By Troy Ribeiro
London, Nov 1 (IANS): Film: "Ouija"; Cast: Olivia Cook, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith, Bianca Santos, Shelley Hennig, Ana Coto and Lin Shaye; Director: Stiles White; Rating: **

'The Ouija', also known as the "spirit board" or the "talking board", is used in seances as a conduit to reach out to the spirits.

For the curious, it's just a mode of entertainment, but for the serious, it means much more. There are rules for those who indulge in it. They are: follow the rules and never break it, never play alone and finally always say goodbye when signing off.

Sounds easy, but what happens when one breaks the rules?

The film "Ouija" is the answer to the question.

Pivoting on the premise of a mystery film, Laine (Oliva Cooke) tries to find out as to why her best friend Debbie (Shelley Hennig) committed suicide. So, after a bit of investigation and with the help of Debbie's video recordings, she finds the Ouija board the two played as kids and realises that Debbie broke one of the rules. She played alone!

Also, during the process of investigation, Laine and her friends experience paranormal activities. They think that Debbie's spirit is trying to get in touch with them.

So, Liane long with friends; Issabelle, Saira, Trevor (Daren Kagasoff) and Pete (Douglaas Smith) decide to contact Debbie's spirit via the Ouija, but their efforts unleash a nastier supernatural force that seems determined to take them out one by one.

The good-looking cast comprises mostly of television actors who are competent in their performances. But it is Oliva Cooke as Laine and Lin Shaye as the creepy, wheelchair-bound geriatric with a secret agenda, that leave a mark on the viewers.

Director Stiles, along with scriptwriter Juliet Snowden, make good use of the Ouija in weaving in the spirit quotient, but they offer nothing exceptional that you may not have seen before.

The film is relatively predictable, but it is the pace of the film that makes it spooky. Just when you get into the groove of the horror genre, the film winds up leaving you craving for more substance.

"Ouija" may appeal to only those getting introduced to the horror genre. Otherwise, it is a disappointment considering it is a Halloween weekend release.