Ouija
Universal Pictures | Release Date: October 24, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
38
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
9
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonOct 24, 2014
In the current economy, Monopoly makes a more appropriate board game upon which to base a horror movie, but for what it is, Ouija is better than expected. Read full review
70
Village VoiceSimon AbramsOct 28, 2014
First-time director Stiles White's effective use of long takes and director of photography David Emmerichs's wide-angle digital cinematography make an otherwise generic teen ghost story unexpectedly atmospheric. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriOct 24, 2014
Ouija is confident, meat-and-potatoes horror, and that’s a lot harder to pull off than it sounds. Read full review
63
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeOct 23, 2014
It’s endearing how this glorified haunted-house movie tries to reclaim all the old tools, and do so with a straight face and a PG-13 level of violence. Read full review
60
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeOct 23, 2014
Given its double burden of being both a toy adaptation and a bloodless kiddie horror show, Ouija winds up being more fun that you might think, even if it's the sort of film you can't really take seriously for a second. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 23, 2014
Though Ouija starts off evoking a nicely eerie atmosphere of dread, it ultimately goes too far, making the liminal space between the spirit world and this one all too eye-rollingly literal. Read full review
50
The PlaylistKimber MyersOct 23, 2014
The film is effectively scary, filled with plenty of jump moments and a few slow-burning scenes, but the scares aren’t enough to balance the poor writing and lack of imagination. Read full review
50
VarietyJustin ChangOct 23, 2014
This silly but straight-faced supernatural thriller manages to elicit an occasional shudder in between cheap jolts and false scares, emerging as a feat of competent direction (by debuting helmer Stiles White) over derivative scripting (by White and writing partner Juliet Snowden). Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyKyle AndersonOct 24, 2014
Within the pungent field of other wide-release scare jobs and films derived from cardboard-based time-killers for kids, Ouija stacks up relatively well, thanks to its look and a confident performance by Cooke. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeOct 23, 2014
It’s professionally produced but completely uninspired. Read full review
40
Time OutAndrew FrisicanoOct 24, 2014
It says a lot that the grossest moment involves a character flossing—no gag, just flossing. Likewise, the candy stuck in your teeth will be the only thing that lingers after the credits roll. Read full review
40
The DissolveScott TobiasOct 23, 2014
The most pressing issue with Ouija is that Stiles and Snowden cannot seem to write a single interesting line of dialogue. They volley between conversational banalities and whatever exposition might be needed to get the film to its next scary setpiece. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJordan HoffmanOct 23, 2014
Cooke, a young Brit seen on TV’s “Bates Motel,” is strong as the diminutive brunette at the center of the interworldly fright-fest. Her charisma is almost enough to keep you from rolling your eyes at the script. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerOct 23, 2014
It is harmless, frighty fun for teenage audiences, but adults will leave theatres with their bejeebers intact. Read full review
38
St. Louis Post-DispatchKevin C. JohnsonOct 23, 2014
Directed by Stiles White, whose credits lean more heavily in the special-effect arenas, Ouija is bland, safe horror for those who like their scares nonexistent. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleOct 23, 2014
The ghost scenario that this boring, CW-ready, "Scooby-Doo" gang uncovers isn't nearly as shocking as the blasé attitude they have toward friends dying off. Read full review
30
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergOct 23, 2014
What Ouija lacks in wit and originality, it makes up in volume — a trademark of the “Transformers” director Michael Bay, who is one of the producers. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckOct 23, 2014
In the absence of anything truly original in the screenplay he co-wrote with Juliet Snowden, director Stiles White vainly attempts to ratchet up the tension with a series of cheap jump scares fueled by loud noises that are the cinematic equivalent of shaking hands with someone wearing a joy buzzer. Read full review
25
USA TodayClaudia PuigOct 23, 2014
A deadly dull and overly familiar movie about summoning ghosts that draws upon nearly every horror movie cliché. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 23, 2014
Ouija has something wrong with it from the first five minutes. Read full review
12
Slant MagazineEric HendersonOct 24, 2014
The film consistently settles for the cheapest shock devices and the most shopworn totems of our current neo-gothic moment in the genre. Read full review
11
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovOct 29, 2014
Hasbro’s long-lasting occult board game gets its own starring role in a film that makes those other recent Hasbro plaything adaptations – namely "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" – look like triumphs of subtly engineered cinematic magic. Read full review
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