Ouija: Origin of Evil is the follow-up to 2014’s sleeper hit. In this terrifying sequel, set in 1967, a widowed mother and her two daughters incorporate the game into their séance business. But things rapidly change and soon they must fight to help Doris, the youngest, to survive.
Elizabeth Reaser, who plays mother Alice Zander says, of the film, “What really spoke to me about this movie is how it explores grief and that strong desire to see or talk to someone we’ve lost, even just once more,” says Reaser. “In many ways, this film isn’t simply a horror movie, which is what makes it so terrifying. These characters don’t know what is happening to them because they’re already dealing with a loss so devastating…they can’t fathom life could get worse.” She continues, “She’s so blinded by grief that I think this is the only time she’s vulnerable enough to be tricked by these spirits,” says Reaser. “One of the tragedies of this film is that these horrific things happen because Alice so desperately wants to believe in what she pretends to do. Grief, loss, love, family — anything that’s truly a matter of the heart can eclipse our better judgment, and I for one can relate to that.”
Director Mike Flanagan says, of Reaser, “What I am fascinated most with in Elizabeth is that her eyes project everything that’s happening in her mind and in her heart. She’s one of the most open actresses I’ve ever seen.”
Casting Father Tom, who is Alice’s love interest, gave the filmmakers another opportunity to hire an actor sure to be familiar with moviegoers: two-time Golden Globe Award-nominated performer Henry Thomas, who began his career in the beloved blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and has gone on to star in films such as Gangs of New York. “I’ve been a fan of Henry’s as long as I’ve been a fan of movies,” says Flanagan. “Once his name came up, I couldn’t imagine another actor playing the part.”
Flanagan expected the role of Doris would be difficult to cast. Young horror veteran Lulu Wilson, who previously appeared in Deliver Us from Evil, was able to perfectly balance the innocence and evil of Doris. Recalls Flanagan: “She prepared a monologue from the film where she explains in disturbing detail what it’s like to be strangled to death, and I almost fell off my chair. She was the only actress who didn’t deliver the dialogue in a frightening way. Instead, she delivered it casually, innocently and with a smile, which was such a sophisticated choice.”
And while horror films are off limits for 10-year-old, she hopes her parents make an exception for Ouija: Origin of Evil. “I won’t let them get away without letting me watch it,” Wilson states determinedly.
Ouija: Origin of Evil is available On Demand beginning Jan. 17. Check your cable system for availability.
