The second film in the Witchboard franchise was a sequel that nobody asked for, nor was it needed. It has nothing to do with the first movie and has only the title in common, featuring an entirely new set of characters in a different locale. While it is not uncommon for a horror film to generate a sequel or two, sometimes one simply has to ask why and wonder if there was even any demand for one. The first Witchboard was essentially an exercise in mediocrity, not a bad film per se, but neither was it a great one and this second picture seems to follow in those same footsteps.

The movie begins with a young woman who moves into a new/old apartment and soon after, finds a Ouija board. Strange events begin to occur when a she starts using the board, talking to a spirit she believes is a woman named Susan. What follows of course, is death and more weird happenings as Paige tries to solve the supposed murder of the woman haunting her.

Starring Ami Dolenz in the lead, she does a serviceable job as the slightly clueless tenant who would like to discover what happened in her apartment two years previous. She has an ex-boyfriend who happens to be a cop and who also wants her back and a potential new love interest who may or may not have been involved in Susan’s murder. It is not long before Paige, the character played by Dolenz, is obsessed with using the Ouija board and one can understand her curiosity as things spiral out of control. Overall, the acting could have been a little stronger, Dolenz being the best part of the entire film, though is it simply due to her looks or her talent that keeps the audience watching or a little bit of both? Also starring Timothy Gibbs and John Gatins, they would help to round out the main cast and provide a rational voice for Paige as she falls deeper under the Ouija’s spell.

Written and directed by Kevin Tenney who gave the world the first Witchboard, the man does a good job at bringing The Devil’s Doorway to the screen; it is just a shame that for a horror film, there is absolutely nothing scary about it whatsoever. There are a couple of inventive deaths, particularly one involving a crane and a wrecking ball, but overall, the picture could have delivered a little fright to keep things interesting. As it is, the second Witchboard was much like the first – not the best horror movie one could see, but okay for a lazy afternoon.

2.5 out of 5