Why, oh why, can’t studios make good PG-13 scary movies. The worthwhile ones are so rare that I cannot remember the last time I actually recommended one. With Ouija, knowing that it was produced by Michael Bay and the toy company who produces Ouija boards, we should have known that this wasn’t going to be one of the good ones.
Ouija is the type of horror movie with a plot that meanders around without rhyme, reason or motivation. The opening scene features two little girls playing with a Ouija board. It’s during this silly scene that we get our first taste for the main way that the movie attempts to frighten the audience – loud sounds and misdirection.
After the ineffective intro, we jump right into the (thankfully) short plot. A teen girl plays with a Ouija board by herself late one night, then hangs herself. From then on, we follow the mourning best friend, Laine (Olivia Cooke, The Quiet Ones), and a few of their friends. Laine can’t wrap her head around the unexpected suicide, so she starts digging. Upon finding the Ouija board, she follows her hunch down a dark and dangerous path by using the same board to try communicating with her dead friend from the other side. Of course, Laine opens a door that she’ll wish she hadn’t opened.
Knowing that Ouija is produced by Hasbro, a maker of Ouija boards, then while watching this lazy and disengaging scary movie, you’ll notice that it’s nothing more than product placement, a 30-second commercial that’s bloated out to 89 unimpressive minutes.
With no redeeming qualities behind Ouija, if you’re looking for frightening scary movies to watch this Halloween, move along. There’s nothing to see here.
(Photo credit: Universal Pictures)
