Kevin S. Tenney doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves in the horror world. He wrote and directed the original Witchboard in 1986. He went on to write and direct Witchtrap in 1989, this film in 1993, and Pinocchio’s Revenge in 1996. He directed the original Night of the Demons in 1988, co-wrote Witchboard: The Possession in 1995, and then wrote Night of the Demons 3 in 1997. All in all he was fairly prolific for a while in the genre. He has fallen off in recent years but I want to give credit where it’s due.
Witchboard 2 doesn’t pick up where the first film left off, instead starting with a young woman named Paige, played by 90’s fave Ami Dolenz (Ticks, Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings). She is unsure of herself and has just left her boyfriend, deciding that she wants to try and regain her artistic streak. Something for which her ex was never supportive. Her day job involves crunching numbers and she is going to become a CPA. There is a woman at work that clearly has it out for her but she is too afraid of confrontation to do anything about it.
One day she comes upon an artist’s loft for rent and decides it’s the perfect space to start her new life. Her new landlord is a space case that is trapped in 1969 mentally. Her name is Elaine and she is played to perfection by Lorraine Newman. Yes the Lorraine Newman from the early days of SNL. Her husband is a scoundrel and hits on anything in a skirt as we are told later in the film. Elaine has a brother that quickly takes a liking to Paige. Russel, John Gatins (Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings, Leprechaun 3), is a photographer by trade and of course tries to get Paige to model for him. Paige’s ex refuses to let go and continues to come around and call regularly. This provides, like the first film, for a love triangle that runs through the entirety of the film. Both men seem nice enough for the most part but you can’t quite trust either one.
Upon moving in our heroine finds a Ouija board in the closet and begins using it. It’s not long before the spirit she reaches is giving her helpful clues about things happening at work. Slowly but surely the prim Paige starts getting more aggressive. She begins dressing and acting much more sexually, going from blouses that go up to her chin to daisy dukes.
The spirit claims to be a woman that lived in her apartment, named Susan. We learn that Susan left two years prior and no one has seen her since but as far as anyone knows she isn’t dead. Paige begins to wonder how that could be. She ends up settling on the fact that Susan, Julie Michaels (Doctor Mordrid, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday), has been murdered and is trying to lead her to the body. With the help of her ex and new friend Russel she sets out to unravel the mystery of what happened to Susan.
It soon becomes clear that things are not as they seem. Bodies are starting to pile up around the investigation and before it’s all over we get one person scalded to death, another taken out by a wrecking ball, and another killed with a pickaxe. The special effects are actually pretty good for such a small budget film. The acting is solid for the most part. The spirit camera as I call it is a cool idea that was carried over from the first film. All in all this is a hidden gem of the 90’s. If you’re looking for a good time you should totally check this one out. The spirits beseech you.
The Savage Cinephile 