Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
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A widow's attempt to contact her deceased husband through a Ouija board leads to a terrifying possession of her youngest daughter.
The story
In 1967 Los Angeles, Alice Zander works as a fake spiritual medium from her suburban home with her two daughters, Lina and Doris. Following the recent death of Alice's husband, Roger, the family is struggling with grief. Alice begins incorporating a Ouija board into her readings. However, the family unknowingly contacts a spirit named Marcus, who begins to possess the youngest daughter, Doris. As the family deals with the supernatural occurrences and the encroaching threat of foreclosure, the boundary between their phony business and a real haunting begins to blur, putting the family's safety at risk.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1967 Los Angeles, Alice Zander operates a fake spiritual medium business from her home with her daughters, Lina and Doris, following the death of her husband, Roger. Alice introduces a Ouija board into her readings, unknowingly contacting a spirit named Marcus. Doris, seeking help with the family's impending foreclosure, uses the board to contact her father, but instead communicates with Marcus. Doris becomes possessed, throwing tantrums and eventually killing Lina's boyfriend, Mikey. Lina discovers Doris writing in fluent Polish and seeks help from Father Tom Hogan. Father Tom realizes Doris is reading his thoughts and reveals that Marcus was a Polish immigrant held captive by Nazis in the house's basement during WWII. The spirits want a 'Voice.' After the family attempts to burn the board, Father Tom finds the secret room and is possessed and killed by Doris. Alice is captured, and Lina, remembering her father's actions with a doll, sews Doris's mouth shut, killing her in the process. Doris's ghost is reunited with her father, but the spirits possess Lina. Lina stabs Alice to death and is later institutionalized. In the present day, an elderly Lina is visited by someone claiming to be her niece.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mike Flanagan
- Writers
- Mike Flanagan · writer; Jeff Howard · writer
- Cast and characters
- Elizabeth Reaser · Alice Zander; Lulu Wilson · Doris Zander; Annalise Basso · Paulina "Lina" Zander; Henry Thomas · Father Thomas "Tom" Hogan; Parker Mack · Michael "Mikey" Russell; Kate Siegel · Jenny Browning; Doug Jones · Ghoul Marcus; Halle Charlton · Ellie
- Genres
- supernatural horror; horror drama; horror thriller; supernatural
- Themes
- grief; family dynamics; possession; historical trauma
- Tone and mood
- frightening; heartfelt; atmospheric
- Setting
- 1967 Los Angeles
- Premise and plot tags
- period piece; supernatural horror; prequel; ghost story; possession
- Source material / true-story basis
- Ouija board
- Franchise connections
- Ouija
- Content notes
- matricide; siblicide
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with many praising it as a significant improvement over its predecessor. It was one of the highest-rated films to date produced by either Hasbro Studios or Platinum Dunes.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 65 · scale: 100 · review count: 26; CinemaScore · score: C · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film was made to look as if it were produced during the 1970s, using only technology available at the time.; Universal Pictures used its 1963–1990 logo to open and promote the film.; Lin Shaye was the only cast member to have returned from the first film, appearing in a post-credit cameo.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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