"Witchboard" remake conjures up enough low budget thrills.

After a two-decade hiatus, director Chuck Russell returns to the horror genre with “Witchboard,” produced by The Avenue Entertainment. Russell also writes the screenplay for the film, which is a reimagining of the 1986 movie of the same title.

Emily (Madison Iseman) and her fiancé, Christian (Aaron Dominguez), are excited to open their dream café in New Orleans. However, their plans change when Emily discovers a cursed Ouija board—an ancient tool that connects to the spirit world. As Emily becomes increasingly fascinated by the board's ability to summon spirits, Christian seeks assistance from Alexander Babtiste (Jamie Campbell Bower), a mysterious expert in the occult.

As Emily struggles to remain grounded in reality, Batiste's true intentions become clear: he wants to harness the Witchboard’s dark power for his own purposes. The situation escalates during a lavish masked ball at Baptiste's mansion, where temptation and fear are tightly interwoven. Emily and Christian must quickly find a way to break the board’s curse before it gains full control over them.

As a lifelong horror fan, my first introduction to director Chuck Russell was in 1987 with the cult classic “The Dream Warriors.” A year later, he impressed me again with “The Blob.” Since then, Russell has explored various film genres, with varying results. Given his successful take on “The Blob,” I had modest expectations for “Witchboard,” as creating a compelling film centered on an Ouija board shouldn't be particularly challenging.

Despite a somewhat cheap-looking opening set in the 16th century, Russell mostly hits the mark. He has assembled a committed cast of fresh talent who effectively embody the necessary tropes for a film of this nature. Madison Iseman portrays her role with ease and shares a natural chemistry with Aaron Dominguez. The supporting cast also plays into the expected character arcs, with Jamie Campbell Bower embracing his role with gusto.

Horror fans should appreciate some of the elaborate death scenes and classic horror tropes, including possession and cults. However, Russell could have benefited from trimming twenty minutes from the nearly two-hour runtime to create a tighter film around ninety minutes instead of the almost three-hour experience it feels like.

Nevertheless, “Witchboard” stands out as Chuck Russell's best film in years and should entertain horror enthusiasts. I would be open to seeing Russell’s interpretations of more cult classics from the eighties.

Final Grade: C+