Chuck Russell, director of Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Mask, and The Blob remake in 1988 is serving up reboot energy this summer with Witchboard. The film is hardly new to the public since it premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2024. You can read our review HERE.
But starting on August 15, everyone can see it at their local theater.
Russell told Variety that the setting in which the film takes place was an inspiration.
“My impression of classic witchcraft and sorcery is associated with the mystique of New Orleans,” he says. “There’s also literally a French connection in this story, as some of the most dramatic Witch Trials took place in France, and there is a connection with the French settling in New Orleans. I wanted to have a connection between this set of characters and the set of characters in the 1700s that created the Witchboard. Nothing could be more atmospheric and colorful than New Orleans, and the music’s cool.”
Here’s what it’s about:
In New Orleans, Emily (Madison Iseman) and her fiancé Christian (Aaron Dominguez) are opening their new dream café. But their dreams are dashed when Emily finds an ancient, cursed Witchboard, an ancient artifact that once served as a gateway to the spirit world.
As Emily becomes increasingly captivated by the board’s ability to summon spirits, Christian seeks the expertise of Alexander Babtiste (Jamie Campbell Bower), an enigmatic occult scholar.
As Emily’s grip on reality weakens, Babtiste’s true intentions come to light—to use the Witchboard’s dark power for his own twisted purposes. Culminating in a decadent masked ball at Babtiste’s mansion, the line between temptation and terror blurs as Emily and Christian find themselves trapped in a deadly web of witchcraft and dark desires. Emily and Christian must race against time to break the board’s curse before they succumb to its deadly power!
Witchboard will release theatrically on August 15.