Overview

• Witchboard (2025), directed and co-written by Chuck Russell, stars Madison Iseman as Emily, Aaron Dominguez as Christian and Jamie Campbell Bower as occult expert Alexander Babtiste.
• The horror remake, set in New Orleans and filmed in Montreal, opened in US theaters on August 15, 2025 with an R-rated marketing push emphasizing graphic gore.
• Critics praised the film’s gruesome practical effects and inventive, macabre set pieces in its kitchen and restaurant sequences.
• Reviewers faulted the nearly two-hour runtime, uneven pacing, tonal shifts between camp and drama, uneven performances and the overuse of CGI blood effects.
• Significant deviations from the 1986 original—beyond the basic cursed board premise—led critics to question the remake’s necessity and predict its appeal toward diehard horror fans.