Review of Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) by Marcas P — 17 Dec 2016

Such a pleasant surprise given the abysmal reputation of the first OUIJA movie, OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL is an unusually thoughtful chiller that values character above everything else. Director/co-writer Flanagan elevates the material far above where the initial film apparently took it, and the basic premise this time out is great, and focused on characters that have a bit of complexity and humanity to them.

The character work is particularly introspective (at least relative to what we tend to get in most studio horror movies), and the fairly sharp writing allows these people to behave as identifiable - and relatable - human beings; there's a concern with the inner lives of the central characters that is most welcome.

The performances from all concerned are great, particularly those from Basso and Wilson, who have some of the more difficult (on paper) material to sell. It's a good-looking period piece across the board, and Flanagan fills the movie with little touches to sell the era (the vintage-style title cards and studio logos set the tone immediately).

On a filmmaking level, Flanagan delivers the goods; he's not afraid to let shots and scenes play out play out for full effect, instead of favoring a more rapid style of cutting. There are refreshingly few conventional jump scares in here, with Flanagan preferring to rely mostly on creepy scenarios and beats to unnerve the audience instead of blasting them with loud noises to get them to feel a jolt.

Musically, the movie's kind of refreshing, too, as it boasts a score which emphasizes emotion and mystery instead of the droning (read: boring) textures most current horror scores offer. The third act does become a bit conventional, but everything lead up to that is strong enough to keep the movie as a whole afloat.

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL is a far more interesting film than it has any right to be, and Flanagan continues to demonstrate that he's one of the smartest directors working in the genre today.