Witchboard | |
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Directed by | Chuck Russell |
Written by | Chuck Russell |
Based on | Characters by Kevin Tenney |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Music by | Sam Ewing |
Production company | A-Nation Media |
Distributed by | Gala Film |
Release date |
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Running time | 115 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Witchboard is a 2024 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Chuck Russell. It is a remake of the 1986 film and stars Jamie Campbell Bower, Madison Iseman, Aaron Dominguez, Antonia Desplat and Charlie Tahan.
The film had its world premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival on July 26, 2024, before its released by Gala Film later in the year.
Emily, her fiancé Christian, and their group of friends have opened a new organic café in the French Quarter of New Orleans by renovating an old carriage house. However, things take a dark turn when Emily finds an ancient pendulum board that was once used for summoning spirits. Concerned for Emily's well-being, Christian seeks the help of an occult expert named Alexander Babtiste, who has knowledge of the bloodlines that connect them to the witchboard. As events unfold, a modern coven of White Witches, a masked ball at Babtiste's mansion, and the legacy of Naga Soth, the Queen of Witches, all become part of a dangerous game that puts Emily's soul in peril. [2]
In 2017, Chuck Russell became attached to write the script for a remake of the 1986 film Witchboard . [6] It was reported in May 2019, that he would also direct the film and it would be produced by Grimmfest, in partnership with Minds Eye Entertainment, Falconer Pictures and M2 Media Post. [7]
In March 2023, pre-production restarted with A-Nation Media replacing the previous production studios. [2] Principal photography took place in Montreal and New Orleans from April to June 2023. [8] [9] Some scenes were shot in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue at Morgan Arboretum in late May. [10] The production was granted an interim agreement allowing the actors to continue working on the film during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. [11]
Witchboard had its world premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival on July 26, 2024. [1] [12] The film is scheduled to be released by Gala Film in 2024. [3]
Josh Korngut of Dread Central gave the film a 4/5 rating, writing that "although its plot unravels a smidge in the final act, and its runtime is about 20 minutes longer than I would've recommended, these few blemishes somehow only add to the film's overall charm and commitment to the bit." [13] Joe Lipsett of Bloody Disgusting gave the film a 2.5/5 rating, summarizing that "it's messy and uneven, scattered in both narrative and performance, but fun enough to lightly recommend." [5]
Tony Todd is an American actor who is best known for portraying the title character of the Candyman film series (1992–2021).
Barbara Crampton is an American actress and producer. She began her career in the 1980s in television soap operas before starring in horror and thriller films. In 2024, Crampton was inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.
Witchboard is a 1986 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Kevin Tenney in his directorial debut, and starring Tawny Kitaen, Stephen Nichols, and Todd Allen. The plot centers on a college student who becomes entranced into using her friend's Ouija board alone after it was accidentally left behind at her party, resulting in her becoming terrorized by a malevolent spirit.
Chuck Russell is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer, best known for his genre films. His best-known works include the fantasy slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, the 1988 remake of the 1958 monster horror film The Blob, the Jim Carrey superhero comedy film The Mask, the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Eraser, and the Dwayne Johnson action-adventure The Scorpion King.
James Metcalfe Campbell Bower is an English actor, singer and model. He made his feature film debut in 2007 with a supporting role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He went on to feature in The Twilight Saga, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and as the young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. In 2022, Bower featured as Henry Creel / Vecna in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things, for which he received critical acclaim.
Charles Tahan is an American actor. Starting as a child actor, with appearances in the 2007 films American Loser and I Am Legend, he has progressed through teen and adult roles. His notable roles include Ben Burke in the Fox dystopian mystery thriller series Wayward Pines (2015–16), the young Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow in the Fox/DC Comics superhero drama Gotham (2014–17), and Wyatt Langmore in the Netflix original crime drama Ozark (2017–2022).
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Madison Elizabeth Iseman is an American actress. She is known for starring in the CMT comedy television series Still the King (2016–2017). She is also known for appearing in the psychological thriller film Fear of Rain (2021), the fantasy adventure comedy films Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), the comedy horror film Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018), the supernatural horror film Annabelle Comes Home (2019) and the Amazon Prime Video horror television series I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021).
I Know What You Did Last Summer is an American horror film franchise consisting of three slasher films and one television series, loosely based on the novel of the same name by Lois Duncan. The first installment was written by Kevin Williamson, directed by Jim Gillespie, and released in 1997.
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The Block Island Sound is a 2020 American science fiction horror thriller film written and directed by Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus and starring Chris Sheffield and Michaela McManus. The plot follows a fisherman who encounters horrors and dark truths when an ominous force off the coast of Block Island begins killing wildlife.
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Grimcutty is a 2022 monster horror film written and directed by John Ross. The film stars Sara Wolfkind, Shannyn Sossamon, Usman Ally, and Callan Farris. It was produced by 20th Digital Studio and Capture. Grimcutty was released on Hulu in United States, on Star+ in Latin America, and on Disney+ internationally. The film generally received negative reviews from critics.
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