Witchboard – Review and Summary
Witchboard is a surprising theatrical release, for it lacks big names, doesn’t seem to seek prestige, but is a reminder that being average doesn’t mean you should be lost to the void of streaming.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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“Witchboard” Film Details
- Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 52 Minutes
- Released On: In Theaters
- Public Release Date: August 15, 2025
- Director(s): Chuck Russell
- Writer(s): Greg McKay, Chuck Russell
- Based On Work By: Kevin Tenney
- Primary Language: English | Non-English (French)
- Genre(s): Drama, Horror, Historical
- Rating: Rated R
- Distributor: The Avenue Entertainment, Atlas Distribution Company
Movie Summary
Emily, with her boyfriend Christian, and their friends, decide to open a new restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans. One of their dishes, which calls for mushrooms, leads them to forage in a nearby marsh and woods, and Emily discovers a recently stolen witchboard, but not the dead body of the man who stole it. She takes it home, and from that point on, neither her nor Christian’s life is the same.
Cast and Characters
Emily (Madison Iseman)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Emily hasn’t had the easiest of lives. She lost both of her parents fairly young, became an addict, but thankfully, things are better now. Emily has completed rehab, does her best to avoid her former dealer, and with Christian, she has something to focus on and obsess over, since opening a restaurant is no easy task.
Christian (Aaron Dominguez)
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- Character Summary: Christian is Emily’s boyfriend, head cook of the Creole Kings Café, and is her rock.
Alexander (Jamie Campbell Bower)
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- Character Summary: Alexander is renowned for topics like the witchboard, and comes from a fairly affluent family, hence the size of his estate. He is also Wiccan and is notably eccentric.
Naga Soth (Antonia Desplat)
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- Character Summary: Naga Soth is a French witch from the 1600s who, originally, was focused on providing herbs and means for people to heal. However, after being burned and exiled, she became a dark witch who is rumored to have caused a notable amount of death and violence.
Brooke (Melanie Jarnson)
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- Character Summary: Brooke is Christian’s ex, who is a student and researcher who guides Christian to Alexander’s path, in order to know the true power of the witchboard.
What To Expect In “Witchboard” (Rated R) – Content Overview
- Dialog:
- Cursing: Occasional
- Violence:
- Gun Violence: Occasional Use
- Gore/ Blood/ Body Horror: Bleeding, Depiction of Open Wounds
- Notable Violence: Torture
- Sexual Content:
- Nudity: Non-Sexual/ Tantalizing | Chest
- Sexual Situations: Implied
- Miscellaneous:
- Drinking: Yes
- Drug Use: Hard Drugs/ Needle Use
- Smoking: Yes
Links
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- Official Site Link
Review and Commentary
Highlight(s)
It’s Surprisingly Engaging [82/100]
To be honest, when I saw Witchboard on our calendar for movies to see, I thought this would be a digital release. It’s a nearly 2-hour horror movie, it’s advertised as being directed by the person who did Jim Carrey’s The Mask, and it just has the vibe of something you wouldn’t necessarily see on Shudder, but definitely pop up on a new releases list and then disappear into the void of online content.
Yet, despite initial impressions, Witchboard is actually far more interesting than expected. Emily, who you may expect, based on the trailer, to just be the hot girl in a horror movie who a lot of crazy things happen to, does have something more to offer than her looks. I would submit that Madison Iseman is aware that might be the hook, but through Emily’s troubled past, she tries to give the character depth, and then add in all that comes from using the witchboard – there is an undeniable effort to make Emily more than a generic lead.
And in many ways, you can say the film took the low expectations and used that to its advantage. Naga Soth’s story, the witch who created the witchboard, is one you can fully imagine being a movie within itself. Brooke, Christian’s ex, has this mystique to her that screams femme fatale, and makes her relationship to Alexander worthy of an eyebrow raise.
Also, despite being nearly two hours, I wouldn’t say there is a lot of fat as much as you may wish you got more out of this character, that character, or scene – as noted below.
On The Fence
Certain Topics or Scenes May Make You Wish They Got More Time [77/100]
When it comes to Naga Soth’s story, admittedly, there is probably more interest there than there is in the present. So, not getting her full story, just the cliffnotes, of how she went from prescribing medicinal herbs to being exiled and then trying to kill the majority of a village, I would say it robbed Antonia Desplat of what she could have done with the character.
In some ways, the same goes for Emily. There are situations between her and Naga Soth that you may wish were further explored, and considering Alexander’s Wiccan beliefs, it would have been nice if they had gone beyond the occult and sexualization of it.
In all honesty, the depiction of being Wiccan felt akin to how most horror films depict Voodoo. It took all the sensationalism and removed the practices that are part of the legitimate day-to-day parts of the religion.
But, while there are times you may feel the film didn’t go far enough, it generally doesn’t leave you frustrated by not taking things further.
Overall
Our Rating (79/100): Mixed (Divisive)
While I do hold the belief that, in 2025, this is a bit of an odd movie to get a theatrical rollout, especially beyond major markets like New York City, at the same time, for those who don’t need going to the movies to be an event, this is for you. Witchboard is not pushing for accolades, critical acclaim, or has the potential to make stars out of anyone involved. However, it is still respectable work.
Hence the mixed label. Witchboard is a reminder that, as much as the media machine has pushed the idea that only blockbuster films and those that would be accepted to film festivals like Sundance and Tribeca deserve theatrical release, there still needs to be room for those that don’t qualify for either. That average films, featuring working actors, not A-List stars, deserve just as much big-screen treatment as any other movie, and that people can and will enjoy them.
I know I did.
What To Check Out Next
Slide Text
- Intro Slide
- Summary: Emily and Christian, alongside their friends, are opening a new restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
- Summary: While foraging for mushrooms, Emily comes across a centuries-old witchboard and decides to use it to guide her life.
- Summary: The more she uses it, the more she finds the creator of the board, Naga Soth, entering her life and creating disturbances.
- Summary: This leads to Christian’s ex, Brooke, having to get involved, alongside the eccentric Alexander, to either save Emily or perhaps take advantage of her connection to the witchboard.
- Review: Witchboard is the type of film where you can see that it didn’t have a lot of money and time, but did the best with what it had and knew it could deliver something good.
- Review: From Emily and Naga Soth’s story, and how they are performed, to the eyebrow-raising Alexander and questioning if he is just eccentric or evil, you get drawn in.
- Review: Now, granted, when it comes to Wiccan culture and faith, Witchboard gets as lazy as films that focus on Voodoo do, regarding its depiction.
- Review: However, the film, which admittedly does feel like a streaming or digital release, more than a modern theatrical film, doesn’t leave you unsatisfied by the time it ends.
- Overall (79/100): Witchboard is for horror movie fans who don’t need something to be accolade-worthy or have the biggest names attached. It just aims to entertain, and hopes it will make you excited about seeing the names behind the characters again in the future.
