[projekktor id=’25777′]
Bringing character and story back to the horror genre, Mike Flanagan’s prequel to 2014’s Ouija, Ouija: Origin of Evil, not only establishes the forces behind the haunted board game but manages to produce a decent film that doesn’t rely on gimmick to get the scare.
Ouija: Origin of Evil takes place in 1967, where a recently widowed Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) is trying to support her two daughters, Lina (Annalise Basso) and Doris (Lulu Wilson) with her in-home fortune teller routine. Despite conning people with messages from deceased loved ones Alice believes she’s doing good work because she’s still giving people closure, something she never got when her husband was killed in an automobile accident. Jumping on a new craze, Alice hopes to revitalise her stale routine with a Ouija board. But the introduction of the board game to her home has dire consequences for her family. Doris takes to the game quickly, trying to communicate with her Daddy, but instead makes some new friends. When Alice discovers her youngest daughter has a natural ability and is actually able to communicate with spirits, she encourages Doris to continue using the board. Lina’s skepticism of the good in her sister’s new found abilities has her turning to her principal, Father Tom (Henry Thomas) for help.
The haunting and the story unfold well. Each character has their own motives and fears so Doris’ haunting affects all of them differently. While the special effects are scary, what’s scarier is how little we actually see of the ghosts haunting the Zander family. Flanagan probably took a page out of the Jaws playbook: if you don’t have the funds for a spectacular monster you can build more suspense but not really showing it instead. The practical effects weren’t so great, granted the production was constrained by its physical shooting location. They didn’t have the luxury of space and had to work within the confines of the house they were shooting in which limited the amount of physical stunts that could be performed. Modern staples of the genre like haunted characters scaling walls or walking on ceilings were still implemented, but they didn’t have the same scare factor. That being said the film still had plenty of scares in it. The one downside is the lack of discovery when it came to the ghosts haunting Doris. Father Tom reiterates a story to Alice and Lina, a direct translation of Polish text Doris wrote while possessed, and bam the mystery of the ghosts is solved. I would’ve preferred something more hands on than an exposition scene.
The acting was really effective. Elizabeth Reaser is incredibly convincing as the mother who just wants to do right by her kids. It’s also nice to see Henry Thomas return to the paranormal genre. He’s come a long way since playing Elliot in E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.
Using the film to explore what made the Ouija board a success in the first place, a chance to connect with lost loved ones, Flanagan successfully co-wrote and directed a film that reflects the themes of loss, family, and reconnecting with the dead. Ouija: Origin of Evil is an entertaining scary movie and a great watch for the Halloween season.
Reviewed by Vithiya Murugadas.
