Witchboard (1986)

Witchboard (1986) is somewhat well known in certain circles as a love story between two men. Sure, Brandon (Stephen Nichols) used to date Linda (Tawny Kitaen) and blames Jim (Todd Allen) for stealing her from him, but the tension between the two male characters is palpable. Childhood friends, they grew up together and were inseparable until a woman came between them. I hate when that happens.

More time is spent on Jim and Brandon arguing than on Linda suffering from “progressive entrapment” after playing with a Ouija board by herself. They reconnect, though, when Linda is hospitalized and they go to Big Bear, California, to investigate the spirit attached to the board, an 8-year old boy named David who drowned in a nearby lake after an explosion on a small boat. They talk it out in a motel, but does anything happen when the lights go out?

More importantly – spoiler – when one of the men is killed at the site of David’s death, the other holds his body tightly and inconsolably weeps. What got me going with this theory, though, was an early line that I misheard as Jim tells his friends Brandon’s identity. I could swear he said, “And I used to date him.” Rewinding twice, though, he said “Linda used to date him.”

I’m certain the homoeroticism between the two men as Jim stands shirtless before Brandon and they exchange quick glances, then look away, was unintended by writer/director Kevin Tenney. He wrote the screenplay while a student at USC and dropped out of school before earning his Master’s degree when the owner of a commodities firm became bored and offered to finance the film.

The movie opens with music that sounds like a cross between the themes from The Exorcist (1973) and Halloween (1978), as bells evolve into synthesized notes. Then, the best shot in the film is the first, a house surrounded by fog, setting the creepy tone. Unfortunately, it’s downhill from there with weak acting all around and a cringe-worthy performance from the normally fantastic Kathleen Wilhoite as the medium, Zarabeth. She’s no Tangina.

Nevertheless, it’s well crafted, with some unexpected jump scares and a sweet shot near the end when the Ouija board spins into the air and we can peer through the bullet hole in it to see what’s happening behind in the background. On the other hand, while there are a couple deaths and some ghostly action, not much happens that stands out. It’s about as average as a movie can be.

I remember when Witchboard was released on VHS. It was extremely popular, earning ol’ Movies at Home multiple times the cost of the cassette. Knowing the clientele, I’m pretty sure they were expecting a little more out of Kitaen than a mostly towel-covered shower scene. I wonder if they were disappointed or if it was enough back then. It’s not today, in horror or sex, but it is charming and a refreshing break from 1980s slashers.