Ouija (2014)
“Ouija” (2014) is a supernatural horror film directed by Stiles White and co-written by Stiles White and Juliet Snowden. It stars Olivia Cooke, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith, and Bianca A. Santos. The film is based on the popular board game of the same name and explores themes of communication with the dead and the consequences of meddling with the supernatural.
Plot Summary: The story begins with the tragic death of Debbie (played by Shelley Hennig), a high school student who was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Her best friend, Laine Morris (played by Olivia Cooke), is devastated by the loss and decides to investigate further. Laine discovers that Debbie was using a Ouija board to communicate with the spirit world before her death.
Laine and her friends, including her boyfriend Trevor (played by Daren Kagasoff), and Debbie’s friends, start using the Ouija board themselves to contact Debbie’s spirit and uncover the truth behind her death. As they make contact with the board, they inadvertently awaken a malevolent spirit that had been trapped for decades.
The entity begins to torment the group, revealing its dark intentions and seeking revenge. As the supernatural occurrences escalate, Laine and her friends must confront the evil force they’ve unleashed and find a way to stop it before it claims more victims.
“Ouija” is characterized by its eerie atmosphere and suspenseful sequences, drawing on the classic horror trope of summoning spirits through a Ouija board. The film focuses on themes of curiosity and the consequences of dabbling with the unknown.
The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its scares and atmosphere, while others criticized it for relying on familiar horror clichés. Despite this, “Ouija” performed well at the box office, leading to a prequel, “Ouija: Origin of Evil” (2016), which explores the backstory of the Ouija board and is generally considered an improvement over the original.
