 Thanks for checking out this movie review video. This is for the 1986 film witch board now This is a film that I had seen some people talk about here and there on the internet I'm in this horror group on Facebook and I seen a few people post about it talking about it It's kind of like a hidden gem from the 80s And I assumed with with a lot of these hidden gems from the 80s They would be one of those films that falls in the category of so bad It's good and that's why it's a hidden gem But after watching this film for the first time I actually think it's a good legitimate film. It's not so bad. It's good I think it's written well the script is very good the dialogues good the stories good, you know It has its problems, but overall it's a compelling story, and I think it's executed pretty well So I was very surprised with what I was getting based off what I was expecting so let's talk talk about this obviously spoilers for this film because It's an older film. So I always do spoilers step This was written and directed by Kevin Tenney who did films night of the demons Witch trap witch board to Pinocchio's revenge and don't let them in amongst other films Tawny Cattain is in this fan. It is in the family in this film And she was in films like bachelor party crystal heart happy hour and most well-known for white snake videos Now I do have to say that most people would think oh Tawny Cattain from the white snake videos. She probably didn't do that good of a job She did a good job in this film her acting was good And in particular my favorite part with her in this film is at the end when she's in that standoff with Jim And the demons kind of speaking through her like her facial expressions and her lip movements of how she Delivers those lines was I mean it was right on for what you would want for like a possessed person at that point So she did a really good job with that. I mean obviously it wasn't her voice really coming through it was you know changed But she did a really good job with that Um, they had about a two million dollar budget and they made about seven point four million dollars off of it So it was actually pretty You know did all right for back then There were some unrelated sequels that ended up getting released to this film in 1993 There was witch board 2 the devil's doorway and then in 1995 there was witch board 3 the possession Now the key thing about this is unrelated They just kind of took the title and tried to get some sort of notoriety off it And they don't tie into the story. So I don't know if I'll check those sequels out or not. I don't know Tenny used the concept of progressive entrapment to create his script Which basically is the idea that that's talked about in the film by brandon About someone it progressively kind of being like pulled in by a demon or by some sort of spirit That they contact through a Ouija board or Ouija board. Sorry brandon make sure to You know correct everyone would say say Ouija, but it's Ouija But um, yeah, so that whole concept of the progressive entrapment. I've not Seen that covered or talked about in film having to do with you know possessions or you know ghost stuff So it was cool to see that used. I'm sure it's been used at some point. I just haven't seen it in the film But uh, it's a good concept to start with and that's where he started for uh started with for his script Tenny sought to make it a character driven film and based it and based the character of jim on himself Which I think did work quite well That's one of the things I like about the film so much Is it is about the Ouija board and it is about the use of the Ouija board and it is about the demon and the possession But primarily it is about the characters and it's about their relationships And the way it's written it is character driven in the sense that these are characters that are well fleshed out The relationships with each other are well fleshed out Including their past issues with each other with each other that kind of are the main Point of the film and how they kind of end up working through those But then also how they interact with each other and how Their actual dialogue with each other is it feels realistic and it just works Like that whole thing works the compelling stuff here for me Is their actual relationships and how? This Ouija board gets In the mix of it and actually makes makes things worse in a way But in a sense makes makes things better because I mean as messed up as the whole situation is the Ouija board bring and the demon Bring jim and brandon back together who obviously were Childhood friends and then they you know went separate ways because they started having beef with each other mainly because of linda And the fact that brandon was still in love with linda, but linda's with jim You know So it ended up working things out at the end So it's cool that it causes bad things and some unintended good things at the same time So I like that about it The film was originally going to be called Ouija But they found out that parker brothers own the rights to that name. So But by the time they found this out should done their due diligence beforehand They had already done some of the filming so they'd already used Ouija boards in the film They had already said the word Ouija board in the film. So in order to Not have litigation come against them. They ended up needing to pay $50,000 in order to Use continue to use the you know images of the Ouija board and The word Ouija board in the film, but they did have to change the title. That's why it's called witch board so There were a lot of pranks apparently that went on on the set, but also They reported some odd happenings. So it's potentially one of those films that could be covered for that series cursed films on Shutter, you know, I don't think anything like super bad happened with some of the films that are like some of the films that are covered in that series But apparently there were odd happenings And some people would say it's because of the Ouija board. So just saying Okay So even before I started watching this film when I popped the dvd in because that's how I got a hold of it I you did netflix dvd service, which I love I swear by everyone should get it if you're a true Film nerd and you want some of the good older stuff Why the hell have I not heard of steel breeze until now the the 80s band steel breeze Because their theme song that they did for this is a very catchy b very 80s, which I'm all about that. So when I heard it when it was the um the menu screen I was just like I just let the menu screen go for a while before I started the film because I was like This song I kind of dig this song and then I started looking at the steel breeze and I was just like Why am I just hearing about this band? What happened? So they went nowhere unfortunately, but maybe we can get them popular now and then maybe they can go out on tour. I don't know Um, so this film starts with the social drama You know, it's obvious at first at the party that there is tension that there's a problem in this love triangle with brandon Jim and linda and it establishes that immediately and it does it in a good way Because it also does it in a fun way. It's happening at the party There are jokes thrown around people having witty banter with each other and once again the dialogue is well written for the most part So it's a nice easy way to get into it and then establish that there is that kind of Problem with Jim and linda, but then also that relationship problem with brandon and Jim and obviously it also seems I thought they were going to go down this path a little bit more But it also seems that linda still kind of has some feelings for brandon They kind of abandon that though after the party's situation So I thought they were going to do more with that. They didn't in a band. All right. Not a big deal Uh, they do a good job of laying out the Ouija rules Which you know, primarily brandon is the one who brings all that out Uh, or brings all that up, but also the idea of kind of um, Injecting some doubt as to what's going on because brandon even says in the beginning when he's talking about the Ouija rules That you know, the the spirits oftentimes will lie Sometimes they misspell And then when he starts using it He even says that oh this isn't david because he's because he talks about how he's contacted david so many times because he's For some reason tied to that one board and he theorizes that the board was made on the day that david died Which is why he's kind of tied to that Which is also an interesting concept, but Then him talking about oh, well, this is another spirit and then that spirit's gone and then david comes through um, it's it's quick enough that People can be thrown off as to what's actually going on and think that going forward it's david But it's it's injected in there so that when it comes back later that it is not david people think back and they're just like Oh, okay, because there was another demon that showed up at the party or another spirit that showed up at the party And this one's not good Now because that was done, you know me the way the way that I watch these films when I'm doing notes I was like well that wouldn't be in there for no reason So I knew I knew going forward that most likely david would not be the one being contacted by lynda. So Um, also knowing that this had something to do with the progressive entrapment idea. So, you know Um, the eerie music and camera moving uh to the weegee to the weegee Is strong for shadowing of things to come that happens not long after the party Where it's kind of like free moving and it just goes to the weegee I think that's you know your first foreshadowing of something coming from it And in general, um, there were a lot of those kind of like free floating spirit vision type Uh camera movements in the film and I thought when they did those they looked really good Like they they put them high up enough off the ground that you could tell it wasn't a person That it was some sort of you know spectral something and the the way it moved was very kind of ethereal It was very smooth and I like that they did a good job with it Um kind of using the weegee on her own or I'm sorry lynda lynda using the weegee on her own is ill advised Obviously, which we find by the end of this film, especially knowing that another spirit had been trying to come through Now this just kind of speaks to the fact that lynda was just Not that bright with with dealing with this thing and she and she was warned like everyone at the party was warned To not you know take it with a grain of salt. It is a serious thing Which is kind of probably why brandon shouldn't have left it at the party in the first place Like if he was so serious about this isn't just to be messed with he should have kept it with him So that's kind of an issue there I assume the first dead I I did assume Um that the first deadly accident was actually meant for jim And not loyed the guy who gets all that stuff dropped on him and dies Which I was sad about that because I loved loyed as a character. He was funny But um, obviously it comes into question later in the film at the very end. Where's there's the The showdown between jim and the possessed lynda where the demon basically says Um, you're the portal, you know, lynda's not the portal You're the portal and I wasn't I wasn't trying to kill you before I was trying to kill loyed And I was trying to kill all these people in your life to cause you all this strife Now when that happens you start thinking about and you're just like, oh man Like it is kind of like those one of those. Whoa, that's a good twist moment But at the same time you're questioning Is this yet another lie because that's one of the things that was laid out in the beginning Is these spirits will lie consistently and I kind of view it as probably what was going on is that the The evil spirit was lying to jim to try and get him to kill himself because he was saying well, you're the portal So basically if you close the portal By killing yourself then problem solved. So he did obviously Entertain the idea for a little bit when he put the gun up to himself But he didn't go through with it. So for that reason and the fact that after he shot the actual board It got rid of the spirit for then Momentarily as we find out at the end I think that it was a lie that the jim wasn't actually the portal all along that it actually was lynda. So um I put down when I was watching it. Uh-oh This is how the spirit establishes trust with lynda giving her the location of her missing ring So that is actually talked about later when brandon is talking to jim and is at his job And basically saying, you know laying out what that progressive entrapment is and he kind of laid it out as you know First it'll be nice to her and then it'll you know help her with things And then after that it starts to be kind of mean and then it becomes abusive and tries to scare And then it just gets worse and worse and worse so I like I already talked about that one. I like how the lieutenant This lieutenant who shows up Not a lot in the film like he's not like he's this peripheral character. It's kind of like he just pops up when it's convenient Um, I like how he confronts Jim at Lloyd's funeral and then shows up doesn't show up again until lynda's in the hospital And then shows up at the right time at the end when jim and lynda are having that face off Um The the funeral him showing up at the funeral and at the hospital I was just like what an ass like if those are the only times you're showing up If you're wrong about this guy about jim being the person who's at fault here or the killer um You're a terrible person. So like it just felt it just felt so over the top for that guy to be that way just saying If what brandon brandon had to tell lynda was so important when he ended up calling her back after they're disconnected so The thing is i'm assuming the phone wasn't always dead and that's the thing So I feel like there's a little bit of a plot hole that he would have called back But then they had the part where you know, he goes to talk to jim at the at the um as workplace Which for the story works a lot better because then lynda still has no clue really what's going on She hasn't really been warned and then you also have the ability for brandon and jim to start talking again And to start rekindling their relationship because they now have a common enemy a common Goal to work for that brings them back together. So i'm i'm good with that. It works The knife in the kitchen That flies off the that board that it was sticking on and into the floor And then the ketchup tips over and it goes on the knife. I thought that was a cool scene I thought that was a really effective way to kind of for the spirit to scare lynda. I liked it um The psychic stoner chick, uh, that's how I put it as a bet. I think is that what she was calling herself She was fun. Really cool character. I like the way she talked I like the way she acted. She was a good time. Uh, it's she seemed like a stoner psychic, right? Am I right? She kept being like Oh psychic humor I thought that was funny The scene of lynda getting thrown around by david is was funny because that was actually not well done. That was kind of a laughable scene, uh, but I you know having that in there because from the 80s totally fine I enjoy that from time to time The positive out of all of it once again is jim and brandon coming back together And I do like when they join forces and the kind of adventure they go on to Going all the way to when they're using the Ouija board outside on that dock And then things go horribly wrong, which I think that scene is really good at kind of keeping the tension Keeping you a bit on the edge of your seat with how the Ouija, um, like the wooden piece on the Ouija boards moving and Slowly revealing the communication with david I thought it was done well and then the fact that it kind of like stalls a bit and then you find out He's here and then all the bad stuff happens. Um, they did a good job executing that. Um, that scene. I enjoyed it Uh, like I said, the dialogue is well done Although I think that one of the things they kind of messed up with on the dialogue Was when there was that really serious moment between jim and brandon in the hotel room Where they were kind of reconnecting and becoming friendly again and talking through the problems And that's when jim realizes that brandon was still in love with linda And there's kind of like this sympathy that passes between the two of them But then that's kind of screwed up with how they ended that conversation, which was with You know jim making the joke because brandon was like, well, why does she like you so much more? He's like, oh because I make her laugh and he's like, oh, I didn't make her laugh and jim says, um Only in the bedroom Like it's there was such a nice like sweet serious moment with them For a bunch of dialogue that happens in that in that hotel room And that it just kind of like cheapens the moment at the very end it kind of like no one voids everything before it So I just thought that was a bad way to end that conversation. Just saying Some people may love that though the scene of jim and brandon using the Ouija board Yeah, it ups the anticipation like I was saying Not it didn't look good for jim after that though. Like as soon as that hammer jim's hammer I don't understand why someone's using a hammer with a hatchet on the other side of it seems extremely dangerous For numerous parts of this film, but when the hatchet basically the hammer hatchet goes into brandon's forehead I was like, oh my gosh This is not going well for jim Especially with that lieutenant because as soon as they find him dead when they find the weapon they're going to be like Oh, isn't that dude jim the one who lost his hammer his hatchet hammer? Yeah, it wasn't looking good The demon saying jim was the portal had good implications once again And I thought that's the way they were actually going to shift with it But like I said before I think in the end that's not actually what was going on I think that was the moment of the the bad the evil spirit trying to trick jim into killing himself So that he could just take over linda and keeper They really got me at the end, you know after the scene where jim kind of like goes out the window They really got me at the end with uh When they're inside the church and the music is playing and they're doing like a slow pan over I legitimately thought that was a funeral and I know that's what was intended with how they start that scene But then it ends up being a wedding and I was just like, oh man, they they got me they got me So that was really good. That was some good directing right there Then the answer of the yes being shown by the Wooden piece for the Ouija board at the end was a really cool way to end it That was once again when the old lady and the younger girl were cleaning up the apartment where you know the fight between jim and linda had happened And they were talking about the Ouija board and they're like, oh I wonder if it still works even though it has all these holes in it and they throw it in a box And then all of a sudden it zeroes in on the the yes I thought that was cool enough But then all of a sudden for the wooden piece to like fly up from the bottom of the screen and encircle it Even better. It's like that that extra kind of like a little bit of a jump jump scare But like an exclamation point on yes, and there could be a sequel So the danger is still out there. I liked it. Yeah, that was a good way to end I do feel like the film was maybe about 15 minutes too long or so Some of the stuff really need to be shaved down Because it did start to drag from time to time, especially towards the end portion of the film So, you know, I'm talking about maybe around the hour mark or so Is when it started to kind of drag, you know, you could they could have shaved it down a little bit But other than that pretty solid The idea of using the pregnancy too Um of linda believing that she was pregnant and then you finding out later that no, she wasn't pregnant at all It was just all the symptoms that brandon had Described that sound like being pregnant that are actually this progressive entrapment happening I thought that was really clever. That was a really good idea for the script So once again, you know good ideas in the script well written script for the most part dialogues good The acting was good. Like I said, tawny contain did a nice job I mean everyone did I didn't there weren't any actors in it who I was just like, oh, that's rough Except maybe the lieutenant a little bit, but um for the most part. Yeah So this is a good film. Um, I'm I'm very interested to see what other people have to say about it. So overall Potential five stars available with half stars in play Hmm. I'm not gonna go crazy on this because it's a good film. It's not an amazing film It's not a great film. You know, there are some problems with it, but um good for what For what I expected or you know, which wasn't much honestly, so I'm gonna go ahead and put it at a three and a half star rating. I mean I mean I'm through three and between three and a half and four, but I don't think it quite hits that four mark I think it's a very solid three and a half if I did quarters I would do 3.75 but putting it out of three and a half right now But let me know your thoughts on it down in the comments Very intrigued on that one. So do me a quick favor though hit that subscribe button That's your best way to repay me. It literally takes you a second And it is totally painless for you and it means a lot for me personally and a lot for my channel and Basically my motivation for keeping these reviews coming. So I would appreciate that Um, but regardless, I do appreciate you taking this time to watch the video and until next time Keep it brutal