The Rotten Tomatoes reviews are kind of crazy for this.

Ouija: 7% (5 fresh, 71 rotten)
Origin of Evil: 89% (24 fresh, 3 rotten)

I kind of expected it to do a Blair Witch by now and plummet after early good reviews, but it seems like this is really good compared to the original (which I haven't seen).

Ouija: Origin of Evil is a prequel to the profitable, yet mediocre Ouija, the Michael Bay-produced "adaptation" of the novelty board game. Set in California in the 1960s, the film turns on a widow (Elizabeth Reaser) who lives with her two daughters (Annalise Basso, Lulu Wilson) and earns a living as a medium, utilizing sleight of hand and showmanship to deceive her grieving customers. She purchases a Ouija board to use as a prop, but it ignites actual supernatural sensitivity in one of her daughters, and a malevolent force soon invades their home. It is tempting, perhaps, to overpraise Origin of Evil; it is far from an airtight or note perfect genre film—the third act is a bit of a dud, overly reliant on standard-issue jolts and unfortunately bound to contrived franchise mythology—but it is superior to and more stylish than its predecessor. The central family dynamic is organic and well-acted, and the retro flourishes (from a vintage Universal logo at the start to faux-reel changes) are playful. Lulu Wilson, a regular player on the CBS sitcom The Millers, delivers an impressive performance as the possessed schoolgirl. A scene where she recites an almost jolly soliloquy on the experience of being strangled to death is the film's eeriest and most memorable moment.

B-

It is solid stuff, but I think the overwhelmingly positive reviews are mainly due to the fact that the original was so bad that most reviewers are outright shocked that this is actually good.

I don't need to go on and talk about how horrible the first Ouija was because I think anyone with any sense realizes that. When I saw there was a sequel in the works, I, someone who sees just about every horror movie out there, said that that is one that I would never be seeing. Then the trailer came out and it was solid and I said "wow, they actually made this movie look good" and then finally, the reviews started coming out and I said "well, I guess I'll end up seeing it."

Due to the reviews, I was a bit excited to see it but I still had no expectations because really, how can a sequel to the much hated Ouija actually be good? Well, I'm pleased to report that it was actually pretty great. It moved at a slow, though never boring pace, allowing you to actually care about these characters. The acting is great from everyone, with the little girl being the obvious stand out. She was sensational. It was directed with such care, actually making you believe you are watching a movie that was filmed in the 1960s. The best part? It was actually fun. It had a great climax (stay until after the credits if you enjoyed it!) and was actually a bit creepy.

I honestly enjoyed this more than The Conjuring 2 and as embarrassing as it is to say, I loved Ouija: Origin of Evil.

A-

I really loved this. Probably my favorite straight-up horror movie of the year since I don't consider Neon Demon or Don't Breathe "horror horror," especially the latter as that's a thriller. This was a lot better than Conjuring 2 and Lights Out. Stylistically it's great but more than that I really cared about the characters and thought the performances were really strong. I loved the attention to detail. This is a really well-done horror movie. It also has some downright creepy moments in the finale.

On a side note I loved the scene when the teens first use the Ouija board. The lighting here was just so perfect.


9/10 (A-)

The acting, story, and setting were all good. My problem with this movie is that it didn't really scare me. I don't see a lot of scary movies, and when I go to one and it doesn't scare me, that's kind of disappointing. B

It's hard to believe this film has anything to do with that shitty first movie from two years ago. I almost wish they had called it something else, because maybe it would have done better at the box-office. Anyways, this is a very well made horror film with strong, engaging performances from the mother and two daughters. I also liked the guy who played the priest, but I have to admit the film isn't actually that scary at all. The creepy factor is minimal here which is disappointing and the third act falls flat, but it's definitely worth watching at least once.

**1/2 / ***** (C-)

Easily superior to the first movie and pretty much a masterpiece compared to it. But it's still by the numbers movie for its type/genre. I did like that they tweaked the story from what was being said in the first movie. It really shows that they tried this time to make a more pleasing narrative and a good movie. I would actually like to see a third one now and see whether it's more like this one or the first.

It actually has a strong beginning and starts very promisingly. For like a half hour or so I was enjoying it a lot - the scene where they first use the Ouija board is great. However, once the horror elements come into play and the girl gets possessed this completely goes off the rails. The scares are ridiculous and dumb and all the atmosphere that had been built early on is completely lost. The writing also gets worse and worse. That awful scene about getting strangled?! It all leads to an unintentionally hilarious finale that is neither scary nor satisfying. This movie reminded me of Oculus a lot, which I also found overrated. C/C-

This is the best scene in the movie. The girl delivers it perfectly.

What was the post-credits scene? I had to leave early.

Elderly Lina (played by Lin Shaye as in the first film) is told her niece has come to visit. Which hardcore fans of the overall Ouija universe will know is the lie Olivia Cooke's character tells to get into the mental hospital. I guess it is meant as fan service, but I cannot imagine almost anyone entered Origin of Evil desperate for Insidious/Saw-style connective tissue to the other movie.

It is similar to the last scene in Red Dragon.

Yes, very good. Ouija: Origin of Evil is top-tier Flanagan. Love the era and the mythology here. The part where the reverend is reading out the Polish letter while the little girl is in the basement is pretty chilling. But on the whole I do not think the little girl is scary, and unfortunately the second half of the film relies on jolts from her to scare. They should have shown the ghouls more like in the first half. They are petrifying, and remind me very much of the Insidious ones, which is interesting because the after-credits scene shows the woman from the Insidious series. Anyway, I wasn't a fan of the cue marks that appear throughout. It feels extraneous. The title card and Universal opening were enough to tell the audience that it is set in a bygone era. B/B+

This kind of makes me want to see Ouija now. But I hear it's so bad.

I remember this one. It was a great experience in theater mostly because the first one sucked so bad. I still like what they did with the story and the little girl while not entirely scary does her part fine here.

7/10