Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) Review

In 1967 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her 2 daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business, inviting an evil presence into their home.

Director: Mike Flanagan; Writers: Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard; Stars: Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annalise Basso

Ouija: Origin of Evil is one of three movies directed by Mike Flanagan released in 2016, the others being Hush (2016) and Before I Wake (2016). Flanagan is one of those directors that come from the school of strong character driven horrors. Just see his previous works Oculus and Absentia. He's also helped reinvigorate the Blumhouse brand which is probably what got him on this film. Ouija: Origin of Evil is the prequel to almost unbearable Ouija of 2014, and may prove once and for that prequels can make a story line better.

Ouija: Origin of Evil tells the story of Paulina (Lin Shaye in the original) whose mother was a medium and used her sister Doris as a vessel for the dead to speak through. Their mother went mad and sewed Doris's mouth shut before killing her. Not a spoiler if you've seen the original, Lin Shaye's character tells us all this and the crux of the film ends in the discovery that Doris is the evil entity. Again, we aren't spoiling anything you wouldn't have learned in the original, should you have survived its high schoolery. Don't worry, we won't spoil the origin of the demon for you but the may be Nazi's involved. Flash back to the 60's and we know what's about to happen. But, as strange as it sounds, even though we know the story and how it's supposed to play out, Ouija: Origin of Evil is a far superior film to its predecessor. Maybe we can attribute that to the writer/director. Maybe its thanks to a more seasoned acting troupe. Maybe it's because Michael Bay truly stepped back and just executive produced. Mostly it's because its a more realized and solid story with legitimately creepy moments that feels like James Wan was somehow involved. All of which make the expected more fun to watch. Especially when in an act of horror trope gold, the board comes with 3 rules, "never play alone, never play in a graveyard, and always say goodbye" which are immediately broken.

Ouija: Origin of Evil is available today on all platforms, enjoy it whether you enjoyed the original or not.