‘Witchboard’ Is a Mildly Entertaining Callback to the Highs of 80s Horror

If you happen to’re a fan of 80s horror motion pictures, and extra particularly, a fan of movies that celebrated their joyously nightmare-inducing sensible results, you then’re fairly possible a fan of director Chuck Russell. He adopted up his characteristic debut, 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Road 3: Dream Warriors, with the remake of The Blob (1988), and each movies stay favorites amongst horror followers even 4 a long time later. He climbed as much as the massive leagues after that with The Masks (1994) and Eraser (1996) after which fell again down nearly as rapidly with a couple of thrillers seen by even fewer folks. However now, within the yr 2024, Russell has lastly returned to the style that gave him life, and he’s leaping again into that remake nicely with a brand new tackle one other horror favourite from the 80s. Welcome to Chuck Russell’s Witchboard… even when it’s not fairly the profitable homecoming you’re hoping for.

Emily (Madison Iseman) and her fiancé Christian (Aaron Dominguez) are foraging for mushrooms within the woods outdoors New Orleans, however as an alternative of some scrumptious fungi for his or her imminent restaurant grand opening, they discover an previous witchboard — suppose a pre-Ouija board Ouija board — as an alternative. A gap flashback set in seventeenth century France means viewers already know the difficulty it holds, however for the younger couple in find it irresistible’s merely window dressing for his or her culinary ardour venture. It’s not lengthy earlier than the board’s sole occupant, a long-dead witch named Naga Soth (Antonia Desplat) is possessing Emily and orchestrating murderous mayhem on Bourbon Road!

Russell’s Witchboard isn’t a legacy sequel of any type that means there’s no direct narrative connection to the 80s movie, however his script nonetheless carries over some largely minor nods. The essential gist stays, however this trip we’re subjected to some pointless flashbacks that drag the movie’s momentum and pad a operating time that’s already extreme for the fabric at just below two hours. As a lot as I like seeing Russell again within the horror saddle — and it’s clear that an actual director helmed this one versus some hack — however hoo boy does it want some trimming. The movie completely drags between kills, an issue exacerbated by the truth that there are far too few of them till we get to the massive finale.

We’re teased one thing extra energetic and enjoyable with the primary modern-day kill within the restaurant’s kitchen. It’s not fairly a Closing Vacation spot-worthy setup, but it surely’s shut as varied components come into play forming a sequence response that ends with this movie’s “DJ Qualls” character (Charlie Tahan) having his hand sliced off. It’s a enjoyable bit, one preceded by Naga’s ominous reflections in varied steel surfaces, however Russell performs it as a one-off preferring to make his simple plot a bit denser with the arrival of a rich freak named Alexander Babtiste performed by a voracious Jamie Campbell Bower — critically, the person is “hungry” and eats nicely in each one in every of his scenes leaving the remainder of the performers in his mud. Between this and Horizon: An American Saga, 2024 is exhibiting his long-term profession path as a scene-stealing villain is already locked in.

As entertainingly evil as Babtiste is, although, his storyline looks like an ill-informed tangent in Witchboard. Pointless problems make his function considerably complicated, and as talked about above, it takes away from extra alternatives for witchy shenanigans. The kills we do get use a mixture of sensible results and underwhelming CG, however there’s not almost sufficient for a two-hour funding. The historical past of the board, Naga, and Babtiste are probably the most uninteresting components at play, however Russell insists on making them a precedence for a B-movie that ought to know higher. We get some minor smiles out of it and a handful of guffaws, each intentional and in any other case, however viewers jonesing for extra 80s-inspired antics are left chilly till the third act finale — that comes earlier than the movie’s fourth act finale.

Witchboard is an okay romp, a barely higher one if Russell makes some considered cuts earlier than its eventual launch, however it could’t contact the unique and even come near the highs of his personal 80s classics. That’s advantageous, not every little thing must be the perfect, and if opens the door wider for Russell’s horror renaissance to proceed? Effectively, that’s the type of magic we are able to all get behind.

The twenty eighth version of the Fantasia International Film Festival runs July 18th to August 4th in lovely Montreal, Quebec. Comply with together with our protection here.

Associated Matters: Chuck Russell, Fantasia Film Festival, Horror

Rob Hunter has been writing for Movie College Rejects since earlier than you had been born, which is bizarre seeing as he is so rattling younger. He is our Chief Movie Critic and Affiliate Editor and lists ‘Broadcast Information’ as his favourite movie of all time. Be at liberty to say hello for those who see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.