OUIJA

As seen in

www.camrosecanadian.com

Anybody who knows me, know I love horror flicks. I’ve seen hundreds, own almost as many, and just plain adore the genre. Add to the fact that we are approaching Halloween, arguably my favourite time of year, you have my interest peaked with Ouija.

During a slumber party as children, Debbie (Shelly Hennig, TV’s Teen Wolf and Days of our Lives) and Laine (Olivia Cooke, TV’s Bates Motel) break out an Ouija board. Before they play they re-iterate the rules: Never play alone, Never in a graveyard, and Always say ‘Good Bye’. Also, the planchette (the wooden piece with a viewing circle that moves around the board) can also be used to view the spirits. We are then taken to present day (not that it alluded to being the past). A now a high school senior, Debbie is on her bed staring at the infamous board. She’s obviously distraught and throws the game into her fireplace. Even a quick visit from Laine cannot shake her mood, as she blows off plans with her. To make things worse, she heads back to her room only to find the board is still intact and sitting back on her bed. Before you know it, Debbie appears to become possessed, and seemingly through no choice of her own, takes her own life.

As the grieving begins, Debbie’s friends gather, speaking of how distant Debbie had become and decide to investigate a suicide that seemed too improbable. While in Debbie`s house, Laine finds the Ouija board and convinces the friends to play with her so they could say goodbye once and for all. While playing with the board they make a connection with who they assume was Debbie, as they are greeting with the words, HI FRIENDS and are given the letter “D” as a hint to the name. In a startling turn of events they realize it is not Debbie, which leads the group into an investigation of the house and the horrors that may hide inside the walls.

Now I still have no intention on touching one of those boards, but if I do I could only hope the results are more entertaining than this was. The film ended up suffering from every horror cliché known to man and even the jump scares, which are heavily relied upon in a typical sub-standard horror plot, were pathetic. The acting was substandard and the script was almost directly taken from what Wes Craven’s Scream stated all horror movies are about. While I am not surprised how predictable it was (flaw of the genre), it almost seemed to laugh at the viewer’s intelligence throughout. Usually I end these things with a “check it out anyways”; but this one would be wise to steer clear of. Not even your girlfriend could drag you to this. Besides, there are scarier things out there…after all, the snow is coming!