OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL (2016) - Movie Review

Director: Mike Flanagan
Starring: Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annalise Basso, Henry Thomas, Parker Mack, Halle Charlton, Doug Jones, Kate Siegel
Genre: Horror, Drama, Mystery
Writer: Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard
Runtime: 99 min
Rated: PG-13 for disturbing images, terror and thematic elements
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

It was never just a game. Inviting audiences again into the lore of the spirit board, Ouija: Origin of Evil tells a terrifying new tale in 1967 Los Angeles. A widowed mother and her two daughters add a new stunt to bolster their séance scam business and unwittingly invite authentic evil into their home. When the youngest daughter is overtaken by the merciless spirit, this small family confronts unthinkable fears to save her and send her possessor back to the other side.

Review:

Produced by Jason Blum and Michael Bay, the 2014 horror film "Ouija" was a hit at the box-office, grossing $50 million domestically and $52.8 million internationally against a budget of $5 million. Unfortunately it was a terrible movie with no redeemable qualities that has been lost to cinematic oblivion. Nobody wanted a prequel or a sequel to that horrible mess of a movie, but the prospect of a new money-making franchise was too good to pass up, and so came to be a prequel titled "Ouija: Origin of Evil".

To the studio and producers' credit, they didn't just go for a quick cash grab, and really tried to make a better movie. To this end they hired Mike Flanagan to write and direct the prequel. If you're unfamiliar with his body of work, Flanagan made his directorial debut with the 2011 horror film "Absentia", but his next project, 2013's "Oculus" put him on the map as a name to keep an eye out for in the genre. He also directed "Hush", "Before I Wake", "Gerald's Game", "Doctor Sleep" and created horror shows like "The Haunting of Hill House", "The Haunting of Bly Manor", "Midnight Mass" and "The Midnight Club". Flanagan previously contributed ideas that were worked into the reshoots for the first "Ouija", so it's safe to assume the producers were impressed enough to hire him for the prequel.

The story is set in 1967 and focuses on the family that would eventually end up haunting the teenagers who were reckless enough to play with the Ouija board in 2014. The family drama forms the film's emotional core, which resonates with the viewer thanks to wonderful performances from the lead trio of actresses (Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson and Annalise Basso). The filmmaker's frequent collaborator, actor Henry Thomas also delivers a strong performance as a priest who comes to the family's aid once the supernatural terror is unleashed. All the characters are likeable and well written, which is helpful because the third act really depends on how much you care about these people.

Eventually the film takes a detour into more generic territory once the demonic villain is revealed, which occurs via one elongated exposition dump, and sometimes the pieces of the story's puzzle are forced to fit into the narrative of the previous film. And there must be some unwritten rule somewhere that says possessed people can walk on walls and ceilings like a spider for whatever reason. I think "Hereditary" is the only movie I've seen in the last decade or so where that kind of imagery was genuinely unsettling. Even so, despite the obligatory third act silliness, Flanagan tries to keep things unpredictable, so I was still wildly enjoying the plot's twisted turns in spite of the usual genre cliches.

"Ouija: Origin of Evil" is not Flanagan's best work, mostly because it's forced to evolve in the shadow of a bad movie. It has a story and characters you can invest in and cleverly constructed scares, something the filmmaker is very good at, and got better at throughout the years. This prequel also works very well on its own, so if you don't want to watch the 2014 film, you don't have to (and I don't recommend you do). Flanagan goes beyond the call of duty and delivers a decent horror film that's well worth a watch.

SCORE: 7/10