Witchboard (1986)

When his girlfriend becomes dangerously obsessed with a ghost she contacted using a ouija board, Jim reluctantly joins forces with her ex - his own estranged childhood best friend - to identify and exorcise the evil spirit.

Director:

Kevin Tenney (as Kevin S. Tenney)

Writer:

Kevin Tenney (as Kevin S. Tenney)

Stars:

Todd Allen, Tawny Kitaen, Stephen Nichols

Cast

Cast overview:
Todd Allen	...	Jim Morar
Tawny Kitaen	...	Linda Brewster
Stephen Nichols	...	Brandon Sinclair
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Zarabeth
Burke Byrnes	...	Lt. Dewhurst
James W. Quinn	...	Lloyd
Rose Marie	...	Mrs. Moses
Judy Tatum	...	Dr. Gelineau
Gloria Hayes	...	Wanda
J.P. Luebsen	...	Malfeitor
Susan Nickerson	...	Chris
Ryan Carroll	...	Roger
Kenny Rhodes	...	Mike
Clare Bristol	...	Anchorwoman

Storyline

At a party, a guest brings out a Ouija board, and they attempt to contact a spirit he knows. The spirit does appear, but it becomes apparent to the one who brought the Ouija board that this is an evil spirit that is impersonating his spirit, and despite warnings not to use the board alone, a woman uses it alone, and becomes harassed by the evil spirit, his goal to possess her so he can walk the earth again.

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Plot Keywords:

ouija board | psychic | medium | ghost child | supernatural | 

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Taglines:

The Game Ends. The Terror Begins.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

When director John Tenney's friend, Rolan Carol, had to drop out of university due to financial issues, he got a job at a commodities' firm where the owner, Walter Josten, was getting bored of commodities. Rolan mentioned Tenney's script to Josten, who had an interest in filmmaking. Tenney and his friend, Gerald Geoffray, pitched the film to Josten, who was impressed by the idea, and agreed to help finance the project. Tenney dropped out of his program at the University of Southern California, four units shy of earning his Master's degree, to begin shooting the film.

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Goofs

Boom mike visible at the top of the screen after Zarabeth asks David to turn on the lights.

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Quotes

Zarabeth: TTFN
Jim Morar: TTFN?
Brandon Sinclair: Ta Ta For Now.

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Connections

Followed by Witchboard III: The Possession (1995)

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Soundtracks

Excerpts from ORIENT-OCCIDENT III
Composed by Iannis Xenakis
Performed by Iannis Xenakis
Courtesy of Erato Disque

User Reviews

Well-Done Genre Film

After her ex-lover shows off a ouija board at a party, Tawny Kitaen finds it at the apartment and tries it out herself. She thinks she is contacting the same shy spirit, but it soon becomes obvious to the audience that some other, malevolent spirit is speaking with her.

I freely admit I am not fond of straight-up horror movies, with their jump-scares and characters who can't see the obvious dangers that beset them. This one, however, has a good story arc, decent actors (Kathleen Wilhoite as a funky spiritualist is very amusing, until she gets killed by the evil spirit). I suppose I could have done without the moving shots that show clearly there's a mild fish-eyed lens in operation, but it's a pretty good genre piece.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Witchboard

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$95,435, 4 January 1987

Gross USA:

$7,369,373

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,369,373

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paragon Arts International, Blue Rider Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1