Movie Review: Witchtrap (1989)

As far as I am aware, this movie stands alone — no sequels, prequels, or remakes (yet). Before we get to the brief review and then the report card, I’ll hit up what I wrote down:

– “What is with the audio?” Yeah, I’m not sure if it was a streaming issue, but the sound in this was jacked up.

– “Not great acting.” Kind of to be expected in the genre.

This one broke the mold a bit: it’s not a witch, but the ghost of a warlock. The title was confusing, but I guess “Warlock Trap” wouldn’t have sold at all in 1989. In this, a “dream team” of witch hunters are put together to free an old house of the spirit haunting it: some beat cop types for security, some scientists, and a medium. The question is, are they up to it?

Most of them are not. Despite the fact most of them get picked off this movie was kind of boring. It isn’t actively bad like the Witchouse sequels. It was just… I didn’t care about anyone living, but the warlock ghost was so annoying I couldn’t root for him, either.

It’s a decent witch movie, but it’s in the bottom half so far this collection. Two more to go (I accidentally said I had two more last week, because I had watched this before writing the last review… trying to get ahead heading into a week off.) See it if you’re a completionist, or if you like Linnea Quigley, who is making her third appearance in a film I’ve reviewed (she was in Night of the Demons and Creepozoids). I don’t know of anyone off-hand to have been in three of these aside from Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956 *and* 1978, and also Piranha).

Report card:
Runtime: Ninety minutes.
Acting: Not great.
Effects: Pretty good.
Violence: A lot.
Dead Townsfolk: I think the “witch” kills five.
Revenge Kills: Not really.
Gun Use: Yes, though mostly ineffectively. Nothing unrealistic.
Gore: No.
Creepy? No.
Monster Type? A dead warlock.
Monster Ick Factor: No.
Funny? Yes.
Nudity: Right out the gate with topless female nudity, then a bit of full female nudity later on.
Pet Death: No.
Pacing: Good.