Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

Better Late Then Never

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

I enjoyed the movie but I really wanted it to be scary. It seemed to have potential but sadly? It's as scary as a Road Runner cartoon. Glad to see Eliot from E.T. is still getting work. In a nutshell... Lame

Did Mike Flanagan & Jeff Howard even watch the first movie? I originally gave this movie a rating of 7. I thought Lulu Wilson was spectacular and creepy. It was an original story and did have some nice creepy moments. Then I made the mistake of watching the first movie. So many inaccuracies from one movie to the next. Origin took place in 1967 as spelled out on the screen. The original movie said the pictures where from the 40s or 50s. The story in the paper in the original stated Doris was 10. In Origin, she specifically told the priest she was 9. In the original, the girls were much closer in age in the pictures. In Origin, they were at least 6 years apart. In the original, "Paulina" claims her mother was the one forcing Doris to let the spirits in and who sewed Doris' mouth shut. In Origin, "Lina" sewed Doris' mouth shut and her mother had nothing to do with the spirits invading Doris. Pauline says in the original movie "Maybe there is more than one spirit", but we know from Origin there were many spirits, all of the people tortured by the doctor. Again, did the writers of Origin watch the original movie? One other gripe I have: I hate, hate, hate when the vengeful spirits are the victims of someone else. If they themselves were victims of this horrible doctor, why would they then go on to hurt this little girl and her family? Why wouldn't it have been the doctor or the other spirits Marcus had referred to in his writing? That line never makes sense to me. Oh, I was hurt in my life so now I am going to hurt others after I am dead? Bad choice.Bottom line, don't make a prequel / sequel if it has no bearing on the original. I changed my rating to a 4.

I actually thought this film was better than the original. Just as the first film, this one carries a lot of emotion and longing for a loved one. It is not melodramatic or overbearing, though, and is nicely intertwined with the horror elements. Suspense is always that much more enjoyable than gore in a horror film and this one has the scares and the suspense and it is rather disturbing as well, as the little girl gets more and more possessed. The effects are really great - quite stunning, actually.

It's already been mentioned many times that for a sequel this movie is very good. I actually can't judge it against the original, as I haven't seen it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I didn't find any reason not to watch this without seeing the first.The style is top notch, creating similar imagery as 60's and 70's horror movies. All the way to double focused shots. I did find some of the flare slightly distracting, a lot of the look was probably added in post, but in general the movie is skillfully crafted.Acting is very good, especially the kid who is as good as any classic horror movie kid character.Highly recommended for horror fans. It's not really gore horror, which is good, but rather old school stuff with some scary images thrown here and there. I'm not sure if there was any blood actually.