In 2014/15 the demon horror “Ouija – Don’t play with the devil” was a world hit. And that’s despite the fact that the press response was almost entirely devastating – as in our 1-star FILMSTARTS review. Due to the surprising success, a second film was of course immediately commissioned.
“Ouija 2: Origin of Evil“ runs on the night of today, September 19, to tomorrow, September 20, 2023 at 12:50 AM on Nitro. If the date is too late for you, the FSK 16 title is available on Blu-ray, DVD or paid video on demand:
Mike Flanagan (“Stephen King’s Doctor Sleeps Awakening”), one of today’s most successful and important horror makers, took over the script and direction. The result of his work not only received a three-star review from FILMSTARTS author Christian Horn, but was generally much better among reviewers than its predecessor.
And since it’s a prequel, despite some subtle hints, you don’t even need to know the first film to enjoy some spooky fun here. If, despite our warning, you still want to take the risk, it is of course also available in different formats for home cinema:
“Ouija 2: Origin of Evil” on Nitro: That’s the story
Mid-1960s LA: Since the death of her husband, Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) has made a living as a paranormal con artist with the help of her daughters Paulina (Annalise Basso) and Doris (Lulu Wilson). Using technical tools, the trio deceives their clients into believing that they can build a connection with their deceased loved ones through spiritualistic sessions.
But then little Doris suddenly turns out to be a real medium on the so-called Ouija board – just like her grandmother apparently was. The girl can actually talk to the dead and also comes into contact with the spirit of her father.
However, the excursions into the afterlife are quite dangerous because one of the spirits turns out to be a demon and gradually takes possession of her. But what does he want to achieve? And will Doris survive the ordeal? These questions bring the exorcist Father Tom (Henry Thomas) onto the stage…
Mike Flanagan’s inspiration for Ouija 2
Flanagan said his main influences in making his film were genre classics like ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘Cry of the Lost’. The old-fashioned approach was taken not only with regard to the characters and parts of the story, but also with the visual implementation. Lead cinematographer Michael Fimognari (“To All The Boys 1+2”) stated that his director showed him “The Horror” by Peter Medak ten times to clarify the moods, images and settings he had in mind.
When making ‘Ouija 2: Origin of Evil’, the filmmaker already had several actors with him with whom he would work a few years later in his phenomenally successful Netflix miniseries ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ and ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor ‘. .”would work together again. In addition to Flanagan’s wife Kate Siegel, “ET” stars Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) and Lulu Wilson (“Sharp Objects”) were also on the cast list here.
They were joined by other well-known actors such as Doug Jones (“Shape Of Water”), Sam Anderson (“Lost”), Annalize Basso (“Snowpiercer”) and Lin Shaye from the series “Insidious”. So it might be worth tuning in tonight just for the cast.
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