Hey everybody! My name is Cesar Lopez, but you can call me C Lo. I am a huge fan of movies and I appreciate all kinds of movies. Since I love watching and talking about movies, I thought I'd make this page and tell you a little bit about how I feel on certain movies. I am going to school to major in Journalism and minoring in Cinema. I will hopefully be posting at least once or maybe twice a week. You can expect to see at least one review every Saturday. Also, I would welcome everyone to maybe leave a comment on what you think of my review (agree or disagree), what you think of the movie, what you would like to see me review, what you think I could improve on in these reviews, or anything you would like to say about anything. In any case, I will read it, absorb everything you say, and try my best to respond. Thank you everyone for listening to me :) It is definitely appreciated!

"Thank you for going on this journey with me. I'll see you at the movies." -Roger Ebert

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Ouija: Origin of Evil Review

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.




To spot the spirits, why doesn't Henry Thomas just throw a ball into a room and wait until the ball is thrown back? (E.T. joke)



    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.




Who the hell plays this for fun? Nope. I don't want to unleash spirits into my home. I already have enough problems to deal with. F**k that.



     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.




Aw, Mike, don't get all flustered! You deserve all of those compliments and more!



     "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.




Look what kids can do! Isn't that creepy as hell?!



     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



PRO
  • Mike Flanagan's directorial vision
  • Details bringing back 60s kinds of movies
  • Genuinely creepy as f**k 
CON
  • 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



     Thanks for reading, everybody! I really do appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen "Ouija: Origin of Evil", comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!

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