The Wasteland Reviewer

Outside the Wasteland: Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

Film can mean so much more than just entertainment on a screen, right? Outside the Wasteland is my new avenue to express my thoughts on films that have truly made an impact on my life. This is not about how great the films are or even how much I love them. This is an expression of how these films have made a direct impact on my life including my love of film, my personality, my world view, and just an overall lasting impression that deeply affected me.  This is a doorway into The Wasteland Reviewer through the films that have shaped me.

Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

What is your history with the horror genre? I am admittedly a big baby when it comes to getting scared. That has been my existence from childhood and all the way up to now. My experience with the horror genre has certainly made it easier for me as I basically watch at least one horror movie every week. You would probably be surprised to find out how many horror films come out in a calendar year (trust me…it is in the hundreds). I try to watch as many new releases as possible and horror is a common way with so many filmmakers to get into the business. Horror was my least favorite genre of film growing up since I just don’t like to be scared but I have grown from that point as I have gotten older. Horror is certainly not my favorite genre (still) but some of my favorite films happen to be horror films.

What was my actual experience with horror growing up? There were a few films that I tried to watch or were tricked into watching that certainly left a scar. I distinctly remember my brother and a family friend sitting down to watch Mouse Hunt (from Gore Verbinski and Nathan Lane) but I noticed things were off when it started with a tropical island. Then a little girl was attacked by tiny dinosaurs with her mother screaming at the camera. You guessed it! They put on Lost World: Jurassic Park instead. This is not a “horror” film to most but it sure is a monster movie in execution.  Then there is The Mummy from 1999. I love this film so much now and it is a wonderful reminder of old school action/adventure filmmaking. But when I was a kid, there were so many terrifying moments for me (those scarabs!) that it was hard for me to sit through. But the real trauma stemmed from Signs. I received this in one of those by-mail DVD clubs. This was the second DVD of the month (after Gosford Park). I was eleven years old…I could not handle it. There are plenty of moments from Signs that have been burned in my brain for the last 23 years. But as I got older, I began to warm up to watching more horror films at home.

But what is the film that really opened the floodgate for me? Ouija: Origin of Evil. This might seem like a random film, but this was the first horror film I ever saw in a theater. You might wonder why that matters but it is such a different experience. At home, you can hide. You can pause it. You can take a break. There is relief there and you can give yourself a reprieve. You can also watch the film in as much light as you possibly want. I even watched The Babadook in broad daylight with the curtains open and it still had me curled up in a ball on the couch. But those options are not there for watching a movie in the theater. Sure, you could get up and leave if it gets so bad (I am proud to say I never did that before) but generally, you are locked in. I am honest enough to admit that I have covered my face or stared at the wall on occasions while watching horror films in a theater. Both of those were chosen actions for me watching Origin of Evil back in 2016. I distinctly remember seeing Lulu Wilson’s little head snapping back and forth in the background of a shot through the small windows I left between my fingers as I covered my face. Mike Flanagan is one of my favorite directors now and getting a chance to see some of his work in a theater is a wonderful memory…in hindsight. At that moment, I was just terrified. I couldn’t handle it but I made it through the whole film. But this was such a significant moment for me as it opened the door for Hereditary, Midsommar, Halloween (2018), Scream (2022), Sinners, and Weapons. I have had so many great theatrical experiences with horror since and it all stemmed from this. I am glad to myself that I took the dive because I could have missed out on a lot of great films over the last nine years.

But what is my relationship with horror now? This genre has grown on me so much in the last ten years. One of my favorite filmmakers of all time now is John Carpenter. He obviously dabbled in other genres like science fiction and action, but horror was his bread and butter when he still made movies. Halloween and The Thing are both of my top ten favorite horror films of all time with The Thing sitting at number two. The Shining is one of my favorite films of all time with the bone-chilling experience expertly crafted by another one of my favorite filmmakers in Stanley Kubrick. I am quite a fan of The Conjuring films even if some of them in their shared universe are quite bad. I have a special place in my heart for the cinematic versions of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Conjuring 2 is one of my favorite horror films as well. A film like The Exorcist has grown in my opinion with its incredible depth of faith and drama along with the horrifying atmosphere that William Friedkin created. Robert Eggers is one of my favorite rising directors and his work mostly works in the realm of horror (Nosferatu being one of the best films of last year). I have high standards for horror, and I don’t enjoy just any old horror film…but I will sing the praises of great ones.

How will horror evolve in my estimations moving forward? Horror is quickly growing for me as a genre that I love and appreciate. I watch so many of them nowadays that it is hard not to make a growing list of horror films that have made an impact on me. This year has been a year for horror and so was last year. The truth? Every year is a year for horror because so many great creators with strong voices enter the chat each year to bolster it. Some childhood trauma and a fateful trip to AMC Hamilton to see Ouija: Origin of Evil opened my cinematic perspective to a genre that I was avoidant of. For the record, I rewatched Origin of Evil one night earlier this year…and it still scared the shit out of me. Thank you, Mike Flanagan, and for the genre of horror. I am still a certified “big baby” but I do enjoy that feeling now at least which opens my world to a whole impressive segment of the world of cinema.