Review of Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) by Roshan P — 14 Feb 2017

Ouija: Origin of Evil being a better sequel surprisingly, even from the lowest standard that the predecessor set back in 2014. Yes, this sequel is way better, which the first movie followed with a non-existent story, terrible acting, and clichés with teens making stupid decisions. The sequel improves with about everything. All thanks to new writers and director in this film like Mike Flanagan. Who takes the story back in 1967, which does create a classic horror movie feel that has a look with tone that The Exorcist, and other classic horror movies had. From the film's editing look with color tone, cinematography, and so on.

The plot follows a widow Alice (Elizabeth Reaser), who lost her husband in an accident. So raising her two daughters alone is hard enough, all while trying to pay for the mortgage. She makes money by scamming people to believing she is a psychic reader and can talk to the dead in the spiritual world. Her oldest daughter Paulina (Annalise Basso) and the youngest Doris (Lulu Wilson) are involved in it by rigging the dining room table to shake and lighting up the candles and cause a shadow effect through the curtains. Alice discovers an Ouija board game that they can use as a prop for their scamming business. Tempting to use the board to talk to her husband. With no response besides another spirit figure that decides to haunt the family in the house. The dark haunting figure possesses Doris as she mysteriously causes injuries to her bullies at school. And concerning her mother, she tries to get Father Tom (Henry Thomas) to help bring her daughter back. As they learn about the history of an old owner to the house that used his basement for a disturbing experiment.

The pros about Ouija: Origins of Evil was the theme about a struggling family, dealing with a loss, and being non-believers to the spiritual world. Of course, that changes when they bring in the board game that releases a disturbed figure to possessing the youngest daughter. The plot worked with giving more leverage to actually caring for these characters unlike the first movie. Mike Flanagan's direction and script build this family dynamic as they experience this possession and are trying to save their youngest. Also, there are better performances with Elizabeth Reaser, Annalise Basso, Lulu Wilson, and Henry Thomas. The film does have some creepy factors, seeing a dark demonic figure at the end of the hallway, leaving you feeling a little on the edge. Or seeing a hanged body dangling on the ceiling with a possessed girl that can come out of anywhere. The sinister figure does have a backdrop of details that are quite disturbing, making it a scarier threat.

The con about the film for being a supernatural horror movie was the lack of scares. It had a creepy eerie direction that would have worked for the best if the movie were released decades ago. I did not find the film to be scary, which did not deliver jolts or jump scares. Maybe it's just myself not finding supernatural horror movies as scary anymore.

Overall, Ouija: Origins of Evil is a better film than the last, and better than expected from how the trailer looked.