OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL (2016) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

ouija: origin of evil (2016) movie

Genre              |   Horror Thriller

Classification   |   M

Running time   |   99 minutes

Released         |  19 October 2016

cast

Annalise Basso ... Lina Zander
Elizabeth Reaser ... Alice Zander
Lulu Wilson ... Doris Zander
Henry Thomas ... Father Tom
Doug Jones ... Ghoul Marcus

director

Mike Flannagan

writer

​Mike Flanagan ... (written by) &
Jeff Howard ... (written by)
 
Juliet Snowden ... (based on characters created by) &
Stiles White ... (based on characters created by)

cinematographer

​Michael Fimognari

music

The Newton Brothers

film editor

​Mike Flanagan

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box office result

Worldwide               $​81,705,746​ 

Australia                 $​​​1,765,832

North America        $​​​35,144,505

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the best dialogue

Alice Zander: Spirit, can you hear me?
Doris Zander: Yes, we can. And we can see you.
Lina Zander: Who are you talking to, Doris?

Lina Zander: Something is wrong with Doris!
Alice Zander: She's experiencing something amazing!

Alice Zander: [crying] I just wanted to be able to talk to Daddy again. I just wanted you to be able to talk to Daddy.
Possessed Doris: He's gone. He lives in the dark and the cold, and he screams, and screams, and screams...

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OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL (2016) MOVIE IMAGES

Images

Posters

Images

Posters

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL (2016) STORY SYNOPSIS

​In 1967 Los Angeles, widowed mother Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) unwittingly invites authentic evil into her home by adding a new stunt to bolster her séance scam business. When the merciless spirit overtakes her youngest daughter Doris (Lulu Wilson), the small family must confront unthinkable fears to save her and send her possessor back to the other side.

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL (2016) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 19 October 2016
Pop ​Movee Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Back in 2014, Universal Pictures released OUIJA, a supernatural thriller that was based on the Hasbro board game of the same name. The film was made through Blumhouse Productions, the company owned by Jason Blum; the master of micro-budget horror films. In addition to Blum, Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes production company was also in on the act, albeit through his junior producing partners Andrew Form and Brad Fuller. The original film was budgeted at $5 million and, like so many films with Blum’s name somewhere in the credits, went on to earn over $100 million at the international box office. What was even more interesting was Universal’s decision not to release Ouija in a number of international markets, including Australia. The film found its way onto various home entertainment platforms and, without doubt, has continued to make money for the many and varied companies involved in its production and distribution. A sequel was guaranteed…

Skip forward to October 2016, almost two years have passed and OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL has been foisted upon moviegoers everywhere, just in time to capitalize upon the ever-growing interest in that very American, but somewhat disquieting, of festivals: Halloween. OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL will benefit from the zeitgeist of the season not just in the United States, but further abroad as well; where the commercial interest in Halloween has steadily grown year-upon-year. Australia is no different. You need only look in your letterbox to see retailers tripping over themselves to offer upon a never-ending stream of ghoulish goodies to bridge the long gap between Easter and Christmas.

​The release of OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL is a great example of how timing can help a mediocre film take on greater significance because of associated interest in some other event loosely connected to the film’s story. Back in 2014, Australia didn’t rate a release. Two years later, it’s a different story.

Sadly, not even Halloween can save OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL from the sanitized constraints of its source material; namely, the board game. Board games by their very nature suggest an activity that’s fun for the whole family, including young kids. This is where Origin of Evil fails as a supernatural horror story. Viewers are asked to suspend disbelief and accept that a board game can bring darkness, evil and horror if the rules of one of Hasbro’s off-the-shelf products aren’t followed to the letter. It would have been better to have dispensed with the board game angle all together and have the catalyst of what besets the Zander family be something of greater impact than a game.

Director Mike Flanagan, along with Co-writer Jeff Howard, make some effort to add some bulk to the backstory, but it’s a case of too little too late by the time the supernatural culprit is revealed. The cast work earnestly, but the material is so lacking impact, it becomes hard for leads Elizabeth Reaser (as Alice Zander) and Henry Thomas (as Father Tom) to generate any enthusiasm at all. Annalise Basso (as Paulina Basso) delivers the most energetic performance and plays well off young Lulu Wilson, who plays creepy little Doris Zander. The film’s prequel approach will make sense to those who have seen the first film, but the post-credit stinger will leave the non-acquainted scratching their heads even more. Unfortunately, OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL, even with its $6 million micro-budget, will do well to surpass the 2014 film even with the benefit of a broader international release.

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