PopHorror Let's Get Scared
One of writer/director Kevin Tenney’s (Witchboard, read our retro review here) overlooked films, Witchtrap, is an entertaining supernatural yarn that features virtually all of the 80’s tropes we’ve all grown to love: stirrup pants, big sweaters, Member’s Only jackets, girls jogging, big hair, gratuitous nudity, and latent racism! All kidding aside, the very fun Witchtrap (NOT a sequel to Witchboard, as the packaging informs us) is available now on Blu-ray from MVD’s “Rewind Collection”.
WITCHTRAP Synopsis
“Parapsychologists try to make an inn haunted by an evil witch’s ghost safe for guests.”
The Story
Deceased warlock, and possible serial killer, Avery Lauter (J.P. Luebsen; Witchboard), who looks every bit like a psychotic Kris Kristofferson with the “crazy eyes”, is allegedly haunting his residence, Lauter House, or “slaughter House” to locals. His only heir, Devon Lauter (Tenney himself), in a last-ditch effort to turn it into some sort of occult bed & breakfast, enlists a team of paranormal investigators to prove, or disprove, the spectral goings on after the tragic death of a magician in a disco ball leisure suit.
Husband and wife team Agnes (Judy Tatum; Witchboard) and Felix (Rob Zapple; Peacemaker) Goldberg, sultry medium Whitney (Kathleen Bailey; Night Visitor), and A/V tech Ginger (Linnea Quigley, in her 80’s best!) set up on the scene, with security provided by a team of ex-cops: grizzled vet Frank (Jack W. Thompson; Peacemaker), and his underlings Levi (Clyde Talley II; Peacemaker) and the cocky stud boy Tony (James Quinn; Lurking Fear).
The film itself is so 80’s you can smell the Aquanet! A true throwback to the heyday of VHS, the film gets right into the action with the nubile cast of stereotypes: the horny black guy Levi, the suave low-rent Bruce Campbell vibe of Tony, and the slutty bombshell Ginger (and let’s be honest, Quigley alone is worth the price of admission even if she gets clipped pretty early on) among others. The acting here is mostly wooden, but despite this, it’s a fun romp like most of Tenney’s output of the era and most of the thespians were frequent Tenney collaborators.
Surprisingly, it’s not the ridiculously cavalier attitude with firearms that dispatches most of the cast, that’s left to ghostly bullets, phantom fire axes, and murderous shower heads. I won’t get into the plot much here, you can see most of it coming from a mile away, and some of the effects are super-questionable (however, there is a cool Raiders of the Lost Ark-inspired piece that delivers a big grin) but as with most of the films of this era, that doesn’t make it any less entertaining—check your brain at the door, grab some popcorn and a beer, kick back and enjoy! You’re not going to be shocked or scared, but you’re not gonna doze off either!
Extras Galore
As far as capturing the spirit, MVD hits it out of the park: a very cool VHS-style bumper at the beginning of the film, and the packaging is the stuff that boutique label collectors love! Alternate slipcover? Check. Clear Blu-ray box with reversible artwork? Check. Mini poster and retro disc design? Check and check.
And it’s loaded with extras: a group commentary, interviews with everyone from Tenney & Linnea to the FX artist, and even a VHS cut of the film! Really cool stuff and it’s the little details like this that make it stand out on the shelves—that are getting smaller and smaller with content. Proudly keeping the physical media torch lit with releases like this—cool packaging with a great-looking transfer to pull the whole package together-MVD took a fun, little-seen 80’s cheese-fest like Witchtrap, and made it even more fun than it was when you rented the VHS back in the stone age.
The only thing missing is an ancient top-loader set top deck! Physical media FOREVER!!
Witchtrap is available now on MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray from MVD Visual and other retailers.
Here’s a look at the official trailer!
