Ouija is a 2007 Philippine horror-thriller film from director Topel Lee, his paranormal first feature-length,[1] from the screenplay by Aloy Adlawan. The film stars Jolina Magdangal, Iza Calzado, Rhian Ramos, Ruby Rodriguez and Judy Ann Santos with Desiree del Valle is haunted by a spirit they accidentally unleashed while playing an Ouija board. The film was produced by VIVA and GMA Pictures.
Ouija | |
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![]() Theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Topel Lee |
Written by | Aloy Adlawan |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Neil Daza |
Edited by | Marya Ignacio |
Music by | Carmina Robles Cuya |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 137 minutes |
Country | Philippines |
Language | Filipino |
Box office | ₱120.6 million |
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.
Half-sisters Aileen (Judy Ann Santos) and Romina (Jolina Magdangal-Escueta), 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 becomes even more strained, while Lucy's sanity brings a heavy burden on Sandra, and Ruth's Yaya (Ruby Rodriguez) and boyfriend, Gino (JC de Vera), is unknowingly pulled into the danger and horror that awaits all of them. Aileen, a criminal advocate, accidentally kills a rape victim who was also haunted.
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.
Using the Ouija board, the girls find that the ghost of a girl named Magda the Snake (she is called “The Snake” because she had the skin of snake at birth) is haunting them. They find the dead body of Magda from under the sea and made the spirit free with the help of a Christian priest. Magda was murdered by her envious twin sister Melda, because their parents loved Magda more. At the end it is revealed that it was Melda's spirit who haunted the girls and Magda's spirit was trying to protect them. Since they freed Magda's spirit, there is no one to protect them from Melda. At the end of the movie, Melda has killed every girl.
Jean Villanueva as Melba
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.
26th FAP (LUNA) Awards (2008)
10th PASADO Awards (2008)[2]
24th PMPC Awards for Movies (2008)[3]
5th Golden Screen Awards (2008)[4]
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]
GMA Records Home Video (distributed under license by Viva Video, Inc.) released Ouija now available on DVD and VCD format on September 12, 2007.