REVIEW: Ouija

Published December 8, 2014 | By Folklore

Tash dabbles in the Dark Arts with ‘Ouija’.

Snowden and White are a partnership that likes to work together. They have worked on numerous projects and their first was ‘The Waiting’, Wes Craven optioned this supernatural thriller and really put the two screen writers on the map. With this came ‘The Possession’. This gave them the foot in the door needed to be creative which led on to their feature film debut ‘Boogeyman’ produced by Sam Raimi’s ghost house pictures. They were then nominated for the Saturn Award for best science fiction film. This was for the film ‘Knowing’, starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Alex Proyas. They have been successful if their back catalogue is anything to go by and the film ‘Ouija’ is a typical suspense thriller that you expect from Snowden and White.

When watching contemporary horror there is not much that hasn’t been done and this film falls into this category. However this does not mean this is a bad thing. The opening scene is set with two girls Laine Morris and Debbie Galardi playing the Ouija board. They are interrupted by the typical annoying sister Sarah played by Ana Coto. The film then fast forwards to Debbie on her own in her room playing with the board on her own she knows full well that this is against one of the rules and (spoiler alert) she looks through the planchette and sees something that turns her eyes white. This possesses her and she hangs herself. This dark scene is entirely her own fault you may say.
Laine Morris is played by Olivia Cooke who is an original British actress from Manchester. You may recognise her from many parts she has played her more recent the girl in ‘Bates Motel’ It may take a while to place her without her oxygen tank and tubes in her nose. But, she is a very talented actress and her role in this film is played well and believable.

This being said there are times when you are left questioning if you are enjoying the film or not? However, when the film finishes the decision falls on the like side. This is because the film is on the whole well thought out and full of twists that do please the viewer. There are some ‘whatever’ moments as I like to call them. Debbie’s family have just buried her and the family have decided to go away and leave Laine to look after the house. They don’t for one minute look upset or as though they had grieved for a second. Plus Laine’s sister is that typical angst teenager and their father goes away on a business trip and leaves Laine to look after her. To sum up Laine has to look after her sister and two houses just after losing her best friend. This is the weakest part of the film and it makes the film a little transparent. However the film makes up for this small disappointment by having some great classic ‘Jump’ experiences that are totally unexpected and totally loved.

There are subtle twists that pleasantly surprise the viewer and they have you thinking ‘what a masterful piece of writing’ then this is flipped on its head. For example Laine goes to an asylum where Debbie’s Grandma is being looked after and Laine is just admitted without being checked out at all. This is one of those moments that let the film down. Furthermore there are scenes when front doors are left unlocked. This may be picky but when there has been some excellent direction with the use of torches, lighting and hidden rooms, these parts are leave me feeling like the story may have been rushed. Like when writing a story for an English assignment and it is going great but it has to be in for the next day so you rush to finish it.

I was glad to see that in the bathroom the use of mirrors was not to reveal the monster behind you. Plus when Laine is going up to the attic the direction is very refreshing to see that there isn’t that usual use of a rocking chair in the corner, excellent.

Overall it may seem like the film is below par but it isn’t and it is a good take on a group of friends confronting their most terrifying fears when awakening the dark powers of the Ouija Board and the ancient spirits associated with such dark arts.

If you are a fan of psychological horror then you will have to give this film a watch you will be surprised by the twist at the end.