Ouija: Origin of Evil
Doris: "Do you know what it feels like to be strangled
to death?"
"Ouija: Origin of Evil" is
directed by Mike Flanagan ("Hush", "Oculus", "Before I
Wake") and stars Elizabeth Reaser as Alice Zander, Annalise Basso as Lina Zander,
Lulu Wilson as Doris Zander, Henry Thomas as Father Tom, Parker Mack as Mikey,
Michael Weaver as Roger Zander, and Doug Jones as Ghoul Marcus/Devil's Doctor.
The prequel to the 2014 horror film "Ouija"
tells the story of the popular (for some odd reason) board game that calls upon
spirits. Alice Zander is a single mother trying to feed and house her two
daughters by scheming people using séances, or reaching out to the spirit world
to give others closure about their loved ones. She buys a Ouija board to add to
the show, but Doris, the youngest of Alice's two daughters, uses the game to
try and talk with her deceased father. By chance, evil spirits are contacted
instead and Doris becomes the vessel for the spirits. Lina Zander, the older
daughter, and Alice are now in a circumstance where they need to get rid of the
spirits, with help from Father Tom. Chills are waiting at every corner in this
classic looking horror film.
It's almost Halloween time, here in the
States. That means it's time for that one neighbor who gives you a toothbrush
as a trick-or-treat gift that you know you'll throw away right when you get
home and scary movies. I'll admit: I never saw 2014s "Ouija". I had
better things to do like wait until the light bulb in my kitchen to burn out.
Nothing from the trailers gave me a desire to see the movie, and the same goes
for "Ouija: Origin of Evil". However, I saw it and I freaking loved
it! Mike Flanagan is quickly on the rise to being a modern classic horror director.
With films like "Oculus" and "Hush" under his director's
cap, he'll be influencing many more horror films in the future. He has an eye
for detail, that's for sure. If you haven't seen "Hush", please watch
it so that you can get an idea of how bright his talent shines. It's on Netflix
so it shouldn't be too hard to get a hold of. He uses certain elements to his
advantage. In "Hush", it's the element of sound; not being able to
hear. In "Ouija: Origin of Evil", the element of self-awareness. A
little bit of explanation: "Ouija: Origin of Evil" plays like a
classic 1960s film, by using what old films used to do like a
trademark/copyright title card at the start of the movie and cigarette burns to
let the projectionist know when to switch reels. It even uses meta-humor to its
advantage and making fun of clichés used in horror movies (going into the
basement, not splitting up, etc.). I had so much fun watching the homage to
vintage scary movies.
"Ouija: Origin of Evil" isn't
the perfect prequel/sequel horror movie, but those little factors on what I
didn't like are so minor in comparison to the abundance of reasons why I liked
it. One little idea that I didn't seem to get was the way Doris' possession was
portrayed. It was more of an CGI add-in that felt a little unfit for the film
as a whole. If it was trying to go for a classic vibe, that certain scene, and
maybe about 2 other scenes, took the feeling of early movies away. Still,
that's totally a small complaint when thinking about how effective "Ouija:
Origin of Evil" is in scaring the crap out of me. I found Doris to be one
of the creepiest kids in a movie I've seen in a while. Kids in general are just
creepy, what with their germ spreading snot covered hands touching you...I'm a
germophobe! C'mon, give me a break! What also scares the crap out of me is
whether or not, going into a movie, the scares will be cheap jump scares. I
commend Flanagan's choice for not adding too many of those in here. There are
times when the jump scares are present, but I can see why those are being used:
it blends with the story. "Ouija: Origin of Evil" is genuinely scary
and, unfortunately, I can't say that about many modern horror movies. Plus, the performances by this small cast are, across the board, believable and entertaining (no pun intended). Annalise Basso, specifically, is the stand out as the older sister. Up and coming scream queen? Only time can tell, but the answer is yes.
The horror genre in film this year has
been phenomenal, in my book. "Ouija: Origin of Evil" is just another
addition to the collection of the 2016 horror game changers. This is how you
make a horror film, Hollywood! Don't f**k s**t up anymore! Not only is "Ouija:
Origin of Evil" a great horror movie, but, from what peers have told me,
it is a vast improvement on its predecessor. I'm not going to take that into
account on my score because I haven't seen the 2014 film, but I'm going to
acknowledge the fact that this is a prequel/sequel. Like we've seen in the
past, horror sequels tend to go under the bar of its original. Like, way under.
"The Conjuring 2" is one of the more recent horror films that
actually is a great sequel. Off the top of my head, I can't think of many other
recent horror prequels or sequels that are fantastic. Congrats "Ouija:
Origin of Evil"! You exceeded my expectations with 1960s flare!
4.6/5
- Mike Flanagan's directorial vision
- Details bringing back 60s kinds of movies
- Genuinely creepy as f**k
- Some random CGI placements
"Ouija: Origin of Evil" is rated PG-13 for
disturbing images, terror, and thematic elements
Click here to watch the
trailer
"Ouija: Origin of Evil" is in theaters everywhere
now
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