Witchboard (1987) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

When Brandon uses the Ouija board to contact David, the spirit that responds is actually Malfeitor, not the friendly spirit they previously communicated with. Malfeitor was able to intercept the communication because the board opened a portal to the spirit world, and this malevolent force was drawn to the session. The film's implication is that Malfeitor hijacked the connection, pretending to be David to gain access to the living world.

• ouija board
• malfeitor
• david
• spirit summoning
• possession

Carlos Malfeitor is the main antagonist and the evil spirit tormenting the group. He was an axe murderer who lived in the house that Jim and Linda now occupy, where he was violently killed in 1930. When the Ouija board is used, Malfeitor seizes the opportunity to escape the spirit realm and terrorize the living. His spirit possesses people, commits murders, and manipulates the characters throughout the film.

Foreshadowing: The history of the house is revealed when Jim and Brandon investigate Carlos' past, discovering he died violently in the very home they now share.

• carlos malfeitor
• axe murderer
• spirit
• antagonist
• house history

Zarabeth is murdered because she attempted to communicate with and potentially banish David's spirit during the séance. When she channels David and reveals his true identity as a ten-year-old boy, the malevolent force behind the communications, Malfeitor, responds by killing her to silence her psychic abilities and prevent her from stopping his plans. Her body is found impaled on a sundial after being thrown through a window.

Foreshadowing: The séance itself is a direct attempt to remove the spirit, which provokes Malfeitor's violent response.

• zarabeth
• murder
• séance
• psychic
• killed

David is not actually evil, he is the spirit of a ten-year-old boy who drowned in a nearby lake a decade before the film. However, when the group tries to contact David through the Ouija board, Malfeitor intercepts the communication and pretends to be David. The real David's identity is revealed during the séance, where he appears as a child, triggering maternal instincts in Linda. Malfeitor uses David's identity as a cover to manipulate Linda and gain trust.

Foreshadowing: The revelation comes during the séance when Zarabeth channels a child spirit, not the adult presence they expected.

• david
• spirit
• child
• malfeitor
• drowning

Linda experiences nausea and other symptoms that suggest she might be pregnant, creating tension between her and Jim. However, at the hospital, doctors confirm she is not pregnant, the symptoms were actually caused by her deepening connection to the spirit world through the Ouija board. This false pregnancy subplot adds to the psychological manipulation Malfeitor exerts over her.

Foreshadowing: Linda's unsettling symptoms begin after she continues using the Ouija board, linking her physical reactions to the supernatural.

• pregnancy
• linda
• nausea
• symptoms
• hospital

Jim destroys the Ouija board by shooting it with a gun during the climactic confrontation. When he fires at the board, the bullet sends it hurtling through a window onto a passing car below. This act severs the spiritual connection between Malfeitor and the living world, freeing Jim and Linda from his torment. The board's destruction represents the breaking of Malfeitor's hold on their lives.

• ouija board
• destroy
• shoot
• break connection
• climax

The ending shows Jim and Linda defeating Malfeitor by destroying the Ouija board, and they subsequently marry, seemingly achieving victory. However, the final scene reveals Mrs. Moses, their landlady, discovering the board while cleaning. When she looks at the planchette, it mysteriously moves to spell "yes," strongly implying that Malfeitor's spirit still lingers and may claim new victims. This ambiguous ending suggests the threat is not truly vanquished.

• ending
• ambiguous
• cliffhanger
• malfeitor
• returns

Brandon is attacked and killed with a hatchet by Malfeitor's spirit. After the spirit causes a pile of fishing barrels to fall on Jim at the dock, leaving him unconscious, Malfeitor subsequently attacks Brandon with a hatchet. This brutal murder occurs as Malfeitor escalates his terror campaign against the group, eliminating one of the people who initiated the Ouija board session.

Foreshadowing: Brandon was the one who originally brought out the Ouija board at the party, making him a primary target for Malfeitor's wrath.

• brandon
• hatchet
• killed
• death
• attack

The spirit slashes Brandon's car tires as a reaction to Jim Morar dismissing the idea of David's presence during the Halloween party. When Jim openly rejects the validity of the spirit communication, the entity responds violently by slashing the tires of Brandon's car. This early act establishes the spirit's hostile nature and demonstrates its ability to affect the physical world.

• tires
• slashed
• spirit reaction
• jim
• warning

Malfeitor targets Linda because she becomes the most psychologically vulnerable and spiritually connected to the Ouija board sessions. After repeated use of the board, Linda forms a deep emotional bond with the spirit she believes is David. Malfeitor exploits this connection to manipulate her, eventually possessing her physically. Her vulnerability stems from her emotional turmoil with Jim and her longing for the spirit's companionship, making her an ideal vessel for the malevolent force.

Foreshadowing: Linda's continued use of the board and her desire to reconnect with David make her increasingly susceptible to possession.

• linda
• possession
• target
• vulnerable
• connection

Carlos Malfeitor was an axe murderer who was killed violently in his home in 1930. His criminal history is uncovered when Jim investigates the spirit's background, revealing that he died in the very house Jim and Linda now share. The violent manner of his death, being killed in his own home, explains why his spirit remains earthbound and vengeful, using the Ouija board's portal to return and terrorize new occupants.

Foreshadowing: The investigation into the house's history reveals its dark past and explains why Malfeitor is connected to this specific location.

• axe murderer
• 1930
• house history
• crime
• killed

Malfeitor possesses Linda gradually through her repeated use of the Ouija board. Each session strengthens the spiritual connection between her and the entity. As her bond deepens, particularly after learning David was a child and feeling maternal instincts, Malfeitor gains greater access to her mind and body. Eventually, she becomes fully possessed, attacking Jim and Lieutenant Dewhurst physically. The possession is broken only when the Ouija board is destroyed.

Foreshadowing: Linda's unsettling symptoms and emotional attachment to the spirit foreshadow her eventual possession.

• possession
• linda
• ouija
• control
• break