The only thing I know about Ouija-boards is that the name is derived from of a composition of the French and Dutch words for "yes" ("oui" and "ja") and that they were originally created as ordinary board games for family entertainment. The fact that Ouija boards grew out to become symbol for the macabre, spiritualism and horror is pretty good marketing, if you ask me! As made clear by the title, a Ouija board also forms the central gimmick in this film, but like all skeptical horror fans know, a good gimmick doesn't necessarily guarantee a good movie! "Ouija" is an incredibly uninspired, lame and overly sentimental PG13 ghost story that too obviously steals its plot ideas from other films. This could easily be a sequel in the "Insidious" franchise, except that the Ouija board replaces the human spiritual medium (but Lin Shaye is still present), while the death sequences could come straight out of a "Final Destination" sequel (notably the freak accident in the bathroom). After fooling around with a Ouija board she found in the attic, a teenage girl inexplicable commits suicide. Her friends, and particularly her BFF Layne, refuse to accept that a vivid and joyful young girl like Debbie played with the idea of ending her own life, so they gather around to seek contact with their friend via the same Ouija board. They quickly discover the board is connected to an unresolved missing girl case from the 1950s and put their own lives at risk by unleashing malevolent souls. "Ouija" is a strictly by-the-numbers and commercial horror effort, with predictable boo-moments and fake scares at the most foreseeable moments. The teen protagonists are admittedly less stereotypical and annoying than usually the case in this sort of films, but still you don't feel too much empathy for them. The lead girl, Olivia Cooke, is cute and she surely can act, but she's probably also smart enough to realize that her role in the series "Bates Motel" is a more valuable addition on her resume. There isn't any gore (duh, PG13) and the make-up effects are weak. My 8-year-old son walked in during one of the supposedly scariest moments, but he wasn't the least bit upset.

NON-NEIN (that's the opposite of OUI-JA you see) This is a terribly dull flick, the sort of "horror" film that abound these days, with no idea of plot, timing, acting, cinematography, acting, or anything else. And WHY OH WHY do young girls have that whining gravelly voice??? UGH!!!

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.

I truly enjoyed this little horror flick. It's not a huge production and if you need to get scared out of your socks or see blood running in streams to be entertained then you probably won't be right here, but I liked that it had just the right dose of horror and - even more important - it had a real good story, the right portion of scavenger hunt a horror flick needs, with secrets to solve, unexpected turns and - yes - it was pretty logical for a fantasy film! The only thing that I was wondering is how a ghost from the 40ies comes to know how to operate a computer ;-). And I did not like the clichéd ending (I cannot imagine them forgetting to burn this piece and if they did burn it, how come it is back??). But then again: the movie has Shelley Hennig and Olivia Cooke - so what more can you want? Turn the TV on and enjoy!!