For anyone who sat through the insufferable and laughable Ouija in 2014, you experienced a film that relied almost exclusively on jump scares, whizz-bang noises, and some of the most stilted acting and wooden dialogue this decade. The film's reliance on the "Lewton Bus" tactic, where we brace ourselves for something to scare us only to have something else reveal itself in that very moment, was used so much the movie became a joke in and of itself.
And yes, sitting in the theater, I looked around and asked myself how and why am I sitting here, in a multiplex, waiting for a second Ouija movie to begin? As they often say in politics, follow the money.
Despite Ouija being universally panned and mocked by almost everyone who watched it, the film earned $103 million worldwide on a production budget of just $5 million. In other words, the money confirmed to the studio higher-ups they had something people were interested in. And so, Universal Pictures wished director Stiles White all the best in his future endeavors and gave their wrecked car of a franchise to the talented writer/director Mike Flanagan, who raised some eyebrows with Oculus in 2013 and Hush, which garnered huge buzz at the 2016 South By Southwest film festival, before premiering on Netflix in May. …show more content…
Origin of Evil is essentially a prequel and our story takes us to 1967 Los Angeles where the Zander family is reeling from the loss of Roger (Michael Weaver), father to two daughters, Lina and Doris (Annalise Basso, Lulu Wilson), and husband to Alice (Elizabeth Reaser). Alice is a fortune teller and medium who uses her daughters to help fabricate readings and séances for unassuming clientele. Money is tight, their spacious home is at risk of foreclosure and as the 15-year-old Lina engages in some teenage rebellion, young 9-year-old Doris is picked on by bullies at
And yes, sitting in the theater, I looked around and asked myself how and why am I sitting here, in a multiplex, waiting for a second Ouija movie to begin? As they often say in politics, follow the money.
Despite Ouija being universally panned and mocked by almost everyone who watched it, the film earned $103 million worldwide on a production budget of just $5 million. In other words, the money confirmed to the studio higher-ups they had something people were interested in. And so, Universal Pictures wished director Stiles White all the best in his future endeavors and gave their wrecked car of a franchise to the talented writer/director Mike Flanagan, who raised some eyebrows with Oculus in 2013 and Hush, which garnered huge buzz at the 2016 South By Southwest film festival, before premiering on Netflix in May. …show more content…
Origin of Evil is essentially a prequel and our story takes us to 1967 Los Angeles where the Zander family is reeling from the loss of Roger (Michael Weaver), father to two daughters, Lina and Doris (Annalise Basso, Lulu Wilson), and husband to Alice (Elizabeth Reaser). Alice is a fortune teller and medium who uses her daughters to help fabricate readings and séances for unassuming clientele. Money is tight, their spacious home is at risk of foreclosure and as the 15-year-old Lina engages in some teenage rebellion, young 9-year-old Doris is picked on by bullies at