Ouija has been on quite a journey to the screen. It’s been around five years since the idea was first mooted, and in that’s time it’s been planned as a full-on gore-fest, a mega-budget tentpole release and a family friendly adventure film, but it’s finally becomes creep-fest that’s more aimed towards teens and with a relatively modest budget.
If you didn’t know, the reason so much effort went into making a Ouija film is that it was part of Universal’s deal with Hasbro, as it’s the toy company that actually owns the rights to that particular spirit board, which was invented in the late 1800s in the US. (There’s some suspicion Hasbro particularly wanted the movie to help them assert their rights to the Ouija name going into the future).
Here’s the film version’s synopsis: ‘In Ouija, a group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of an ancient spirit board. Stiles White directs the supernatural thriller that is produced by Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller (The Purge, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th) alongside Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity and Insidious series, The Purge), Bennett Schneir (Battleship) and Hasbro. Juliet Snowden and Stiles White wrote the script for Ouija, and Universal will distribute the film worldwide.’
You won’t be surprised to hear it’s heading for a Halloween release. [Read more…]
Ouija has been through the development ringer. Initially planned as a medium budget family friendly film, it was then turned into a mega-expensive action adventure (with McG directing), before that fell through. Then it appeared to have been canned completely, before re-emerging earlier this year in the form it should have been all along, as a small-budget creep-fest.