Directed by: Mike Flanagan
Written by: Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard
Cast: Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annalise Basso, Henry Thomas
Swift shot: Everyone always asks me the same thing, “Was it scary?” Well, Ouija: Origin of Evil was pretty scary to me, but I can’t tell you if it will even make the hairs on your arm firm up. I can confess that the teenagers behind me were sure masking their fear with a lot of nervous laughter and outright, “Naw, Hell Naw!” This prequel to Ouija certainly has all the right elements to scare people. With jump scares, clever editing to catch you completely off guard, and the always horrifying element where some evil force is able to influence your mind to give-up free will. Ouija: Origin of Evil has interesting characters who are genuinely compelling, and the story kept me engaged throughout. I’d call this a win for Director Mike Flanagan.
Alice Zander (Reaser) is a widowed mother who has turned to scamming people with fake seance theatrics in 1967 Los Angeles. Alice has two daughters, one protective teenager, Lina (Basso) and one very inquisitive nine year old, Doris (Wilson) who hasn’t quite grasped the fact that her mom is a criminal. Lina convinces herself that it is all they can do to pay the bills, and ultimately they help more people than they hurt. It’s a win win for everyone, and Alice even occasionally offers free readings, when things get a little out of hand.
One evening Lina sneaks out to party with her friends and hang out with teen heartthrob Mikey (Parker Mack), and she discovers the Ouija game. The funny thing about calling this conduit of evil a game has always troubled me. There is no way to win and only countless ways to lose your soul. But, Lina introduces her mom to the board game and we quickly learn there are only three simple rules, 1. Never Play Alone, 2. Never Play in a Cemetery, and 3. Always Say Goodbye. That last rule is key, if you’ve ever messed around with a Ouija board, trust me, always say goodbye! Seriously, I can’t stress that enough.
And, because this is a horror film, Alice immediately breaks the first rule! Not only that, she’s already figured out a way to manipulate the board to add a prop to her fortune telling scam. Thing is, she has no idea that the spirits aren’t playing a game, they are seeking a voice. And they have already decided who will speak for them.
Curious little Doris becomes obsessed with the board, as it is revealed that she has been given the gift that obviously skipped a generation with her mother, who can only pretend to contact spirits. But, when Doris starts reaching out for Alice’s clients, the spirits who answer back leads to deadly consequences for the already fractured family.
Lina is the only one in the house who tries to keep everyone grounded in the reality that something sinister is going on with Doris, and she incorporates her principal, Father Tom (Henry Thomas) to compel Alice to come to her senses about these seances and the damage it is doing to Doris and the family. Thing is, being a priest, who maybe took the cloth a little too soon, we aren’t sure if his intentions are entirely pure.
And then there’s Mikey, a Pratt-Pattinson hybrid who is a typical high school senior of the late sixties, I guess. Mikey is genuinely not a creep nor a bad guy, but he’s also no saint. Alice is certain Mikey just wants one thing from her daughter, and she has a funny way of warning him she is always watching his hands.
Meanwhile, the spirits are amping up the volume and rapidly taking over Doris’ body, she becomes a true conduit for evil, a literal voice for the damned, if you will. From there, as with all great suspense films, shit starts to get really bad for the family and any idiots dumb enough to help them. Hint, no good deed goes unpunished.
Probably the highest praise I can give this film is that I never saw Ouija and it didn’t make a difference in how I appreciated the story or the characters. Our late H-Man did review Ouija. He wasn’t very kind to it, and I heard it was bad from several sources, but now I am thinking I really want to watch the old one!
If you are looking for a kind of thrilling roller coaster ride, Ouija: Origin of Evil will deliver by the final act, and the opening acts are quirky and clever, albeit a bit slow for modern audiences.
Oh, and please, for the love of God, don’t mess around with evil spirits. Don’t ever open a door that you can’t close, like, ever!
