Ouija
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Screen for YOUR familyParent's Guide to Ouija
Ouija (2014) is a supernatural horror film that centers on a group of teenagers who inadvertently unleash malevolent spirits after attempting to communicate with a recently deceased friend using an antique Ouija board. The movie explores themes of grief, friendship, and the dangers of dabbling in the occult as the teenagers face a series of terrifying encounters and mysterious deaths. Despite receiving largely negative critical reviews, it achieved considerable box office success. The film is targeted at a teenage and young adult audience, aligning with its PG-13 rating and focus on jump scares and supernatural horror rather than explicit gore, making it an appropriate, albeit intense, viewing experience for older adolescents. Its prequel, Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), received significantly more positive reviews and is considered an improvement over the original film.
Things to Consider
Violence
The film contains frequent and disturbing violent content, including multiple on-screen deaths, implied suicides, and frightening supernatural attacks. The violence is primarily supernatural and its consequences are clearly depicted, often with visible blood and grotesque imagery.
1. The movie opens with Debbie's apparent suicide, showing her hanging by Christmas lights, a visually disturbing scene. 2. Isabelle is killed when she is possessed and violently smashed head-first into a bathroom sink, cracking her skull open, with blood shown. 3. Pete is possessed and killed by Doris's spirit, later appearing as a soulless ghost with his mouth stitched up. 4. Trevor is attacked and drowned in a swimming pool by the malevolent spirit, with the struggle and his eventual death depicted on-screen.
Witchcraft & Occult
Witchcraft and occult themes are central and pervasive to the entire plot, revolving around the use of a Ouija board to contact spirits, leading to demonic possession and violent supernatural events. The movie explicitly depicts rituals and interactions with malevolent entities.
Scary & Intense Content
As a horror film, "Ouija" features high levels of scary and intense content. This includes frequent jump scares, disturbing imagery, suspenseful sequences, and the constant threat of supernatural harm and death.
Anti-Christian Themes
The film's core premise involves actively seeking communication with the dead and engaging with spirits through a Ouija board, which is directly contrary to Christian teachings that forbid divination and consulting with the dead (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). The movie acknowledges demon involvement and promotes unbiblical beliefs about spirits.
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Additional Context
Best For Ages
Ouija (2014) is officially rated PG-13 by the MPAA for "disturbing violent content, frightening horror images, and thematic material". Given the film's consistent use of jump scares, multiple on-screen deaths, and heavy reliance on occult themes such as demonic possession and communication with the dead, it is best suited for viewers aged 13 and older. Younger viewers may find the intense supernatural elements, graphic depictions of death (even if some are implied), and overall frightening atmosphere too disturbing.
Good to Know
The prequel, Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), is generally considered a superior film by critics and audiences and delves further into the backstory of the spirits encountered in the 2014 movie. While the original film's runtime is 89 minutes, critical reception was overwhelmingly negative, with many reviews citing a predictable plot and one-dimensional characters. It should be noted that the use of a Ouija board, as depicted, is explicitly condemned by many Christian denominations as a means of engaging with occult forces.
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