Ouija: Origin of Evil

2014's Ouija was a watered down horror film that seemed to be tailor made to be shown at slumber parties of 13-year-old girls.  It possessed no thrills, no originality, and no suspense whatsoever.  And yet, the film somehow managed to be a massive hit, grossing just over $100 million worldwide.  With that kind of box office, you can expect that a franchise is not far behind, and so it is, as Ouija: Origin of Evil serves as a prequel to the original.  What's not expected is the huge boost of quality over the first film.  This movie is atmospheric, well acted, and holds some genuine thrills - Everything the first movie lacked.  Quite honestly, not only did I not expect this follow up to be this good, but it's quite possibly the largest increase of quality from one movie to another that I've seen in a very long time.

Credit for this obviously goes for the film's director, co-writer and editor, Mike Flanagan (Oculus), a rising horror filmmaker who not only shows tremendous talent on a regular basis, but who with this film proves that he can pretty much turn an entire franchise around with a single movie.  He shows a wonderful sense of atmosphere, as well as an ability to create a certain time and place within his storytelling.  He sets the film in 1965, and not only does he throw in some wonderful period details, he even adds a few clever filmmaking touches that hearken back to the time.  For example, the film opens with the old Universal Studio logo from the era, which kind of gets you in the mood of the film right off the bat.  But even more impressive, he digitally adds the "black dot" that used to appear in the upper corner of the screen in old film.  This was used as a signal for the projectionist up in the booth to change the reels of the film back in the day.  Even though the film is shot on digital equipment, that little "dot" appears.  The first time I saw it, I thought my eyes were tricking me.  But, when it appeared again later on, I smiled.  This is a director who not only knows how to invoke the feel of the era, but also understands the films of the time.

This being a prequel, there is a loose connection to the first movie, though you fortunately don't have to seek it out in order to enjoy this.  The one serves as the backstory to one of the characters in the 2014 film, Lina Zander, played in the original by Lin Shaye.  In 1967, she's a teenage girl (played here by Annalise Basso) who lives with her widowed mother, Alice (Elizabeth Reaser), and younger sister Doris (Lulu Wilson).  Alice makes her living as a phony fortune teller and psychic, her house rigged with various special effects in order to fool paying customers into believing that she can talk to the dead.  Even her two daughters frequently get in the act, working the effects from behind the scenes.  Alice is essentially conning people out of their money, but she doesn't see it that way.  She's giving people "comfort", telling them what they want to hear about departed loved ones, and giving them closure.

During this first half, Flanagan does a wonderful job of not only setting the mood, but also creating a genuine bond within the family, and creating characters that we care about.  The three lead actresses are not only giving strong performances here, but the script gives the characters room to breathe and grow before the scares start up.  We also learn about their individual problems, or hopes.  Alice is having a hard time keeping the house paid up after her husband passed away.  Youngest daughter Doris is bullied at school because of her belief in the supernatural.  Meanwhile, Lina is your typical teen, sneaking out of the house late at night to be with her friends, particularly the cute high school senior boy, Mikey (Patrick Mack).  Origin of Evil has a deliberate pace leading up to the moment when Alice is at a store shopping for some new props for her business, when she comes upon a Ouija board and decides to bring it home.

We learn early on that there are three rules to using a Ouija board: Don't play alone, don't play in a graveyard, and always say "goodbye" to whatever spirit it is you're talking to when the game is over.  This being a thriller, all three rules will be violated in due time.  Little Doris is the first to play alone, and quickly discovers that she has actual psychic abilities, as she can not only see the various spirits that apparently haunt the home, but that she can use the board to communicate with spirits just by using her mind.  When Alice discovers this, she immediately incorporates the young girl in her act, going so far as to take her out of school for a few days so she can use her on the job.  Alice is thrilled about her daughter's gift, but Lina is not so happy about her little sister's sudden ability to talk to the other side.  She consults a local priest (Henry Thomas, who will forever be known for playing Elliott, the little boy from E.T.), who learns some troubling truths about the history of the house that the family is currently living in, and that Doris might be in danger from the spirits she's speaking to, as many of them are not so friendly and are actually using her.

Where Ouija: Origin of Evil goes from there is fairly predictable and standard for the genre.  The last 20 minutes or so are more or less an explosion at the special effects factory, mixed with "creepy little girl" cliches.  But before the third act, this has been a highly suspenseful and surprisingly effective supernatural thriller and drama.  It creates likable and sympathetic characters, and never short changes them with uninspired personalities.  The performances are equally wonderful and down to earth, allowing you to not only care about these people, but actually be concerned for them when their lives are in danger near the end.  Flanagan is not making a thrill ride movie, nor is he making a horror movie for the preteen crowd, despite the film's PG-13 rating.  His pacing is slow and smoldering, but there's always a level of tension involved.  As little Doris goes deeper into the world of the paranormal and starts actually being manipulated by the spirits around her, the movie creates a genuinely creepy tone that mostly avoids jump scares, and just focuses on slowly unsettling the audience.

I honestly was not expecting any of this.  The original Ouija was as uninspired as any recent thriller has ever been.  In my review of that film, I wrote that it was " a glum, deadly serious and deadly dull horror movie that won't elicit an audience response, except from the most easily excitable or startled teenagers.  It takes forever to get to the point, and when it finally does, it's not worth the wait".  It's amazing how much of a turnaround this prequel is.  It not only builds on that film's backstory, but it actually fleshes it out and makes it more interesting than it appeared before.  I think what we have here is a rare instance of a movie that the studio knew wasn't very good, but still went on to be a hit.  However, rather than just farming the next installment out to anyone looking for work, the studio was actually interested in making the follow up genuinely good, and got some strong talent behind it, who not only understood the material better than the filmmakers from the first, but also knew how to fix its problems.  If every mainstream horror franchise followed this example, I figure audiences would be a lot happier.

Most of the time you can walk into a movie, and know exactly what to expect.  This is one of those rare times that a movie completely surprises you.  Of the many sequels we've had so far in 2016, who would have thought that Ouija of all things would end up being one that works?  I actually now have hope for the franchise, given Mike Flanagan is willing to return.  

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