Ouija (2007 film)

Ouija

Theatrical poster
Directed by Topel Lee
Produced by Jose Mari Abacan
Veronique Del Rosario-Corpus
Vicente G. del Rosario III
Written by Aloy Adlawan
Starring Jolina Magdangal
Iza Calzado
Rhian Ramos
Judy Ann Santos
Music by Carmina Robles Cuya
Cinematography Neil Daza
Edited by Marya Ignacio
Distributed by GMA Films
VIVA Entertainment Films
Release dates
  • July 25, 2007
Running time
 137 min.
Country Philippines
Language Filipino/Tagalog
English
Box office Php120.6 million

Ouija is a 2007 Filipino horror-thriller film from director Topel Lee, his first feature length,[1] from the screenplay by Aloy Adlawan. The film stars Jolina Magdangal, Iza Calzado, Rhian Ramos and Judy Ann Santos haunted by a spirit they accidentally unleashed while playing an Ouija board.

This is the second film co-produced by GMA Films and VIVA Films years after VIVA withdrew from GMA. The joint production between the two companies was proven a success since fans believe that there is still chemistry among the two companies and it led to more jointly-produced movies that became box-office hits.

Plot

Half-sisters Aileen (Judy Ann Santos) and Romina (Jolina Magdangal), along with first cousins Sandra (Iza Calzado) and Ruth (Rhian Ramos), reunite in Camiguin to bury their grandmother. Accompanied by Sandra’s friend, Lucy (Desiree Del Valle), the five girls dare to call on the spirits of the dead when they find their old Ouija board from when they were kids. The Ouija board is burned by accident before they are able to finish the ritual, trapping a murderous entity around them. As they begin to realize the terror that they have brought upon themselves, Aileen and Romina’s hostile relationship become even more strained, while Lucy’s sanity brings a heavy burden on Sandra, and Ruth’s boyfriend, Gino (JC de Vera), is unknowingly pulled into the danger and horror that await all of them.

Confronted by imminent death, the girls have nowhere to go unless they can identify the spirit and find out where it is buried. It is only by leading the spirit to its burial ground that they will be able to release the spirit from the Ouija board and survive its fatal hauntings.

Cast

Special Guest

Reception

The movie is graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) of the Philippines. An A rating gives the film a 100% tax rebate on its earnings.

Awards and nominations

26th FAP (LUNA) Awards (2008)
10th PASADO Awards (2008)[2]
24th PMPC Awards for Movies (2008)[3]
5th Golden Screen Awards (2008)[4]

International screenings

The movie would have been the first GMA Films movie to have international screenings[5] and the second Viva movie to have international screenings. The scheduled overseas premieres in four U.S. cities (Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego) were cancelled. Only the one in New Jersey pushed through.[6] The movie is titled Seance internationally.[5]

Home video release

GMA Records Home Video (distributed under license by Viva Video, Inc.) released Ouija now available on DVD and VCD format on September 12, 2007.

References

  1. ↑ Judy Ann-Jolina movie finally pushes through, gmanews.tv, n.d. Accessed last April 7, 2007.
  2. ↑ Judy Ann Santos and Joel Torre win top acting honors at 10th Gawad Pasado
  3. ↑ PMPC announces nominees for the 24th Star Awards for Movies
  4. ↑ Indie films once again rule 5th Golden Screen Awards nominations
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ouija to be released internationally under the title Seance, pep.ph, n.d. Accessed last April 15, 2007.
  6. ↑ , pep.ph, n.d. Accessed last October 24, 2007.

External links