Mike Flanagan's ever-widening oeuvre primarily consists of horror adaptations infused with his trademark ability to imbue greater depth into characters and introduce fresh perspectives to already-promising premises. Take his films "Doctor Sleep" and "Gerald's Game" for instance — while both are somewhat faithful to the respective Stephen King originals, Flanagan uses these classic stories to flesh out the fictional worlds further, focusing on haunting atmospheres as opposed to traditional jumpscare tactics to elicit scares. This sensibility also bleeds into his small screen offerings, where Flanagan was able to make "The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Haunting of Bly Manor" his own, despite constructing the stories on the foundational tenets of the novels they were adapted from.
Continuing this tradition, Flanagan has currently set sights on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, whose short stories are often a mix of gothic horror and supernatural mystery, making it the perfect playground...
Continuing this tradition, Flanagan has currently set sights on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, whose short stories are often a mix of gothic horror and supernatural mystery, making it the perfect playground...
- 5/30/2023
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
While the process of moving towards full gender parity at festivals remains a slow slog, it’s time to put money where the movement’s mouth is and make other types of tangible steps towards lifting up women’s voices, said speakers at a panel on female filmmaking jointly hosted by Studio Babelsberg, Canada Goose and Variety, moderated by Variety international editor Manori Ravindran.
The continued underrepresentation of women despite initiatives like the renamed 50/50 for the Future movement — which launched as 50/50 by 2020 but missed that target — remains a structural problem, panelists said.
“Without money, we can’t do anything. We can’t always expect people to be severely under-financed,” said Berlin-based Swedish director Carolina Hellsgard, who estimated that although women comprise half of Germany’s film school graduates, they end up making up less than 20% of its filmmakers.
“Funding in Germany is actually taxpayers’ money. I think it’s really...
The continued underrepresentation of women despite initiatives like the renamed 50/50 for the Future movement — which launched as 50/50 by 2020 but missed that target — remains a structural problem, panelists said.
“Without money, we can’t do anything. We can’t always expect people to be severely under-financed,” said Berlin-based Swedish director Carolina Hellsgard, who estimated that although women comprise half of Germany’s film school graduates, they end up making up less than 20% of its filmmakers.
“Funding in Germany is actually taxpayers’ money. I think it’s really...
- 2/20/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annalise Basso, Henry Thomas, Parker Mack, Halle Charlton, Alexis G. Zall, Doug Jones, Kate Siegel, Sam Anderson, Chelsea Gonzalez | Written by Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard | Directed by Mike Flanagan
When a horror film does well enough an inevitable sequel is churned out to make more money, and this could have been the case with Ouija. Giving the film to Mike Flanagan though and letting him do what he wants with it, horror fans are in for a treat. This is exactly what Ouija: Origin of Evil is, a treat for horror fans.
Set in 1967 Ouija: Origin of Evil is a prequel to the first movie. In it we see single mother Doris Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) and her two daughters Lina (Annalise Basso) and Doris (Lulu Wilson) running a séance scam. When the Ouija board game is used as a new stunt to bolster their business,...
When a horror film does well enough an inevitable sequel is churned out to make more money, and this could have been the case with Ouija. Giving the film to Mike Flanagan though and letting him do what he wants with it, horror fans are in for a treat. This is exactly what Ouija: Origin of Evil is, a treat for horror fans.
Set in 1967 Ouija: Origin of Evil is a prequel to the first movie. In it we see single mother Doris Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) and her two daughters Lina (Annalise Basso) and Doris (Lulu Wilson) running a séance scam. When the Ouija board game is used as a new stunt to bolster their business,...
- 3/1/2017
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
If there is anything creepier than adorable looking children I know not of it. Especially when they can make their eyes go completely white, contort their bodies into obscene shapes, and telepathically move a Ouija board planchette. I’m talking, of course, about the supremely creepy and not half bad (for a horror flick) prequel in the Ouija movie franchise, Origins of Evil.
Surely, like everyone else, you watched the original movie, right? There, you encountered an evil spirit by the name of (spoilers) Doris Zander, as well as her ghoul mother Alice and her elderly and psychotic sister Paulina. In Origins of Evil, we go back in time to 1960s Los Angeles, to discover how these lovely little ladies could end up being so mean.
Like the better horror movies in this second (or third) generation of slasher films, Ouija avoids collapsing into cheap scares and high body counts from the third frame,...
Surely, like everyone else, you watched the original movie, right? There, you encountered an evil spirit by the name of (spoilers) Doris Zander, as well as her ghoul mother Alice and her elderly and psychotic sister Paulina. In Origins of Evil, we go back in time to 1960s Los Angeles, to discover how these lovely little ladies could end up being so mean.
Like the better horror movies in this second (or third) generation of slasher films, Ouija avoids collapsing into cheap scares and high body counts from the third frame,...
- 10/20/2016
- by J Don Birnam
- LRMonline.com
The first Ouija film scored at the box office, but few loved it. Ouija 2? A big improvement...
It's possible that many of you clicking on this review just want to know if this is a better movie than 2014's Ouija. The short answer is yes and substantially so. It's being marketed as a new standalone story (and, indeed, you don't need to see Ouija at all to understand Origin Of Evil) but viewers with long/detailed memories will pick up quickly that this is fact an origin story - set 47 years earlier - for evil ghost Doris from the first film. Luckily, between the period setting and the change in creative team, they've done a good job of distancing it and, while the board may look the same, we're playing a very different game.
Here, Doris Zander (Lulu Wilson) is a regular little girl who lives in a nice suburban...
It's possible that many of you clicking on this review just want to know if this is a better movie than 2014's Ouija. The short answer is yes and substantially so. It's being marketed as a new standalone story (and, indeed, you don't need to see Ouija at all to understand Origin Of Evil) but viewers with long/detailed memories will pick up quickly that this is fact an origin story - set 47 years earlier - for evil ghost Doris from the first film. Luckily, between the period setting and the change in creative team, they've done a good job of distancing it and, while the board may look the same, we're playing a very different game.
Here, Doris Zander (Lulu Wilson) is a regular little girl who lives in a nice suburban...
- 10/19/2016
- Den of Geek
In the grand scheme of 2016’s mainstream horror scene, Ouija: Origin Of Evil certainly bolsters the argument that we’re having one hell of a year – even if it’s not at the top. Director Mike Flanagan does what he does best by summoning a comfortable (unnerving), safe (tormenting) haunter that’s certainly better than Hasbro’s previous occult killer, but that doesn’t stop a familiar sense of “I’ve seen this before” from seeping in. You’ll scream at telegraphed scares, indulge in grainy 60s chic and learn where the evil began (all you rabid Ouija fans, wherever you are). Maybe just tone down the cheap jumps next time? Like, well below 11?
Flanagan’s prequel to last year’s Ouija introduces viewers to the famous board game’s promised curse. Another dopey family (the Zanders) ignores ominous warnings included with their Ouija game, and their daughter Doris (Lulu Wilson) pays the price.
Flanagan’s prequel to last year’s Ouija introduces viewers to the famous board game’s promised curse. Another dopey family (the Zanders) ignores ominous warnings included with their Ouija game, and their daughter Doris (Lulu Wilson) pays the price.
- 10/18/2016
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
Universal Pictures released their new horror/thriller flick, "Ouija" into theaters this weekend. I checked it out out, yesterday, and thought it was highly entertaining. I mean, it was way better than I thought it would be, especially with the way the plotline worked out. It delivered great suspense ,thrills, drama, and more. It stars: Olivia Cooke, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith, Bianca Santos, and Ana Coto. In the new flick after character, Debbie Galardi (Shelley Hennig), mysteriously dies. It bothers her best friend, Laine Morris (Olivia Cooke) so much that she begins to research Supernatural means as way to get in touch with Debbie. And to make things even more interesting, she invites her friend along for the ride. They start messing around with a Ouija board, and get a response from a spiritual entity that they originally think is Debbie. However, when one of their friends, Isabelle, comes up dead a few days later,...
- 10/26/2014
- by Andre
- OnTheFlix
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