Ouija: Origin of Evil
| Ouija: Origin of Evil | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Mike Flanagan |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Based on |
Ouija by Hasbro Characters by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White |
| Starring |
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| Music by | The Newton Brothers |
| Cinematography | Michael Fimognari |
| Edited by | Mike Flanagan |
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Production
companies |
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9 million |
| Box office | $81.7 million |
Ouija: Origin of Evil is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan and written by Flanagan and Jeff Howard. The film is a prequel to the 2014 film Ouija and stars Elizabeth Reaser, Annalise Basso, Lulu Wilson, Parker Mack and Henry Thomas. Unlike its predecessor, the film's plot focuses on a widow and her family adding an Ouija board to their scamming business where, unbeknownst to them, they invite a spirit that possesses the youngest daughter.
The film was released on October 21, 2016 by Universal Studios, grossing over $81 million. The film received positive reviews, with many praising it as a significant improvement over its predecessor.
Set in 1967 Los Angeles, a widow named Alice Zander works out of her suburban home as a spiritual medium, accompanied by her daughters, 15-year-old Paulina "Lina" and 9-year old Doris; although they stage their seances, Alice's real intent is to help people move on. The family is still reeling over the recent death of Roger, Alice's husband and the kids' father. After Lina suggests that Alice incorporate a Ouija board into her readings, Alice does so, and unknowingly contacts a spirit named Marcus that begins to possess Doris. This is breaking one of the three rules: never play alone, never play in a graveyard, and always say goodbye.
Alice receives a foreclosure note, meaning they may lose their house. Doris contacts the board for help, believing she is communicating with her dead father, and the spirit leads her to a secret compartment behind the basement wall containing a pouch of cash. When she gives the money to her mom, the family has a Ouija session, believing they can contact Roger. When the board answers a question only Roger would know the answer to, a thrilled Alice begins believing that they are in contact with her dead husband.
Soon, Doris becomes possessed by a shadowy spirit. Lina, who is becoming disturbed by the changes in her sister, finds papers written by Doris in fluent Polish, a language she does not know, and brings them to Father Tom to translate. Troubled, Father Tom visits them for a Ouija session under the pretense of contacting his dead wife Gloria. Although the session appears to be successful, Father Tom later explains to Alice and Lina that Doris did not contact Gloria; she never was. Instead, for every question he asked, she read his thoughts and repeated the answers he was thinking in his mind. He reveals that the pages are entries written by a Polish immigrant named Marcus, who was taken captive during World War II by a sadistic doctor who conducted experiments on him and other captives inside the house's basement. These spirits knew answers that only Roger would know because they have been watching the family since the day they moved in.
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