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!

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.

This film borrows heavily from other more successful horror films. There were times that it seems like Ouija was lifting scenes from the original Grudge series and other successful J-horror films. The scary scenes are generic yet moderately effective, but I give it credit for exploring the family conflict while delving into the supernatural aspects and the location shooting added a bit. Picturesque locations contributed a bit. Not that there is anything wrong copying more successful trends, this film just doesn't add enough originality of its own. I expected more from the cast. With Calzado and Santos (and yes she can turn in wonderful performances, armchair critics!) onboard with some good actors around, acceptable performances can be considered a let down from them. While Filipino horror films like Sukob, Feng Shui, and Pa-Siyam featured local Filipino superstitions, Ouija is happy to borrow trends, successful ones at that. Try those horror films before renting this. Those films can compete with the best the continent can offer. Horror fans and those looking for Filipino films could certainly pick better films than this.

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!