Confession time. I’m a big ol’ scaredy cat. Horror, paranormal, supernatural… Can. Not. Deal. Well, more accurately… Can. Not. Sleep.
So when I got an invite to a preview of the film Ouija: Origin of Evil, I asked my mate Jo to attend in my place and tell you what she thinks. I know I’d hate it due to the scaredy cat thing so it wouldn’t be fair for me to blog it. Big thanks to Jo for stepping up and taking one for the team!
So here’s Jo’s verdict. FYI – she ain’t no scaredy cat.
“Horror fans, this movie is definitely not The Exorcist, Nightmare on Elm Street (the original), Hellraiser or Poltergeist, although it did try to reference most of them. The premise at its core is an interesting take on the old ghost/haunted house story and the young actors at the centre of the action did quite well within their roles, but ultimately its potential was unrealised. The movie appeared to be the next level horror story for Twilight series fans, although some of the horror may have been a bit adult for that age group.
There was some unintentional laughter amongst the preview audience, with the scary scenes and entities not enough for a true horror experience. The relationship between some benevolent and malevolent characters wasn’t fully explored or realised in my opinion, creating quite a bit of confusion, possibly because the movie had very slow build-up requiring a very rapid denouement.
My assessment is probably 1.5 stars, upgraded to 2 because it brought back memories of playing with a ouija board many years ago, resulting in hilarious attempts at trying to spell out different messages at the same time and for the attempt at 60s authenticity, featuring some particularly cool cars and a truly heinous 60s crocheted vest!”
Here's a three star review from The Guardian if you'd like to read up some more on this one.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.