Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Ouija 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Ouija is a compelling ghost story with some interesting surprises up its sleeve. The Ouija production comes from legendary genre producer Jason Blum (M3GAN, Split) and Hollywood blockbuster producer Michael Bay (Transformers, Bad Boys). With a great star introduction to Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One), Ouija is a tense and entertaining genre film in the style of Japanese horror.

Laine Morris (Olivia Cooke), Trevor (Daren Kagasoff), and Isabelle (Bianca A. Santos) begin a game that becomes something far more haunting. The legends of the Ouija board are ominous and foreboding: a game that can connect one to the other side – the world of ghosts. When Laine and her friends attempt to reach the other side, how far will these characters go to connect to their pasts?

As the nightmarish Ouija game unfolds, Laine finds herself in one scary situation after another as a ghostly past awaits. What lengths will Laine go to in order to speak to someone from beyond the boundary of time and space? Can Laine survive or will fear overcome her?

Olivia Cooke steals the show. Cooke is great in the film and her sense of charisma and charm is apparent throughout the production. Cooke certainly is a commanding presence and she provides all of the right ingredients to keep the tone of the film efficient and worthwhile. Whether a scene calls for fright or solemn, Cooke performs exceptionally well and stands out as wonderful casting. Fans of Cooke will certainly want to see Ouija for her performance.

The filmmaking showcases impressive cinematography by David Emmerichs (The Human Race). The cinematography is often dark and with gray overtones to help keep the tone of the production in line with horror cinema. The cinematography shines with great clarity and use of lighting. Emmerichs did a solid job with the production.

Edited by Ken Blackwell (The Nun, The Grudge), Ouija is a well-cut film. The editing provides the film with a slow pace and rhythm that is reminiscent of Japanese horror cinema (often referred to as “J-Horror”). The pace is essential to the production. Blackwell capably handles the material and finds potent ways to create terror out of nothing. The editing is key to this component. A strong effort.

The production design by Barry Robison (Hacksaw Ridge, One Night in Miami…) is an effectively realized element of the filmmaking. Robison helped the production seem more eerie and surreal with some rather minimalist sets and location features. The design attributes are creative and befitting the horror genre.

Ouija also benefits from some solid costuming. The costumes by Mary Jane Fort (Fear the Walking Dead, Project Almanac) are excellent. Fort provides the entire cast with the good costumes befitting these characters. While the costuming might not stand out as one of the best elements of the production, nonetheless, the costumes are effectively realized and were well thought-out for the characters.

The original score composed by Anton Sanko (Jessabelle, Nurse) is one of the best elements of the film. Ouija has a fun and eerie score that is a good accompaniment to the genre filmmaking. The score has the right tonal balance of fright and drama. A solid effort by Sanko.

In his directorial debut, screenwriter Stiles White navigates to feature-film directing. With a filmography that includes The Possession, Knowing, and Boogeyman, White certainly had the chops to navigate to directing. Despite some poor reviews for Ouija, White displays some promise as a filmmaker and the filmmaking feels inspired by Japanese horror.  

Ouija fits in to the template of films inspired by Japanese horror nicely at times. Ouija has a good sense of atmosphere and sense of mood – creating chills even when little horror or terror happens (as one might find in a traditional Western horror film with similar themes). The screenplay by director/co-screenwriter Stiles White and co-screenwriter Juliet Snowden (who worked with White on the screenplays for The Possession and Knowing) is adequate if imperfect. The characters aren’t as dimensional as one might hope for – the focus is on the mood and tone of the piece. While Ouija might not be for every viewer, it’s a curious and interesting horror piece exploring mood filmmaking in a solid way.

For more information on Ouija and an alternative take on the film, please refer to the review by Blu-ray.com writer Kenneth Brown.  

Ouija 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on 4K UHD from Shout Factory, Ouija is presented in HEVC / H.265 2160p in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 widescreen. The presentation is in upscaled 4K UHD with HDR refinement. The HDR is available on the disc in the HDR10 standard and in Dolby Vision. The presentation is stunning. Fans of the film will be enormously pleased with the use of high dynamic range on the presentation. Color reproduction is all the more impressive and there is a good degree of detail present between the light and dark elements of the transfer. The HDR implementation is superb and doesn't detract at all from the experience.

In fact, the HDR offers a significant upgrade over the standard dynamic range available on the original Blu-ray release. The colors are all the more organic looking and the film achieves an even greater sense of realism. The 4K resolution boost from the encoding gives a subtle but appreciable boost in clarity and detail. The resolution upgrade provides an even more impressive looking film – showcasing the fine details of the production design. Actors facial pores and intimate details are even more natural looking (and the clarity is outstanding). While a upscaled 4K presentation, the 4K upgrade is surprisingly great and offers the best presentation of the Ouija to date.

Ouija 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The lossless surround sound option is a superb selection. Detail and clarity on the audio presentation is top-notch throughout the entire sound presentation. The track seems to be the same one provided on the previously available Blu-ray. The release does not provide a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and instead sticks to the already-excellent DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack). Despite the lack of Atmos audio, the DTS-HD Master Audio track is so crisp, detailed, and exceptional sounding that I doubt any viewer will have any significant qualms or reservations.

Ouija 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NEW Audio Commentary featuring Director/Writer Stiles White

NEW Audio Commentary featuring Producer Brad Fuller

The 4K UHD release includes a reversible cover-art sleeve (with alternative key artwork).

The release also includes a selection of legacy bonus features including:

The Spirit Board: An Evolution (HD, 4:08)

Icon of the Unknown (HD, 4:02)

Adapting the Fear (HD, 3:47)

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:27)

Ouija: Origin of Evil Trailer (HD, 2:30)

Ouija 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ouija is an entertaining genre film with horror roots inspired by Japanese horror filmmaking. The style and tone of the film is eerie and enjoyable. The cast is led by the great Olivia Cooke (who is fantastic here). Fans of Cooke won't want to skip the film and miss her performance. The 4K UHD release has excellent 2160p video and an engaging DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. The release offers a huge improvement in regards to the video quality with excellent HDR implementation and added detail. Fans of the film should consider it a release well worth owning. Highly recommended.