Emilly and her friends discover a Witchboard in the forest. They learn the hard way that such practices have fatal ramifications. They have to stop it before it is too late.
Most Akis’ these movies hoping to be entertaining end up being a cringe-fest. Only The Blob and A Nightmare on Elm street 3: The Dream Warriors come to mind as not only entertaining but even more compelling, a joyous fusion of graphic violence and black humor. That’s why I was overjoyed to witness screenwriter and filmmaker Chuck Russell finally return to the horror genre after almost 25 years of absence. First, there’s the fact that it’s his intention to remake 1986’s Witchboard, a movie that was about a Ouija board of sorts. So yes, this should be easy for you. Therefore, my agitation with the movie 2024’s Witchboard is that it seems somewhat unfinished.
If you were looking forward to the 1986 plot being continued, be prepared for disappointment because this isn’t the story in question. Rather, we’re given a story where the girl finds the board and gets possessed. Confusing quite a number of other aspects of the film, I felt that the original plot was not sufficient. All of this added to the story a little restaurant opening and a mysterious benefactor. At times, I had to look and verify that I was not viewing a film produced by Blumhouse. Witchboard does not escape the curse of the uninspired characters and a very run of the mill plot. Everything about the film feels cut from a template.
Madison Iseman has managed to make an entrance and exit to the genre from time to time, and she plays her part as the lead, Emily, quite well. I wonder how fellow viewers will respond to her as she is pretty much the reason her pals get into trouble for. I usually have a hard time sympathizing with that type of character, such as her. It is sheer annoyance that she has no clue of what is going on. The Witchboard is evidently working on her while it becomes increasingly difficult to support her as she looks rather foolish. Nor did she help the case with her drug dealer ex boy friend. Once more, I find it really difficult to root for. But, Iseman herself performs exceptionally well. So the real lead is Aaron Dominguez, and he is good enough. His affection towards Emily was clear, but there were days I found myself thinking, ‘What in the world does he find so attractive about that girl?’ He is completely an over simplified personality.
Jamie Campbell Bower in the role of Alexander Babtiste steals the show. Due to his convincing portrayal of Vecna in Stranger Things, it can be argued that Bowers possesses a voice that is almost angelic. His character is built on typical tropes, yet he breathes life into it. He’s underappreciated once again, this time in regard to the film’s ending. The epitome of sinister in this drama in my opinion is someone who definitely should not be. Charlie Tahan, who himself is familiar with Lady Macbeth, disappoints by not being given enough time in the film.
There is a definite satisfaction in seeing the new board that accompanies Charlie’s character and denounces the use of a typical ouija board. I will not argue that it is an impressive design because like its predecessor, it was perhaps created with licensing in mind. Even the city in which this Witchboard is based is provided a fitting witchy sound. There is justification to place it in that city since the region has its fair share of witchcraft.
The cutaway gore and the FX blood, for example, got a little too exaggerated and started to annoy me the more I saw it. There are even basic moments where something physical could exploit but they use a CGI which is kind of lame. Not everything however, is CGI, because there is a great throat slash and there are some good moments as well. The mixing of elements is very expertly integrated together. The film definitely doesn’t shy away from getting sloshy. Most of the time, however, I was astounded by the volume of violence portrayed through the computer: CGI bloods and much of blood are kites. Is it really a challenge to combine Karo Syrup with red food dye? The further the perspective of the last scene reveals the sense kill scares rather than kill itself). I was wishing, but came away unimpressed by the kills as I expected Rube Goldberg to take part.
Witchboard is just ridiculous and obviously meant to be watched with a group of people. It’s more formulaic than I expected, but Russell does a good job with some Final Destinationy kills. Nobody is likeable because they are constantly screwing up, but the antagonist is unique and entertaining. I’m certain that an additional viewing and hoping for the abuse of these kids would yield a better return on investment in terms of time required to achieve the desired results. However, to flaunt this kind of skill set and come up with this kind of outcome, this film is best left on the shelf.
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