Movie Review - Ouija

Ouija

(2014)

Universal Pictures / Platinum Dunes / Blumhouse Productions / Hasbro Studios : Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

6.25 / 10

The most amazing thing about this movie is that one of the production companies is the toy company Hasbro, who manufactures the Ouija board.  I find it funny and interesting that they use the movie to push their product... something that will contact the dead and will probably cause your gruesome death.

This is an enjoyable, though a pretty basic, horror movie.  Best friends, Laine and Debbie, play with the Ouija as children obeying the rules that they should be courteous and never play alone.  Years later, Debbie uses the board by herself and strange things start to happen, which results in her growing distant from her friends and boyfriend.  Using the ouija in solitary leads to her violent death.

Laine agrees to house sit for Debbies distraught parents after the funeral as they need to get away.  She realises the board had a part to play in her friend's death so rallies the others to help here prove the idea.  Of course, this is a bad idea and the spirit they contact starts to plague them in their lives.  From here on in, it's a race to save themselves and to solve the mystery of the origin of the board.

There's nothing really new in this film that hasn't been covered before.  The acting of the entire cast is above average and makes the film enjoyable to watch, as is the direction from Stiles White, who co-wrote the story with Juliet Snowden.  Since this is a Blumhouse production there's a cameo from Lin Shaye, who, as always is good in her role (though I will always remember her as the landlady in Kingpin).

This is one of those films that's worth watching if it comes onto telly and there's nothing better on.  At least worth watching once, though I don't think I'll watch it again... though I will watch the sequel when it's on or if I can borrow it from friends.

Movie Review - We Are Still Here

We Are Still Here

2015

The Cast

This is a strange film as I really wanted to rate it more than the 6.5 I have, however, I just cannot as the movie could have been a lot better than it was.  There is an excellent cast with Barbara Crampton as the lead role, Anne Sacchetti.  The actors give a good performance, but what the movie suffers from are the long panoramic shots, and I mean long as in a time sense.  I know that they are there to build atmosphere and give the viewer a sense of the location but the director stays on the shot for too long.  This has the effect of slowing the movie down and gives it a disjointed feeling.

Then there is the bar come restaurant scene where everybody stops eating and watches the newbies enter the restaurant.  I think the director was going for ominous, but for me, it was ludicrously silly and only helped in lessening the film's power.  The scene should have hit the cutting room floor.

Then there is the soundtrack, which to say the least, is strange, especially in respect to the movie and the story.  It is set of psychedelic pop tracks that do not match mood or style.

All this said, there is something that draws you to the film.  The special effects are superb, from the ghostly shadow figures to the continually smouldering skin of the burn victims, which is beautiful in its own way.  When the strange events occur the director, Ted Geoghegan does an admirable job of building a spooky air and tension.

And if you like your gore then if you wait until the movie's climax you will have your fill.  There are some really good deaths and one really realistic one.

Usually, when I rate so low I don't recommend the film at all.  This time I recommend the movie to all horror movie watchers but with the warning that you will need to stay with it and to ignore the bad bits.

I enjoyed the film, in all its strangeness.  In honesty, I don't know if this is the film that the director wanted.  If it is, then he was trying something new and original, which is to be commended, though with this project I don't believe it worked too well.

I give this a supernatural smokey 6.5 out of 10.

The Trailer