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Witchboard III: The Possession

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Witchboard III: The Possession
Promotional poster
Directed byPeter Svatek
Screenplay by
Story byJon Ezrine
Produced byRobin Spry
Starring
CinematographyBarry Gravelle
Edited byDenis Papillon
Music byRichard Gregoire
Production
company
The Téléscéne Film Group[1]
Distributed byThe Téléscéne Film Group[2]
Release date
  • December 5, 1995 (1995-12-05)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryCanada[1]
LanguageEnglish
BudgetC$1.5 million[2]

Witchboard III: The Possession (released in some territories as Witchboard: The Possession)[3] is a 1995 Canadian horror film directed by Peter Svatek and starring David Nerman, Elizabeth Lambert, Cedric Smith, Donna Sarrasin, and Danette MacKay. It is the second sequel to the film Witchboard (1986), following Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway (1993).

Plot

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Brian (David Nerman), is an unemployed broker who befriends his landlord Francis (Cedric Smith) only to find out that the old man is, in reality, a demon named Kral. After trapping Brian's soul via a Ouija board, Kral assumes Brian's identity and attempts to impregnate his wife Julie (Elizabeth Lambert). With the sudden change in Brian's personality, Julie begins to suspect that something is wrong, and, when she finds the demon's Ouija board, she contacts her husband. Discovering the truth, Julie tracks down Francis's ex-wife: the only person who can help her defeat the evil creature that has taken possession of her husband.

Cast

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  • David Nerman as Brian
  • Elizabeth Lambert as Julie
  • Cedric Smith as Francis
  • Donna Sarrasin as Lisa
  • Danette MacKay as Dora
  • Cas Anvar as Paramedic

Release

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After first film, which was released theatrically, became popular on home video, the sequels were released direct-to-video.[4] Republic Pictures released it in the United States in December 1995.[5] Téléscéne released it in Canada[2] on February 16, 1996.[6] International distribution was by Fries/Schultz Film Group.[2]

Production

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Unlike the first two films, which were shot in California, this film was shot in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Shooting started on December 7, 1994, and was scheduled to end on December 30.[2] Kevin S. Tenney, the writer-director of the first two films, co-wrote the script for Witchboard III. Svatek said the script was delivered to him without previously having met Tenney. Some of the special effects were designed by KNB EFX Group, which is located in Los Angeles. To collaborate, Svatek and KNB traded faxes of designs.[3] Elizabeth "Locky" Lambert was drawn to her character's active role in saving her husband rather than being a passive victim. Lambert said she was encouraged to give input about her character and felt the film's more exploitative elements were still tastefully done.[7]

Reception

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Comparing it to the other films in the series, Fangoria called it "the weakest of the lot". The reviewer said it "moves along at a nice pace" but "never gets anywhere", focusing on poorly-done exploitation instead of horror.[8] In rating it 2/5 stars, TV Guide wrote that although it "has moments of high energy", the film loses its focus and spends too much time on special effects and nudity.[9] Daniel Kurland of Bloody Disgusting wrote that Witchboard III "likes to pile on its gore" in an entertaining way, but the scenes are nonsensical.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Witchboard Iii: The Possession (1996)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Quebec Scene". Playback. 1995-01-02. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  3. ^ a b Grey, Ian. "Monster Invasion". Fangoria. No. 146. pp. 8–9 – via archive.org.
  4. ^ Muir, John Kenneth (2010). Horror Movies of the 1980s. McFarland & Company. p. 554. ISBN 978-0-7864-2821-2.
  5. ^ Webster, Dan (1995-12-08). "'Species' Presents Another Mutation In Evolution Of Alien-Invader Tales". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  6. ^ "Witchboard: The Possession". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  7. ^ Carson, Catherine (October 1995). "Shakespeare and Sex Appeal". Femme Fatales. Vol. 4, no. 3. pp. 12–15 – via archive.org.
  8. ^ "The Video Eye of Dr. Cyclops". Fangoria. No. 152. May 1996. p. 46 – via archive.org.
  9. ^ "Witchboard: The Possession". TV Guide. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  10. ^ Kurland, Daniel (2016-12-31). "'Witchboard' Turns 30 Today and It's Still a Campy, Creepy Classic!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
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