The spirit world gets groovy
Ouija: Origin of Evil
***/****
By Jason Wiese
I have said it once and I will say it again: 2016 has been a pleasantly surprising year for the horror genre. Out of the several I have seen this year alone (Hush, Lights Out, Don’t Breathe), more often than not, the experiences have been complemented with genuine fear and refreshing originality. I felt that the genre had nowhere to go but up from there.
That was, until I saw Adam Wingard’s disappointing, unwanted sequel to 1999’s The Blair Witch Project and then caught word of the also unwanted sequel to 2014’s critically disparaged Ouija. I never bothered to see that film, for we all know what happened last time a board game was made into a movie, even if this board game is infamous for apparently channeling otherworldly entities. Thus, Ouija: Origin of Evil, from co-writer and director Mike Flanagan known for the aforementioned Hush, was the latest horror film this year to pleasantly surprise me.
In what appears at first to be an attempt to cash in on one of the more prevalent trends in horror today, Origin of Evil is set in 1967 Los Angeles, where widowed Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) runs a fortune telling business with her daughters Paulina (Annalise Basso) and Doris (Lulu Wilson). The business is an elaborate scam, with clever contraptions placed intricately throughout Alice’s “reading room” to ensure the most convincing experience for their customers. After Alice is inspired to add a Ouija board to her act, Doris begins to use it herself, claiming she can speak to other spirits. Alice believes her, overjoyed that her daughter legitimately has the gift she has been faking for years. But when Doris begins to underestimate her power and misuses the Ouija board, the horror begins.
To be clear, this is a good horror movie, but the “horror” itself is not the true source of the film’s power. There are a handful of good scares in the film, but genuine terror is scarce. Fortunately, what Origin of Evil lacks in scares, it makes up for in just about everything else. Reaser, whom I rightfully assumed does not have much experience with the genre, is at her strongest before the horror begins, but the young actresses starring as her daughters are consistently believable, especially Wilson, who breathes new life into the otherwise tired “creepy kid” trope.
The most fascinating and refreshing aspect of the film, however, is its vintage setting, which, as I mentioned, does appear at first glance to shamelessly follow suit with recent “horror period pieces” The Conjuring or Annabelle (which both exist in the same universe, mind you). But what sets this film apart is how it cleverly and effectively takes full advantage of its time setting without ever feeling heavy handed. Through its music, cinematography and use of certain practical effects that have been long abandoned, it becomes a fun homage to forgotten horror classics of yesteryear.
Put down Flanagan among the ranks of Fede Alvarez and David F. Sandberg, among others: filmmakers who have shown much promise so early in their careers by achieving challenges in the horror genre that were once believed to be impossible. In Flanagan’s case with Ouija: Origin of Evil, he has successfully made a well-crafted thriller that greatly improves upon its predecessor as well as a fun throwback to the grindhouse era simultaneously. It says in the Ouija board’s rules to always say “Good bye,” but I hope not to bid Flanagan adieu anytime soon. He is welcome to haunt cinemas for as long as he wants.
Published to Newstime and The Lincoln County Journal Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016
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