Directed
by Mike Flanagan, Starring: Elizabeth Reaser, Annalise Basso, Lulu Wilson.
Horror, US, 2016, 95mins, Cert 15.
(Alice)
“The basement...Lina: wait outside.”
(Lina)
“No. No way, no, that’s my sister. This is my house, and I’m going with
you...Besides, splitting up sounds like the stupidest idea in the world.”
Taking
over the reins from Stiles White, director/co-writer Mike Flanagan delivers a retro-tinted
character-driven prequel to the 2014 box-office hit OUIJA. We rewind back to a
1967 suburban neighbourhood in Los Angeles. Widowed mother Alice Zander
(Elizabeth Reaser), together with teen daughter Lina (Annalise Basso) and
younger daughter Doris (Lulu Wilson), run a home based séance scam business.
The act is getting stale until Alice purchases a Ouija board as a prop to
enhance their deception. The board game comes with three rules:
1. Never
play alone.
2. Never
play in a graveyard.
3. Always
say goodbye.
Unfortunately,
Alice’s blasé attitude as a spiritual charlatan leads to fatal complacency and
she promptly breaks rule 1 and 3 (and unknowingly, rule 2 in the bargain). You
see the Zander’s seemingly quiet suburban house harbours a dark gruesome secret
buried behind its walls, and an evil entity which doesn’t need a second
invitation once the Ouija board is opened to find a human host to give it a
voice.
The
problem with prequels is no matter how radical a tangent you set out your
stall, you’re duty bound to eventually converge plot points in order to join up
with the original narrative. No more so is this evident than in ORIGIN OF EVIL.
That’s not to say director Flanagan doesn’t lead us on a merrily entertaining
and determinedly nostalgic visual dance beforehand - at least until the final
reel that is.
Although shot digitally, Flanagan works hard to achieve (with
some degree of success) a 70’s/early 80’s vibe. Utilising the classic Universal
Studios logo and a retro-styled title card for starters, we are also treated to
reel change cigarette burns, and DP Michael Fimognari’s camera zestily zooming in
and out with an antique set of lenses which infuse candle light and sunset with
a warm hazy palette mostly absent from current genre offerings.
There
is also further warmth generated by a trio of fine performances from the three
female leads. Lulu Wilson in particular is a revelation as little Doris, who
undergoes a startling character transformation courtesy of Doug Jones’ demonic
ghoul with chilling effect.
Director
Flanagan admirably holds out for close on 40 minutes before unleashing his
first big sting jump scare sound effect – a notable achievement given today’s
multiplex template - instead wisely opting for ambient sound design and judicious
scoring to achieve sustainable unease. Of course given the PG-13 brief of the
franchise, he is somewhat hampered as to how far to push the scares and
physical threat when necessity dictates in the final reel. And it’s here where the
film stumbles when the inevitable haunted house/possession clichés are rolled
out stage left, right, along the walls and up on the ceiling. Think a mishmash
of elements from POLTERGEIST and THE EXORCIST filtered through a PG-13 gauze, with
ET’s Henry Thomas wearing the white collar of the heroic priest. (And yes that
is an intentional nod to THE EXORCIST’s iconic poster image when he pauses
outside the Zander house).
If
you’ve seen OUIJA (2014) you’ll already know the respective fates of the three Zander
women. (I watched the original on Netflix by way of prior homework the night
before). There are still some loose ends which don’t quite tie-up when you review
the events of the first film, and the final jump scare before the credit roll
rings hollow (even if it just might be a homage to THE EXORCIST III). Oh yes,
and if you reading the end-credits and begin wondering where was Lin Shaye, she
turns up in a very brief post-credit coda which does link up nicely with the
first instalment and proves just what a good sport she is.
***(out of 5*)
Paul Worts
