** 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.
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.