Ouija

This weekend, Elquinjena and Jethal went to see the new horror flick.. “Ouija”, as you can expect, I had a few issues.. here’s my take. (Spoilers, DUH)

A girl is mysteriously killed after recording herself playing with an ancient Ouija Board, which leads to a close group of friends to investigate this board. They later find out that some things aren’t meant to be played with, especially the ‘other side’.

Some of my close friends know that I actually have a history with Ouija use… like.. a LOT of use… do I believe in them now? I know enough to not take spirit boards lightly. Whether you believe or not IS actually the issue, and I would caution those seeking out contact with “the beyond”, against such devices.  Now, with that being said.. on to the review of this movie.

  1. The Rules.
    • The movie made a big deal about there being “rules” and warned against breaking such rules.  Really, there are a few guidelines.
      1. Never use it alone
      2. Never leave the board without saying “Goodbye”
      3. Never invite the spirit to stay.
    • They mention “Never use it in a graveyard” – I’ve found that Graveyards are actually great places, and there are far more (spiritually) active areas, especially in old cities with history.
    • They use a cute little rhyme to start their seance, that was made up for the movie.. if it makes you feel better, sure why not.
  2. The Actors.
    • I am so sick of 30 year olds playing teenagers. The first scene established that they were seniors in High School, which would make them 17-18 years old. The guy playing “Trevor” was 27 years old.. and had a 5 o’clock shadow going the entire movie. The female cast members were closer to their teens, but “Isabelle” (played by Bianca Santos) actually LOOKED like she was in her early 30’s… despite only being 24.. just wrong on every level.
  3. The Story.
    • Though there were bits of original story there.. the plot, as a whole, has been done before. A lot… Replace the Ouija with a doll or some sort of haunted knickknack and you have the plot of most of the horror movies of the last 10 years.
    • Honestly, I blame the director – he’s simply untested in this role. Stiles White (IMDB) is a Special Effects producer and coordinator, not a story teller. Perhaps this story in the hands of a more experienced Horror director would have made a difference.

In all honesty, I was expecting this to be a (bad) remake of 1986’s “Witchboard” – how I wish it were. Not sure if this one will make it into my video collection.

Oh, by the way.. when the trailers are over, and the movie begins.. SHUT THE HELL UP!! Man, the group behind us was annoying as hell!! GRRRR!!

Author: Jethal