Witchboard

I haven't seen the original, so this review is solely based on this movie alone and not distracted by any comparisons to the earlier version. After reading the bad reviews, I was completely put off by them, but there were a couple that gave it higher ratings that seemed genuine, so I gave it a go (with very low expectations). I wasn't disappointed.

The minor downsides (there were no major ones) were the special effects and perhaps some of the acting, though nothing was standout bad, and besides, it's a low-budget B-movie, so what do you really expect?

I will add that the third act of the movie kind of went outside of the comfortable ballpark I had gotten accustomed to and embarked on a new direction, like a key change in a song. Here, up to the end, some of the action sequences (one in particular) left me cringing a bit, but as the rest of the movie had been pretty strong, I overlooked them. And for me, it had a reasonably satisfying conclusion (except for one thing, but that would be a spoiler).

Overall, I understand the low ratings from some people, but I watched this from start to finish in one sitting, and I didn't get bored or irritated once. I would happily watch it again with someone who hadn't seen it before.

The original "Witchboard" from 1986 is actually the kind of movie that deserves a remake. It is far from perfect but still has cult status and lots of fans, which makes it a great choice for a modern adaptation that could fix some of the flaws of the 1986 version. However, sadly, this remake does not quite do its job the way it should have.

The overall story is fun, and I liked the time jumps between present day and the more medieval times when witches were actively hunted. The set designs were convincing and overall great, and the actors managed to portray their characters in a believable fashion. Another thing that I really enjoyed about this movie is that it has plenty of blood and carnage in the third act, which is a little all over the place.

However, this movie also feels very cheesy, but not in a campy and fun way, rather in an awkward and off-putting way, if that makes sense. This could be due, among other things, to the fact that the digital effects were really poor and distracting. There are many scenes that could have worked better, but the bad CGI takes you out of the immersion and makes this movie feel like a very low-budget fan flick or one of those new throwaway releases from Blumhouse.

Other than that, the movie was decent but not particularly enjoyable or memorable, and the poor digital effects made it feel cheap overall. That is the reason why I would rate this one star lower than I would have with better effects. It is not a terrible remake, but it is also far from a good one, which is tragic because, as I said in the beginning, the 1986 movie deserved a strong and faithful remake.

[5.5/10]

I can't think of anything nice to say about this movie. The CGI is pretty scary, though. Scary bad. Instagram filter level of special effects. Dialogue that 1st year film students would be embarrassed to turn in as homework. Flashbacks so silly that they feel like comedy. Zero tension and not a single tiny little scare. Apocalyptical nonsense of freaky Friday proportions.

Getting into it I wasn't expecting much but I was surprised at how much I ended up liking it.

With loads of movies I watched with occultism,magic,curses, etc. I never seen one with such new ideas brought on when it comes to the cursed objects and its history behind it. It was very well executed and keeps you on the toes as you actually don't know what will happen next ,unlike many other movies of same genre. I highly encourage giving it a chance .And, if you end up sharing the same or similar good impression as me ,let's give this movie a boost up (recognition )it deserves by sharing or reccomending it.

First of all, I took a risk and watched this movie which has low number of reviews. So, I thought they are fake, just marketing the movie.

I dont know if they are real but I can say that my review is real.

I like the movie, it has several stages, it has characters, backstories, etc. It is not something very easy. I must say that execution of such a production is difficult and you can easily mess it up.

The stuff that I dont like is that this remake needs another remake, because this one has bad cgi effects, also a bit charicarure like villian. I would strongly suggest another future director to make it not a B movie. I suggest the design of the witchboard should be changed to something not looking like a grotesque toy. Some artists can work on that some with vision and talent. Then it can be more scary, also instead of swedish look alike villians, gor for something else.

Also, the ending is a bit weird but I am not gonna spoil it here.

I would call this movie as a hidden gen, I will now watch the original as well.