the ending was just plain bad and even made me laugh at how clumsily it all got done and was looking.This movie is really some wasted potential.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

WITCHBOARD is a 1980s horror movie about a Ouija Board.The 1980s were a decade where horror was dominated by the slasher genre. I love these movies. They were entertaining and usually tense even if rarely scary. Whether it be Freddy, Jason or Michael, or other works such as THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW, SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE, SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE, VISITING HOURS, SLAUGHTER HIGH, MADMAN or MANIAC, I am definitely a fan of 1980s slasher horror.Non-slasher horrors from the 1980s resulted in a mixed set of works. I love movies like THE CHANGELING, SCANNERS, AFTER MIDNIGHT, CREEPSHOW, DEMONS and DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE. But for each one of these there were plenty I consider sub-par. I thought THE ENTITY, SUPERSTITION, PUPPET MASTER, MAUSOLEUM, SKINNED ALIVE, THE BEAST WITHIN, VIDEODROME, American Gothic, CUJO, ZOMBIE NOSH, MIDNIGHT, PUMPKINHEAD, THE UNSEEN amongst many others were dull, uninspiring works.Before seeing WITCHBOARD, I saw the director's other well-known movie, NIGHT OF THE DEMONS. I can understand the appeal of that movie to fans of 1980s movies. It has all the clichés from the era. But I couldn't get into it at all. I didn't find it effective, scary or particularly entertaining either to be honest. I was very hesitant about seeing WITCHBOARD because of this.But I was wrong because WITCHBOARD is absolutely nothing like NIGHT OF THE DEMONS. There are no teenagers, no silly masks and make-up effects, cheesy sex scenes or gallons of fake blood to be found here. It may have the 1980s costumes and hairstyles but it is different in every other way to a typical 1980s movie.The story sees the spirit of a 10-year old boy, David, who died more than 2000 years ago, released via a Ouija board during a party. Linda Brewster uses the board more and more to the point of obsession. The kindly spirit starts to turn nasty and supernatural occurrences begin.But the story takes many twists and turns. Its strength lays within its solid script and excellent characterisation. This is very much a character-driven affair and the story develops effectively because of it. There was never a dull moment here. The story keeps the viewer guessing as the twists and turns take hold.The two leading male characters - Jim and Brandon - are well fleshed out. The conflict between them in the first half of the movie and how they re-kindle their former strong friendship in the second half was truly compelling, emotionally touching and very realistic.Kevin Tenney's direction is first rate and nothing like his work on NIGHT OF THE DEMONS. Superb camera angles, well-timed sound effects and excellent use of high-pitched chords keep the suspense and tension going in WITCHBOARD.The menacing force is rarely seen but is implied so effectively by the script and the direction. Many of the most horrific and suspenseful scenes actually take place in DAYTIME but this does not do anything to undermine their effectiveness. This is how well-made WITCHBOARD is.The acting is first rate as well. Todd Allen, Tawney Kitaen and Stephen Nichols truly bring their characters to life. There is no overacting here. These actors are nothing like the bland, annoying youngsters you find in a typical 1980s movie. There are thankfully no moronic guys or hysterical young girls to be found.And special mention should be given to Kathleen Wilhoite, whose punk spiritual medium character was one of the most interesting eccentric characters to appear in a horror movie.For those interested, there is one scene of full-frontal female nudity to be found. But it is done in a non-sexual context and in a surprisingly non-gratuitous manner. Again, this is very different from the usual manner nudity features in a typical 1980s movie. I am very fussy in this respect. So if the nudity appeals to me, other guys should be delighted! The only complaint I have is the song over the ending credits. I would rather have had a creepy orchestral score. But this is a minor flaw in an otherwise perfect piece of work.Overall, WITCHBOARD is a truly excellent underrated horror gem from a bygone era. It ranks up high with the best 1980s movies like THE EVIL DEAD and EVILSPEAK in its effectiveness. The low rating on IMDb really is a mystery. I wholeheartedly recommend any horror fan to view it at least once.