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:

It was never just a game.

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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

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

USA

Language:

English Ukrainian

Release Date:

21 October 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ouija: El origen del mal

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Flanagan says he wanted to create the thriller as if it were shot in 1971. Some techniques included antique lenses, scene fades, and camera zooms instead of steadicams. Other simulated techniques: dust on the negative, subtle warping of the audio track, reel jumps and split-diopter (where both the foreground and background are in focus).

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Goofs

In the restaurant scene, although the air is "smokey", not one person in the place is seen smoking.

In 1967, a fair percentage of the customers would have been smoking. The percentage of smokers in America for that period was around 40%.

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Quotes

Doris Zander: [At 40:00 Doris comes downstairs from bed to Ouija Board on table] As friends who have gathered... blah... blah... blah. What happened to my neck?

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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

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: Ouija: Origin of Evil/Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

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Soundtracks

May I Have this Dance
Written by Alan Ett (as Alan Paul Ett) and William Ashford
Courtesy of Opus 1 Music

User Reviews

So this is where it all began!

It is a decent horror film, but surely better than the first. The previous part was an usual teen themed horror where everything started as a playful. But this one was a prequel and it focused on the origins. A single mother with two daughters is making money helping the people who want to contact their beloved dead ones. The things changes when her little daughter started to communicate the spirits of her own. The chaos unleashes, the house becomes haunted and the family begins to fall apart.

Keeping it simple is what worked out well for the film, despite thematically borrowed from others, scenes were kind of familiar and characters intentionally developed. Particularly the priest role was the most overused in any horror film. Followed by the twist. That turning point was good, but not a new. Nice performances and well shot film. Ouija is a fine concept for a horror theme and with this film's somewhat success, I hope the next one would only get better. So it is worth a watch, if you're not anticipating a something special.

6/10