‘Witchtrap’ Has No Witch or Trap But Does Offer ’80s Satanic Schlock [Blu-ray Review]
Anthony Arrigo
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Witchtrap (1989) is not a sequel to Witchboard (1986), as the film’s trailer and home video packaging are emphatic to point out… despite the fact both films share a similar title, the same director, and feature J.P. Luebsen as the villain. But far be it for producers to ever miss an opportunity to swindle audiences so they can try to make a quick buck.
Still, the two features do share common DNA with a warlock (not witch) as the central antagonist, only in this instance he’s tormenting a group of people sent to cleanse a haunted house that was recently bequeathed to Devon Lauder (Kevin S. Tenney). Devon’s uncle Avery’s (J.P. Luebsen) spirit haunts the mansion, scuttling plans to turn the place into a paranormal bed & breakfast, so he enlists the help of a team of paranormal investigators, as well as a security team for protection, to rid the home of evil.
Tenney faced an uphill battle to make Witchtrap, much of which is detailed in his interview contained on this disc. But no problem is more evident than the production sound. Due to an issue with the sound mixer, none of the live audio was able to be used. Those of you with some cinema knowledge might wonder how this wasn’t caught while screening dailies and the answer, also given by Tenney, is the theater they used to view the footage didn’t have the ability to play both video and audio.
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It wasn’t until Witchtrap went into post-production that audio engineers realized the track was full of hissing, forcing the filmmakers to dub every actor and reproduce every sound effect. The result is a soundtrack that sounds completely canned, rendering performances flat and draining out all of the on-set emotion. But perhaps as a bit of saving grace, this does add to the film’s “so bad it’s good” quality.
One thing that’s not bad at all is the film’s special effects. It’s such a relief watching a horror film from 1989 knowing no matter how low the budget may have been, all of the FX work had to be done practically. There’s a fantastic bullet to the head that comes from the bullet’s POV. Someone gets shot multiple times, with glorious squib hits exploding like cherry fireworks from all over his body until a point-blank headshot finally drops the guy. A head explodes with nearly the same visceral pop as Scanners (1981). Someone else gets a hatchet to the noggin. My personal favorite is when one of the ladies gets a showerhead to the throat. Yes, as in the entire shower head punctures her windpipe, leaving a hole the size of a tangerine. It’s pretty gnarly.
Tenney’s script is better than the performances would suggest, too. I’m sure it crushed him to have those sound issues because it’s clear none of the actors are delivering their lines with the same intensity and emotion they might have on set. Tenney peppers in plenty of zingers and some good exchanges between people who have different points of view.
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Vincente (James W. Quinn) is part of the security detail and he’s there to do a job and nothing more, so all this talk of spirits and exorcizing and black magic sounds like a load of bull to his ears. He’s an antagonistic guy who gives everyone equal amounts of shit but he also comes in clutch when bad stuff starts to go down. We don’t get nearly enough Avery but J.P. Luebsen plays him with the same relish as when he was Malfeitor in Witchboard—a wide, devilish grin and those steely, demonic eyes all held beneath a mane of salt-and-pepper hair. I guess why change his look when it worked so well the last time?
Vinegar Syndrome previously released Witchtrap on Blu-ray and now MVD has made it part of their Rewind Collection, featuring the same restoration from a 2K interpositive of the uncut feature. The 1.78:1 1080p picture (which is opened up slightly from VS’s 1.85:1) is fairly sound. Detail is average but sufficient. Colors aren’t deeply saturated but often appear natural. Black levels are decent but I found when the scene is darker they turn a bit anemic. Film grain is healthy and looks filmic. There isn’t much in the way of print damage or dirt; only a few minor instances.
The LPCM English 2.0 mono track obviously suffers from its very nature but that caveat aside it’s technically sound. The real highlight is Dennis Michael Tenney’s synth-heavy electronic score. It’s lo-fi and full of that ‘80s goodness everyone loves. Subtitles are available in English SDH.
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Most of the bonus features carry over from VS’s edition with a couple of notable exceptions.
The audio commentary with Kevin Tenney, Dan Duncan, Tom Jewett, and Hal Havin returns, as do interviews with director Kevin Tenney (HD, 23:36), actress Linnea Quigley (HD, 13:40), cinematographer Tom Jewett (HD, 15:09), and special effects supervisor Tassilo Baur.
VS had a short film of Tenney’s on their release, which this edition drops in favor of a “VHS Version” of Witchtrap that is presented in 1.33:1 and runs for 1 hour, 31 minutes, and 20 seconds, and is the R-rated cut that existed on tape prior to VS’s restoration. It is preceded by a trailer and a disclaimer that, once again, this is not a sequel to Witchboard.
A photo gallery (HD, 1:06) and a handful of trailers for other MVD releases are also included.
Special Features:
- PREVIOUSLY RESTORED IN 2K FROM AN INTERPOSITIVE (2016)
- NEW Magnum Entertainment R-Rated VHS Version (92 mins, 1.33:1, SD)
- Group commentary track with Director Kevin Tenney, Producer Dan Duncan, Cinematographer Tom Jewett, and Actor Hal Havins
- Interview with Director Kevin Tenney (23:36, HD)
- Interview with actress Linnea Quigley (13:40, HD)
- Interview with Cinematographer Tom Jewett (15:09, HD)
- Interview with Special Effects Supervisor Tassilo Baur (17:11, HD)
- Photo Gallery
- Original Trailer (2:55, SD)
- Reversible cover artwork
- Collectible Mini Poster
- Limited Edition Slipcover (First Pressing Only)
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
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Witchtrap
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Special Features
Summary
I went into this not expecting much and wound up pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Tenney’s satanic shocker, which, I suppose, is a testament to his work. MVD’s disc is marginally different from the Vinegar Syndrome release, with the main difference being the loss of a short film by Tenney being replaced by a VHS rip for this feature. Buy accordingly.
