OUIJA
Ouija was released in theaters October 2014 and stars Olivia Cooke who has played Emma on Bates Motel since the first season. Ouija was produced by Jason Blum and is rated PG 13.
Ouija follows a group of young adults who find themselves in danger after messing with a Ouija board. The film opens with Laine and her friend Debbie playing with a Ouija board as children. We then jump ahead to present day and learn Debbie has begun playing with a Ouija board alone. Debbie is found hanging in her home not long after. The apparent suicide of her friend leaves Laine heartbroken and feeling guilty. She makes the decision to use the Ouija board Debbie had been using to try and contact her for closure. She recruits her group of friends to participate and they successfully contact Debbie. Or have they?
Unfortunately, they have not reached their friend instead they have reached an angry spirit that used to live in Debbie’s house. I won’t go any further except to say things go down hill from this point on. I was skeptical about this film. Prior to watching it, I had heard nothing but negative reviews from other horror fans. While this is not a film I would like to own or have paid to see in the theater it was entertaining. It is a light and airy, jump scary 89 minutes. There is little gore and no nudity. Although the plots differ, this movie reminded me of movies like The Haunting of Molly Hartley.
The biggest and most pleasant surprise in the movie was the lovely Lin Shaye as the sister of the evil spirit. I have come to love Lin because no one does creepy like this little lady! I also liked the fact that a Ouija board was used to introduce the evil spirit. I do wish the history of these boards and how they are believed to work had been expanded upon. Of course the ending left things open for a sequel. Overall, I enjoyed the movie.
LITTLE MISS HORROR NERD’S RATING: 3 out of 5
Now for some trivia about both the movie and the board:
1. The Ouija board was patented in 1890.
2. About 50% of the film was reshot. Lin Shaye was not cast until the reshoots began.
3. This was Hasbro Studios first film.
4. Some members of the cast claim to have had supernatural experiences since production of the film ended.
5. The cast members played with a Ouija board during filming between takes.
For a list of films that involve Ouija board, click here.
