Ensofter
Overrated and overhyped
Quiet Muffin
This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
Scotty Burke
It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review
Adrian Val Olonan
Asian horror first came to spotlight when the Japanese horror movie "Ringu" has become very popular with the Western world. Since then, "A Tale of Two Sisters", "Ju-on: The Grudge", and "The Eye" followed. Western horror relies on horror violence. Meanwhile, Asian horror relies on mysterious atmosphere and scary music, making its own name. "Ouija" is another addition to the Asian horror genre.Half-sisters Aileen (Judy Ann Santos) and Romina (Jolina Magdangal) along with their cousins Ruth (Rhian Ramos) and Sandra (Iza Calzado) play the Ouija board in their hope to talk to their deceased grandmother. Unfortunately, they summon a deadly spirit. I like how the film develops the characters' connections to one another. Shooting in Camiguin is a good idea, adding up to the lonely atmosphere. Building the scary aura is at good pace. Jump scares are adequately used, but not overused. The climactic scene is intense. Plot twist is very amazing. If you've watched the Thai horror film "Alone", it may somehow remind you about this film. By the way, some people hate this "copying" Sadako. Well, the black hair girl ghost is common across Asian horror. I just don't understand why the hell they're complaining. I've seen this on TV before. And I wanna see this again!
Nitzan Havoc
To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to make of Ouija. As a devout Horror fan with a special liking to Ghost-Stories, I've seen my share of séance related films and other ghost films. Ouija seems to have very little, if at all, original content.The main idea of the story is pretty good, and could have been used much better for the film. The script is rather annoying, with constant jumps between two or three languages, sometimes in mid sentence (you get used to it after a while, in a way). The acting is OK but not fancy. The cinematography is quite suitable for a ghost story, but the direction simply lacks. Too many scenes seem either stacked together or not at all related to each other. It appears that director Topel Lee has taken features from famous Asian horror films like Thai film Alone (2007), Shutter, and the famous Ju-on (The Grudge), and the film feels like a non original puzzle put together in quite a clumsy way.Many might disagree with my personal opinion, and I am of course in no position to pass judgement, but I simply didn't enjoy Ouija. It's not original, not scary, and not good. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
3xHCCH
Of the big movies in theaters this week like "Ratatouille" and "The Simpsons", I chose to watch this local horror flick first. Okay, so I am a sucker for these glossy local horror films. I really enjoyed watching "Feng Shui" and "Sukob" very much, and recommended them effusively to my friends at that time. Liked those clever little twists at the end for both these flicks. Although, I only realized recently that the twist of "Sukob" is quite similar to that of "Sigaw" (which is now in production in Hollywood as "The Echo") when I caught the latter film on TV.Now back to "Ouija". The 'spirit of the glass" story has been done very many times, hasn't it? This one, though, goes one bit further because the ghost can torment the victims even if they are already far away from the scene of the original séance. And furthermore, the ghost can torment separate victims simultaneously! This concept innovation led to a very entertaining scare-fest in the middle part of the film where three parallel ghost attacks were shown interlaced with each other. That was a great film editing achievement! I also liked the ending. Okay, there's a twist when you least expected it. I don't spend time in films like this to try to predict the twist. I want to enjoy the revelation. That is why when it came, I think that this twist was rather intelligent and logical. Nice touch.Now for the minuses. I think this film is replete with borrowed previously done Asian horror gimmicks. How many times can they rehash the dirty long-haired girl in white crawling with jerky movements (famously done in "Ringu")? Or the ghost girl appearing under the blanket where a frightened character was hiding (first seen in The Grudge")? Or will there always be a bathroom stall scene in these films??? Argghhh! I wish they would stick to more original scare tactics (which they had) than merely repeat classic scenes. These very familiar scenes diminish really the scare factor.Now for the actresses. I must say that the presence of superstar Judy Ann Santos is quite distracting (more distracting than Kris Aquino in "Feng Shui" and "Sukob"). It is so anti-type, that it seemed very artificial for her to portray a chain-smoking bitchy lawyer. Jolina Magdangal, on the other hand, underplays her quiet part quite effectively. Iza Calzado seems a bit out of place as a narcissistic hammy stage actress, providing some comic relief.Some very effective scary scenes (except for those obviously copied ones) with excellent editing, cinematography and music. And for me, a good ending. Good enough!
kojisuzuki
Actually, I wasn't expecting very much from Ouija. I thought it'd be a another plain Asian horror movie like One Missed Call and Bangkok Haunted. Surprsingly, I found myself quite entertained, the movie could be one of those great Asian horror just like Ring and A Tale of Two Sisters.At first the story doesn't seemed to be original, but there is much more too it than the "ouija board". Toppel Lee, the director, doesn't focus on the game itself, but on the after effects of it.The story does have some "Asian horror" clichés, such as the girl with the face covered with hair, but I guess that is just normal because that idea was brought by Ring and then adapted into almost all Asian horror movie like done in A Tale of Two Sisters.All I can give now is much praise for the movie. The storytelling is told beautifully with flawless shots. The musical score builds up to an excellent scare and terrifying moments along with that beautiful cinematography.The characters are not shallow. They are human, not just another character in a movie. Each character has their own story, though the movie does focus more around Judy Ann Santos and Jolina Magdangal, who I thought gave an excellent performance.The supporting cast of the movie does deliver. Desiree del Valle and Iza Calzado were excellent, as always. The great Anita Linda gives one of the best chilling performance I've seen even though her role is limited. The younger cast in the form of Rhian Ramos, Valerie Concepcion, Angela Ilagan and JC de Vera, also gives their best performances.Overall, Ouija is in the same level of Asian Horror Classics such as Ring, A Tale of Two Sisters and Kairo. The film will definitely deliver scare to you, I guarantee it!
