Ouija filmmakers say production is “moving fast” and may be in theaters next October

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

The writers/director team of Juliet Snowden and Stiles White apparently have the upcoming Platinum Dunes/Hasbro production of OUIJA on the fast track. At the premiere of, THE POSSESSION, which they also wrote, the pair were pressed for details and may have let a possible release date slip.

Regarding the film’s scaled back budget, Snowden reasoned “It was originally a $100 million movie, now it’s a $5 million movie with us… Jason [Blum], Michael [Bay] and the Platinum Dunes guys, Universal and Hasbro – that’s a lot to answer to.” 

As for taking the idea into a more intimate direction, White laid it all out: “For us, there was that version, but we’ve got Blum on board now, it’s going to be a smaller budget, a more contained idea. We just love the idea, when Juliet was growing up, her older sister had a Ouija board, my grandparents had a Ouija board up on the shelf in the closet… I had a healthy sense of caution with it. I love the idea it’s a game, but not really a game. It’s sold as a game because where else can you put it in the store?”

Snowden then interjected, “Contact spirits with something you find on the shelf at Wal-Mart or Target? That’s where we’re coming from with the story, it’s not just about one board, it’s any board and that’s what makes it scary.” White went on to say, “… As a psychological horror film, we just felt there was a lot to play with there. We pitched our ideas, we’re currently writing the script right now, the process is moving quickly. Once you get into the writing of it, you’re visualizing it from the get-go when you’re signed on to direct.”

Snowden agreed, stating “The timeline is fast, we’re moving fast.We have a release date, next October…” This was promptly corrected by White as “Sometime in 2013.” 

So there you have it. Given it’s more minimal approach, the film will surely fare better in box office numbers than Hasbro’s other based-off-a-board-game movie, BATTLESHIP. Meanwhile, who knows what to expect from Snowden and White, whose resume lists them as both writers of the underrated Alex Proyas film KNOWING and the team behind Stephen Kay’s half-assed BOOGEYMAN (2005). Filmography aside, their approach sounds sensible, if a little generic, but I’m a sucker for Ouija-board plot devices in horror movies. Now it finally has its own movie I say congratulations, Ouija board plot device– you’re coming up in the world.