Ouija: origin of evil

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Movie
German title Ouija: origin of evil
Original title Ouija: Origin of Evil
Ouija-origin-of-evil-Logo.jpg
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2016
length 99 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Mike Flanagan
script Mike Flanagan,
Jeff Howard
production Michael Bay ,
Jason Blum ,
Stephen Davis,
Andrew Form,
Bradley Fuller,
Brian Goldner,
Phillip Dawe
music The Newton Brothers
camera Michael Fimognari
cut Mike Flanagan
occupation
synchronization
chronology

←  Predecessor
Ouija - Don't play with the devil

Ouija: The Origin of Evil (original title: Ouija: Origin of Evil ) is an American horror film from director Mike Flanagan from the year 2016. The film is a production of Platinum Dunes and Blum House Productions in association with Hasbro , distributed by Universal Pictures and was released in US theaters on October 21, 2016 and in German theaters on October 20, 2016. The main roles are Annalize Basso, Elizabeth Reaser , Lulu Wilson and Henry Thomas . Origin of Evil is a prequel to the 2014 film Ouija - Don't Play with the Devil .

action

Los Angeles in 1967: The single widow Alice Zander works as a spiritual medium at home in her suburb. She is supported by her daughters, fifteen-year-old Paulina "Lina" Zander and nine-year-old Doris Zander. Although they stage their séances to make a living, Alice's real intention is to really help people. The family is still shaken by the recent death of Roger, Alice's husband and the girls' father.

After Lina suggests including a Ouija board in the sessions, Alice does so after initial hesitation. After manipulating it with magnets, she tries the board and breaks one of the rules which are never to play alone, never to play in a cemetery and always to say goodbye. In doing so, she imperceptibly invokes a ghost named Marcus, who later takes possession of Doris, who is very interested in the board and who also plays alone with the board during the night.

Alice later receives a foreclosure notice on her house, meaning she could lose it. Meanwhile, Doris is playing alone with the board again and contacts a ghost who she believes is her dead father. The ghost leads them to a secret compartment behind the basement wall with a bag full of cash. At the family's Ouija session that followed, they believe they can get in touch with Roger again. When Alice asks the ghost a question that only Roger can answer, and the ghost answers her correctly, Alice also begins to believe that she is related to her dead husband.

During the night a shadowy creature begins to take possession of the gullible Doris, which is initially noticeable in an eerie pain in the neck and Doris seems to be increasingly changing. Alice, on the other hand, does not want to know anything about changes and uses Doris for her séances to help her customers. Lina, who is more and more worried about the changes in her sister, watches Doris in her room as she is apparently madly writing something down. Lina also notices that her favorite doll's mouth has been sewn shut and then confronts Doris. The next morning, Lina found magazine pages under Doris' bed that were written in fluent Polish, a language she does not speak. She then takes the pages to her school principal, Father Tom, to have them translated.

Worried, Father Tom visits the family for an ouija session under the pretext of contacting his dead wife, Gloria. Although the session appears to be successful, Father Tom later explains to Alice and Lina that through Doris he was not speaking to Gloria, but to someone completely different. For every question he had, she read his mind and repeated the answers he was thinking in his head. With the help of the translation of the pages written by Doris, he shows you that they were in fact written by a Polish immigrant named Marcus, who was saved by the Allies towards the end of the Second World War and who came to America. He later recognized a sadistic former concentration camp doctor who lured him into his house and captured him to carry out experiments on him and other prisoners in the basement of the house. Their ghosts knew the answers that only Roger could know, because they had been watching the family since the day they moved into the house. Meanwhile, the possessed Doris Linas whispers something to a friend who has come to visit Mikey, who then hangs himself in the hallway.

Father Tom, Alice and Lina try to burn the Ouija board in the oven in the basement. When Father Tom discovers remains of skeletons in the basement wall, they realize that they have been using the Ouija board all the time in a cemetery. Father Tom crawls through an air shaft and finds the secret room where the experiments were carried out. There he meets the possessed Doris and the spirits also take possession of him. Father Tom now attacks Alice and Lina, but regains clarity for a short time, only to be killed by Doris afterwards. Alice is then captured by Doris while Roger's ghost carries the unconscious Lina to her bed. Lina wakes up, remembering the earlier moment when she discovered that her doll's mouth had been sewn shut and realizes that it was sewn shut by her father's ghost to show her what to do to “make her Stop voices ”. This also makes it clear to her that she has to sew Doris 'mouth shut so that the ghost hauntings stop and the ghosts' voices fall silent in order to stop the evil. During the fight against Doris, she successfully sews up her mouth, who dies in the process, but now seems to be reunited with her father. Then the ghosts briefly take possession of Lina, who now obsessively stabs her mother Alice. While Alice dies, she sees Roger and Doris together, and leaves Lina sobbing in despair.

Two months later, Lina is still in a psychiatric hospital for the alleged murder of her mother and the disappearance of her sister. She is questioned by a doctor and cannot say what happened to Doris' body. She just says that now she will never be alone again. Later, in her cell, she tries to call her sister with an ouija written in blood. The doctor passing by observes this and briefly sees someone in Lina's cell. When he sees through the door where Lina is standing, the possessed Doris comes up to him, hanging from the ceiling.

In a post-credit scene , the aged Lina is shown sitting in a wheelchair in the present and is told that she has had a visit from someone who claims to be her niece.

Cast and dubbing

actor speaker role
Elizabeth Reaser Melanie Pukass Alice Zander
Annalize Basso Emily Seubert Paulina "Lina" Zander
Lin Shaye NN aged Lina
Lulu Wilson Sarah Kunze Doris Zander
Henry Thomas Marcus Off Father Tom Hogan
Parker Mack Patrick Baehr Michael "Mikey" Russell
Hall Charlton Maria Hönig Ellie
Alexis G. Zall Lina Rabea Mohr Betty
Doug Jones NN Ghoul Marcus
Kate Siegel Magdalena Turba Jenny Browning
Sam Anderson Reinhard Kuhnert Mr. Browning
Ele Keats NN Ellie's mom
Nicholas Keenan Elias Kunze Walter

Source:

production

Although the first Ouija film was a huge financial hit and producers were happy with the box office results, no one had high hopes for a sequel. In the end, Jason Blum wanted to make a film for a possible sequel that is significantly different from the original. A direct connection to the first film was not as important as producing a good film in the end. In addition, there were discussions between those responsible from the start about whether the film should have any connections with the original. Director Flanagan was against it because he chose to use more of the subtle way of relating the story to attract new viewers and still entertain the fans of the first film.

Since Flanagan is fascinated by the sixties, the film should authentically reflect this time with the cars, the hairstyles and the wardrobe. The film The horror (The Changeling) of 1980 was for Flanagan, the greatest source of inspiration, as well as other classics such as The Exorcist and The Watcher in the Woods (The Watcher in the Woods) were role models. The idea was to film the film in such a way that it would show the period from the late sixties to the early seventies, even with all the technology that was only available at that time.

One of the biggest challenges for the production team was to find a suitable nine- to ten-year-old actress for the role of Doris Zander , who has to carry the greatest and most difficult burden of the film. For the auditions , the young actress Lulu Wilson was selected, who introduced herself with a monologue from the script , what it feels like to be strangled to death and so was able to convince director Flanagan with her unusual acting talent. This scene was later filmed and incorporated into the finished film. In addition, Wilson did not want to be replaced by a stunt double in difficult scenes while filming , but wanted to play all the scenes himself.

All of the leading roles for the film were announced in September 2015. Filming began that same month and was completed in October 2015.

Film music

The Newton Brothers composed the soundtrack for the film, replacing Anton Sanko, who was responsible for the music of the first film. The soundtrack was released by Back Lot Music on October 21, 2016.

marketing

On June 23, 2016, Universal Pictures released the first official trailer for the film. On September 7, 2016, a video was also released that shows the leading actress Lulu Wilson disguised as Doris Zander during a marketing event while scaring the audience and during a photo session with the fans. Another trailer was released on September 8, 2016. On October 6, 2016, Universal published a 360-degree virtual reality trailer video of the Zander family's house on YouTube , in which the viewer, sitting at the table with an Ouija board, can follow the goings-on of the ghosts, similar to the film.

Universal Pictures uses a slightly modified version of the original 1963-1990 logo for the title opening credits of Origin of Evil , which was designed by Universal Title and Optical for MCA Inc. at the time to open and promote films.

reception

source rating
Rotten tomatoes
critic 82%
audience 57%
Metacritic
critic 65/100
audience
IMDb
AllMovie
critic
audience

The reviews of the film were mixed to mostly positive. On Rotten Tomatoes , Ouija: Origin des Böse received a rating of 82% based on 92 positive and 20 critical reviews with an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 and a user rating of 57% with an average rating of 3.4 out of 5 possible points . The critical consensus of the site reads: " Ouija: Origin of Evil has unexpectedly steered the planchette of its franchise with a surprisingly frightening and dramatically satisfactory successor to its lackluster predecessor to YES." The website Metacritic calculated an average metascore of 65 out of 100 possible Points, based on 26 reviews from renowned media and a user rating of 6.9 out of 10 possible points.

Reviews

Christian Horn from Filmstarts.de awards 3 out of 5 stars and draws the conclusion:

“Ouija: Origin of Evil” is atmospheric from the start. At the opening, the Universal logo is emblazoned on the screen in the style of the 60s, and the ornate title lettering evokes memories of classic horror films. The following patient introduction of the characters and the pleasantly slow narrative flow reinforce the nostalgic tone. In addition, Mike Flanagan gives his occult shocker a beautiful contemporary color with a harmonious décor, beautiful costumes and lovingly selected 60s music. Flanagan even imitates the splices on old film strips, and he also repeatedly uses slow zooms that seem almost extinct in today's cinema. With classic shock effects, in which the characters startle out of nightmares, and many shots in the dark and semi-dark, the director otherwise routinely plays the horror keyboard. [...] Conclusion: "Ouija: Origin of Evil" sags a bit in the middle section, but overall it works much better than its stale predecessor and scores with a harmonious atmosphere. "

- movie starts

Christopher Diekhaus from Spielfilm.de also awards 3 out of 5 stars and sums up:

“For a long time, there has been an atmosphere of unease instead of gaudy ghost train moments, which is not least fed by the strong play of little Lulu Wilson. Convincing and light-footed, the young actress alternates between childlike innocence and disturbing obsession, whereby one scene in particular stays in the memory: With a pensive smile on her face, Doris, increasingly controlled by the presence of ghosts, explains to her sister's new friend what it feels like to be strangled to become. The fact that “Ouija: Origin of Evil” clearly surpasses the first part is also due to credibly written and embodied secondary characters such as Father Tom (Henry Thomas), who the script grants a touching background story and a beautiful restaurant scene with Alice Zander. [...] Conclusion: Flawed, but clearly superior to the predecessor. If you are looking for atmospheric horror and convincing actors, the "Ouija" prequel is the right address. "

- Spielfilm.de

Grossing results

By late November 2016, Ouija: Origins of Evil grossed $ 35.1 million at the box office in North America and $ 46.56 million outside the United States. The budget of 9 million US dollars is offset by revenues of 81.7 million US dollars worldwide.

Nominations

year Award category Nominees & Award Winners Result Ref.
2017 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best film Platinum Dunes ,
Blumhouse Productions 		Nominated
Saturn Awards Best horror film Nominated

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of Release for Ouija: Origin of Evil . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 162800 / K, release date October 4, 2016 / October 7, 2016). Template: FSK / maintenance / type not set and Par. 1 longer than 4 characters
  2. ↑ Ouija: Origin of Evil in the German Synchronous Index
  3. ↑ a b c d Nick Schager: How This Horror Director Is Reinvigorating the Genre By Returning It to Its Roots. In: esquire.com. October 19, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Brendon Connelly: Mike Flanagan interview: Ouija: Origin Of Evil, Halloween. In: denofgeek.com. October 21, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b c d Robert B. De Salvo: Exclusive Interview: 'Ouija: Origin of Evil' Director Mike Flanagan, on What Makes a Great Horror Movie. In: fandango.com. October 17, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Anita Busch: 'Ouija 2' Underway With Elizabeth Reaser Joining Horror Film. In: deadline.com. September 17, 2015, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Rebecca Ford: 'Ouija 2' Rounds Out Cast With Henry Thomas, Lulu Wilson (Exclusive). In: hollywoodreporter.com. September 18, 2015, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  8. ^ Greg Evans: Consult The Board: 'Ouija 2' Rounds Out Cast. In: deadline.com. September 21, 2015, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  9. ↑ SSN Insider: On the Set: Matt Damon Starts on Jason Bourne Sequel, Shailene Woodley Wraps Divergent Series, Allegiant. (No longer available online.) In: ssninsider.com. September 11, 2015, archived from the original on September 15, 2015 ; accessed on March 1, 2017 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ssninsider.com
  10. ↑ Sierra Heuermann: Instagram post by Sierra Heuermann • Oct 23, 2015 at 7:20 am UTC. In: instagram.com. October 23, 2015, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  11. ^ Film Music Reporter: 'Ouija: Origin of Evil' soundtrack details. In: filmmusicreporter.com. October 17, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Ouija: Origin of Evil - Official Trailer (HD) on YouTube , June 23, 2016, accessed on May 26, 2017
  13. ↑ Ouija: Origin of Evil - Playlist Live Prank (HD) on YouTube , September 7, 2016, accessed May 26, 2017 (English)
  14. ↑ Ouija: Origin of Evil - Trailer 2 (HD) on YouTube , September 8, 2016, accessed May 26, 2017 (English)
  15. ↑ Ouija 2: Origin of Evil - VR 360 (Universal Pictures) HD on YouTube , October 6, 2016, accessed on May 26, 2017 (English)
  16. ↑ Universal Pictures (Ouija: Origin Of Evil Variant) on YouTube , November 5, 2016, accessed May 26, 2017
  17. ↑ a b c © Fandango: Ouija: Origin of Evil. In: rottentomatoes.com. October 20, 2016, accessed on August 26, 2018 .
  18. ↑ a b c CBS Interactive Inc .: Ouija: Origin of Evil - Critic Reviews. In: metacritic.com. October 18, 2016, accessed October 25, 2017 .
  19. ↑ IMDb: Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) - User ratings. In: imdb.com. February 27, 2017, accessed May 21, 2017 .
  20. ↑ a b Lexi Cummins: Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) - Mike Flanagan - Review. In: allemovie.com. October 21, 2016, accessed June 21, 2017 .
  21. ↑ Mike Mc Cahill: Ouija: Origin of Evil review - prequel keeps spirits high with schlocky scares. In: theguardian.com. October 18, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Kate Erbland: 'Ouija: Origin of Evil' Review: A Horror Prequel That's Way Scarier Than It Looks. In: indiewire.com. October 18, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Odie Henderson: Ouija: Origin of Evil Movie Review (2016). In: rogerebert.com. October 21, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  24. ↑ Frank Scheck: 'Ouija: Origin of Evil': Film Review. In: hollywoodreporter.com. October 18, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  25. ↑ Christian Horn: The film starts criticism for Ouija 2: Origin of Evil. In: filmstarts.de. Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
  26. ↑ Christopher Diekhaus: Review: Ouija: Origin of Evil (Ouija 2) - 2016. In: spielfilm.de. Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
  27. ↑ Box Office Mojo - An IMDb company: Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) - Box Office. In: boxofficemojo.com. October 21, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017 .
  28. ↑ Fangoria Staff: Never mind Oscar, here's the 2017 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards Nominees. In: fangoria.com. February 7, 2017, accessed March 2, 2017 .
  29. ↑ Dave Mc Nary, 'Rogue One,' 'Walking Dead' Lead Saturn Awards Nominations. In: variety.com. March 2, 2017, accessed June 29, 2017 .