Top four horrifying moments of Ouija boards on Hollywood screen
Blog post by Amy Do
The Ouija board is a popular plot device in horror movies due to the myths tied to it and its relationship with the subconscious mind. Here are a few spooky moments of the board in movies.
1. Witchboard (1986)
Witchboard, 1986 ( Paragon Arts International
Cinema Group
A group of friends thought it was a fun idea at a party to play with an Ouija board and they were successful at contacting the spirit of a dead young boy. However, things get scary when the next day, a young woman tries to use the board herself and instead conjures up an evil spirit who tricks her into thinking he’s the spirit of the young boy. This movie is considered a typical 80s horror flick with a lot of suspense and creepiness. It highlights the Ouija board as the gateway for dead evil spirits to creep back to life.
2. Paranormal Activity (2007)
Blumhouse Productions
This horror movie was quite well-known when it came out for being the most profitable film ever made with a budget of only $15,000 while grossing $193,000,000. What makes the movie so thrilling are moments of supernatural horror, for example the scene where an Ouija board left alone in the house suddenly moved by itself then set itself on fire. What’s left on the board afterwards were deep scratches, hinting of a non-human demon lurking around in the dark. We never saw the evil villain – which makes this movie even creepier.
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3. Sorority House Massacre II (1990)
Sorority House Massacre (Concorde Pictures)
This slasher movie made in 1990 offers all the stunts of a horror flick: blood, darkness (a house with no electricity), evil demon and an Ouija board. The movie centers around a few young women who unknowingly uses the board to awaken the spirit of a previous murderer. Slasher movies set in a sorority house is not an unfamiliar setting, but with the Ouija board and the bloody murderer makes the movie even more terrifying.
4. What Lies Beneath (2000)
What Lies Beneath, 2000 ( Dreamworks)
This movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford is the first to feature a séance in the bathroom. Using a Ouija board, the protagonist was able to talk to a ghost in her house, whom she suspects is her neighbour, murdered by her husband. The plot is spooky, and the mix of murders and supernatural spirits makes the movie thrilling as the murderer is slowly revealed.
