The first OUIJA movie is – How can I put this lightly? – not very good.
But it made a good deal of money ($105 million against a $5 million budget), so it was only natural to go back to the well and see if it can be done again. That brings us to OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL, which isn't OUIJA 2, because it isn't a sequel and benefits from trying not to continue with a story that was widely lambasted by those who saw it. Mike Flanagan (HUSH and OCULUS) is now at the helm, and he is heading into the past for the young franchise.
While details have been mostly quiet to this point, and we'll find out more with the first trailer premiere tomorrow, my understanding is that OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL is a prequel of sorts that'll take place in the 1970s., an era Flanagan aimed to capture by shooting the film like it was made in the 70s.
That should explain the title for you, and you get a sense of it from the first one sheet Universal has released. The imagery is hardly hi-res and looks a little grainy. The wardrobe is definitely not modern, nor is the Ouija board itself. I have been hearing positive things in horror circles about where OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL is heading, and, if Universal can convince people to give it a look after their disappointing experiences with the first film, they might have a decent horror series on their hands, thanks to Flanagan. We'll see if that holds up tomorrow when we get that first look in motion, but, for now, the poster, as simple as it is, is striking the right tone for me.
OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL is scheduled for release on October 21.