We’re still very much in the midst of August, but Universal is already taking steps to ensure that Ouija will be a familiar name by the time October rolls around. A new TV spot for the upcoming horror title has landed online, tightening footage we already saw in the first theatrical preview into a concise, if less scary teaser.
Ouija is one of a few horror pics that will be competing for your screams (and hard-earned cash) come Halloween – earlier in the month, we’ll be getting The Conjuring spinoff Annabelle, anthology ABCs of Death 2, horror-tinged battle epic Dracula Untold and freaky threequel V/H/S Viral. So what sets this one apart? Its young, photogenic cast (which includes a wealth of supporting players from teen-targeted TV) might be enough.
Douglas Smith (HBO’s Big Love) and Olivia Cooke (A&E’s Bates Motel) topline a cast which also includes Daren Kagasoff (ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager), Bianca A. Satos (ABC Family’s The Fosters), Erin Moriarty (ABC’s Red Widow), Matthew Settle (The CW’s Gossip Girl) and Shelley Hennig (MTV’s Teen Wolf). Less familiar faces like Ana Coto and Vivis Colombetti also have supporting roles.
Taking a look at this preview, Ouija seems likely to deliver some freak-out scares even while peddling in horror tropes. Originality was never a requirement for this flick, though writer Juliet Snowden and writer/director Stiles White previously collaborated on Knowing and The Possession, two above-average titles, so Ouija could end up surprising. The plot – friends attempt to contact a dead friend using the board but wind up bringing the force of an evil spirit down on their heads – certainly appears conducive to some creepy twists.
Ouija opens on October 24th. Will you be checking out this frightener?
