The new movie Ouija, a supernatural thriller based on a supposedly true story of mishap with a Ouija board, recounts two girls’ haunting experiences. Released only a week before Halloween, the micro-budgeted movie topped charts, raking in $20 million from 2,858 locations, according to Box Office.
Starring Olivia Cooke as Laine and Shelley Hennig as her best friend Debbie, Ouija opens with girls playing with a Ouija board.
Flashing seven years forward into present day, Debbie is discovered dead in her house after burning the Ouija board. Her family, unwilling to stay in the house after seeing their daughter hanged, leave Laine to housesit for the time being.
While housesitting, Laine and a group of friends come across the Ouija board in Debbie’s closet, unaware that the game is what led Debbie to her death. In an attempt to contact Debbie’s spirit, the group uses the board to spell out questions to their friend, but inadvertantly anger the demon that murdered her.
After seeing the movie, it was obvious to me why the film was rated PG-13. Ouija is a movie that feels, at times, like it was written with an actual Ouija board. The acting is scarier than the movie itself. When we know the full extent of danger in a horror movie, a great deal of the apprehension vanishes. The suspense and intimidation of the Ouija demon is lost the moment we see its face.
However, the lack of true horror may be movie’s appeal to a more diverse audience, believes Box Office. “Ouija’s PG-13 rating helped the film broaden its appeal to younger, female audiences. The picture’s opening weekend crowd was 75% under the age of 25 and 61% female,” said Box Office.
Terrible acting and a cliche attempt at horror make this another Halloween “trick” to avoid.