Casey Chong conjures up a selection of fun witch movies you may have missed…
Movies about witches are diverse, allowing filmmakers to explore the versatility of their representation across different genres. This includes everything from horrors to comedies and even musicals. Some of the most popular witch movies, such as Practical Magic, The Witches of Eastwick, The Craft, Hocus Pocus, and Into the Woods, have graced the big screen over the decades. However, let’s not forget about the beloved ‘b-movie’; while they commonly lack the Hollywood-size budget, many have still managed to cast a spell with their own distinct charm and creativity, and here’s a selection of seven such films to put a spell on you…
Witchboard (1986)
While the 1980s horror scene was mostly dominated by the slasher-movie boom, writer-director Kevin Tenney charts his course into the witchcraft subgenre in the form of Witchboard. The title in question refers to the Ouija board, where one of the friends played by Tawny Kitaen as Linda, has become obsessed with it to contact the spirit of a young boy. The frequent use of the Ouija board unexpectedly leads her to a sinister path, triggering a malevolent entity of an axe-wielding murderer.
The movie’s underlying B-movie camp and quintessential ‘80s charm are all here, but interestingly, Tenney doesn’t rely heavily on gore and violence, which became the bread and butter of the ‘80s horrors at the time. Instead, he prefers to instil his movie with atmospheric dread and slow-burn tension, where the latter mainly comes from Linda’s growing interest in the board from a mere curiosity to a full-on obsession. Witchboard spawned two more sequels, though unrelated to each other, in Witchboard 2: The Devil’s Doorway and Witchboard III: The Possession, while Chuck Russell rebooted the franchise just this past August.
Witchboard 2: The Devil’s Doorway (1993)
Writer-director Kevin Tenney returns for the second go-round in Witchboard 2: The Devil’s Doorway, eschewing the direct sequel approach in favor of a brand new but thematically similar storyline and characters. The sequel follows Paige (Ami Dolenz), an aspiring artist who recently moved into a Los Angeles apartment and discovers an Ouija board left in the closet. Like the first movie, it started with her having fun communicating with the seemingly friendly spirit, only to grow increasingly obsessed with the Ouija board.
Despite being granted a bigger budget, Tenney still retains his deliberate direction in developing his story and characters with a blend of mystery and supernatural horror. The budget also allows him to experiment more on the higher-stakes set pieces, notably the spectacular car crash through a motorboat and a victim gets crushed by a swinging wrecking ball. At one point, Tenney even pays homage to a roving Evil Dead-like camerawork executed from the perspective of an evil spirit. He equally brings out the best in Ami Dolenz, the daughter of The Monkees’ drummer Micky Dolenz, who convincingly transforms from her initial role of a mild-mannered young woman to a radically different person after being possessed by the spirit.
The Devil’s Rain (1975)
Director Robert Fuest, best known for his TV work on The Avengers and genre movies like And Soon the Darkness and The Abominable Dr. Phibes, embraces the wickedly B-movie vibe in The Devil’s Rain, thrusting his viewers right from the start in media res focusing on Mark Preston’s (William Shatner) quest to challenge the satanic cult leader Jonathan Corbis (Ernest Borgnine) after the former’s father’s gruesome death. Interestingly, Anton Lavey, the founder of the Church of Satan, is enlisted as the movie’s technical advisor, even though most of the movie’s tone and style leans more into cinematic surrealism than authenticity.
The movie is notable for Borgnine hamming it up pretty well playing a gleefully over-the-top antagonist role as Jonathan Corbis, complete with a pair of goat horns and satanic makeup. Look out for the young, pre-Grease and Saturday Night Fever fame, John Travolta, in his film debut as one of the cult members. And not to forget, the all-hell-breaks-loose finale featuring the bizarre and gooey melting scene.
The Wretched (2019)
Sometimes it’s amazing how a measly $66,000 budget can do wonders for a movie when a filmmaker knows how to make good use of its limited funds. Such is the case in The Wretched, where co-writers and directors collectively known as The Pierce Brothers effectively combine witchcraft horror, supernatural elements and teen-oriented drama. The movie is deceptively simple, focusing on a teenager named Ben (John-Paul Howard) who suspects his next-door neighbor is possessed by a witch.
The Pierce Brothers emphasize heavily on the ominous dread, with Conor Murphy’s atmospheric cinematography bringing out the ever-present sinister vibe in the movie. The obligatory jump scares may be present in this movie, but The Pierce Brothers use them sparingly, while allowing their actors to shine. This is especially true with John-Paul Howard, whose performance as the estranged teenager trying to cope with his family problem and dealing with the fear of the unknown captures his character’s frustration and anxiety. The Wretched equally excels in its practical and makeup effects department, notably on the grotesque appearance of the witch, with the deliberate use of lighting and shadows enhancing the macabre look and feel of the movie.
The Kiss (1988)
Pen Densham is primarily known as a producer behind movies like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Blown Away. He only directed a few movies, one of which includes the lurid dark fantasy-horror called The Kiss. The movie may have tanked during its initial release, but it’s hard to deny Densham’s ambition in combining witchcraft horror and supernatural with a dash of soft erotica-style thriller. One of the movie’s highlights is the casting of the alluring Joanna Pacula, who plays the mysterious aunt staying at her late sister’s widower (Nicholas Kilbertus) and teenage daughter (Meredith Salenger’s Amy)’s place.
Pacula’s role of a manipulative witch-in-disguise, who uses the power of seduction and voodoo magic, allows Densham to show a few gory death scenes throughout the movie. The scenes are staged like pre-Final Destination style as Pacula’s character orchestrates her selected victim’s deaths through a series of freak accidents. The movie also made good use of the practical and makeup effects, notably the deformed corpse scene and the thrilling finale in the swimming pool.
Pumpkinhead (1988)
The legendary special effects guru Stan Winston, whose incredible works from The Terminator to Aliens and Jurassic Park, made his rare directorial debut in Pumpkinhead. Not a big-budget movie, especially given his pedigree in mainstream Hollywood production, but that doesn’t hinder him from giving us a titular creepy monster looking like it’s straight out of a dark fairy tale.
His experience in special effects is put to good use with a nifty combination of a full-body suit, animatronics and practical effects. The low-budget cost turns out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing Winston to adopt the less-is-more approach by keeping the Pumpkinhead monster largely obscured in the shadows and foggy atmosphere, while deliberately building the suspense and anticipation before the eventual full reveal.
The story itself is pessimistic in its tone, focusing on Ed Harley’s (Lance Henriksen) grief and anger after the tragic death of his beloved son, resulting in his desperate quest to locate the witch (Florence Schauffler). He initially wants her to revive his son, but the witch’s power can only be extended to curses and dark spells, one of which is helping him to exact vengeance against the irresponsible teenagers who caused the death of his son. Pumpkinhead was hardly a hit back in the day, but it gained a cult following ever since, more than enough to launch a franchise.
The Love Witch (2016)
The multihyphenate Anna Biller brings a distinctive visual and thematic flair to The Love Witch, centering an otherwise present-day story of a witch, Elaine (Samantha Robinson, possessing a look like she exists from the old-school era), who relies on the power of magic and spells to lure men to fall for her. But Biller deliberately eschews the contemporary look in favor of the retro Technicolor aesthetics that evokes the 1960s and 70s tone and style.
The lighting is purposefully bright, with all the color, costume and set designs designed to make the movie look like it exists in a bizarre time capsule belonging to the yesteryears. Not to mention the movie is ideally shot in a traditional 35mm film as opposed to today’s predominant use of digital cameras. Biller also injects feminist-heavy touches into her story with a mix of campy, B-movie horror to mostly engrossing results.
Let us know your thoughts on these films, or your own b-movie witch horror recommendations, on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
