Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

In 1967 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business by inviting an evil presence into their home, not realizing how dangerous it is.

Director:

Mike Flanagan

Writers:

Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard

Stars:

Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annalise Basso

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Annalise Basso	...	Lina Zander
Elizabeth Reaser	...	Alice Zander
Lulu Wilson	...	Doris Zander
Henry Thomas	...	Father Tom
Parker Mack	...	Mikey
Halle Charlton	...	Ellie
Alexis G. Zall	...	Betty
Doug Jones	...	Ghoul Marcus
Kate Siegel	...	Jenny Browning
Sam Anderson	...	Mr. Browning
Chelsea Gonzalez	...	Gloria
Lincoln Melcher	...	Jack
Nicholas Keenan	...	Walter
Michael Weaver	...	Roger Zander
Ele Keats	...	Ellie's Mom

Storyline

In 1967 Los Angeles, a young widow named Alice Zander works out of her suburban home as a spiritual medium, accompanied by her daughters, 15-year-old Paulina "Lina" and 9-year old Doris. The family is still reeling over the recent death of Roger, Alice's husband and the kids' father. At Lina's suggestion, Alice incorporates a Ouija board into her readings. While trying out the board, she unknowingly contacts a spirit named Marcus that begins to possess Doris. Alice receives a notice that the bank intends to foreclose on their home. Doris contacts the board for help, believing she is communicating with her dead father. The spirit leads her to a secret compartment behind the basement wall containing a pouch of cash. When she gives the money to her mother, the family has an Ouija session, believing they can contact Roger. When the board answers a question only Roger would know the answer to, a thrilled Alice begins believing that they are in contact with her dead husband..

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Plot Keywords:

prequel | seance | possession | ouija board | schoolgirl uniform | 

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Taglines:

No telling what you'll see.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, terror and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the family's seances, all 3 board rules were violated: family members played alone, a graveyard was involved, and "goodbye" was never uttered.

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Goofs

Drive licenses pulled from behind the basement wall clearly show expiration date of 1950. Addresses show ZIP codes. They did not exist until 1963.

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Quotes

Alice Zander: [crying] I just wanted to be able to talk to Daddy again. I just wanted you to be able to talk to Daddy.
Possessed Doris: He's gone. He lives in the dark and the cold, and he screams, and screams, and screams...

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Crazy Credits

The scrolling end credits are fish-eye warped as if viewed through an Ouija board lens.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Horror Movie Sequels That Saved the Franchise (2020)

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Soundtracks

Where You Are Is Where I'm Going to Be
Written by Elijah Honey (as Paul Robert Cufflin)
Performed by Elijah Honey
Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation

User Reviews

Pretty Creepy & Scary

I am by no means a hard core horror film buff, but I do view them from time to time. I found this one to be quite the creepy little horror flick, and it gets increasingly scary as it progresses.

As I've often noted, I have to overlook some of the really dumb decisions made by characters in horror movies, and this one is no exception. Also, the plot elements here are similar to many I've seen in this genre. However, I felt it was quite well presented with good acting from all the cast, well directed by Mike Flanagan, and solidly written by Flanagan and Jeff Howard.

Overall, this film rather creeped me out and I'm still thinking about that scary ending.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

USA

Language:

English Ukrainian

Release Date:

21 October 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ouija: Origin of Evil

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,065,500, 23 October 2016

Gross USA:

$35,144,505

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$81,705,746

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allspark Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Dentsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1