Film Preview: Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

Page Revisions:

(August 7, 2016) Original
(September 11, 2016) New Trailer (#2)
(October 16, 2016) New Posters (#2-#4)

Release Date:

October 21, 2016

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “In 1967 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her two daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business and unwittingly invite authentic evil into their home. When the youngest daughter is overtaken by a merciless spirit, the family confronts unthinkable fears to save her and send her possessor back to the other side.”

Poster Rating: C / C+ / C / C-

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Review: (#1) Nothing we haven’t seen before. It lacks detail, intrigue and tension. For a horror film, that’s not helpful.

(#2) A room with walls and floor constructed of Ouija boards is an interesting concept. It still feels generic, but is at least modestly interesting to look at. (#3) The wall motif is still here, but so is the trite, significantly overused floating possession motif. Taken together, it’s not that interesting. (#4) We’ve seen this very concept many times. Why do they think it’s still scary or will bring us to the theater?

Trailer Rating: C+/ C+

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Review: (#1) The trailer starts out with some interesting elements that suggest a film trying to go a different direction; however, after that wears off, we get a formulaic, uninspired trailer filled with predictable jump scares and no depth.

(#2) The trailer still doesn’t provide the audience with any suggestion that there will be some measure of originality in the film. It will still appeal to a large swath of the audience that loves this kind of movie, but new converts and skeptical fans aren’t likely to be impressed.