Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway (1993) - Hollywood AudioVision Productions/CFD Bootleg DVD

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Kevin Tenney's follow-up to his previous '86 Witchboard could be described as a made-for-Lifetime Network "horror" movie. A pretty, vulnerable woman dealing with a rugged pretty boy ex while courting a younger pretty boy and an ethereal she-bitch. Some peril, work-related tension, and no real teeth to the toedips Tenney gingerly takes into the horror genre. A competently-made piece of boring filmmaking and something you can literally start watching, hit fast-forward, and still know exactly what's going on.

Although this ultra scarce DVD is interesting. It's rare to find such bootleg craftsmanship in covering up the fraudulence of what amounts to a movie few even remember. The cover, with unique artwork not seen on the VHS, is printed on usual high quality glossy stock and the single-layer disc is factory pressed. It has a movie-themed main menu, six chapter stops, Dolby stereo track, and even removable Chinese and accurately translated(!) English subtitles. The crease to the spine is "natural" and something seen randomly with these oddball Chinese boots. 

The full frame transfer is interlaced and in no way striking, but suffers zero tape-related defects. No drop-outs, wavy lines, or rolls. If this transfer was sourced from a VHS tape, it was done so professionally or we might even be seeing a video master of some sort. But then again, the original North American VHS looked strong regardless. You'll also notice on the back the film is made out to be a Tri-Star production. Credit has to be given for a mention of Sony Pictures DVD Center since Columbia Tri-Star is under their distribution umbrella. In reality, the defunct Republic Pictures was behind Witchboard 2 and their catalog is mostly handled by Paramount Pictures currently.