Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
A new supernatural horror film based on the dangers of contacting spirits through a Ouija board opens tomorrow. AMC Theaters is giving away free Ouija boards to the first 100 people to buy tickets.
“This week the spooky, supernatural thriller OUIJA hits AMCs everywhere and we have 100 Ouija boards to give away to some very ‘lucky’ people,” the contest site declares.
“Lucky” is not exactly the adjective I would use to describe the winners. And after seeing the trailer, which appears to be quite candid about the dark and murderous spirits that can be summoned with a Ouija board, we can only hope the “winners” will think twice before playing with their new “game”.
Ouija was directed by Stiles White and produced by Platinum Dunes (the same people who brought us that All-American slasher, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is based on the story of a girl who is killed by a dark spirit in a tragic accident. A group of her close teenage friends attempt to contact her through a Ouija board. Instead, they conjure murderous spirits that begin to haunt and torment them with all kinds of gory manifestations.
I was amazed to read how accurately the movie reviews depict the central plot of this movie, stating that it’s about a bunch of teens who realize “that the Ouija board is not just a game; it’s real life.”
They got that right!
Anyone with even a fundamental knowledge of the occult knows that nothing good ever comes out of a Ouija board. In fact, exorcists from around the world say that some of the toughest cases of possession begin with the use of this board.
One of the most famous cases of demonic possession, that of a young boy named “Robbie”, (not his real name) was depicted in the movie, The Exorcist. Robbie’s troubles all began when he tried to contact a favorite aunt after her sudden death with the Ouija board they used to “play” with when she was alive. It seemed to work, but then Robbie’s personality began to change and their home became infested with poltergeist activity. From there, it all spiraled downward until Robbie was laying in a hospital ward surrounded by baffled doctors who finally declared him to be a case of authentic demonic possession. He was successfully exorcised on Easter Monday, 1949.
But the dangers of the board aren’t just coming from religious-minded folks. Consider the work of Ralph Sarchie, a New York City policeman from the 46th precinct in South Bronx who became an expert in demonology after investigating cases concerning witches and Satanists. He’s the first one to say that “innocent” board games like the Ouija board are one of the biggest dangers of the occult.
“There ought to be a law against these evil, occult `toys,’” he writes in his book, Beware the Night. “I can hear some of you out there saying, ‘Hey, I used a Ouija board and nothing happened.’ Consider yourself lucky, then. It’s like playing Russian roulette. When you put the gun to your head, if you don’t hear a loud noise, you made it. Same thing with the board: The more times you pull the trigger, the more likely that on the next shot, your entire world will go black.”
It was very interesting to read the comments posted on the AMC contest site with some folks insisting that the Ouija is just a game while others warn them to stay away.
For example, one person who identified as a “Wiccan” wrote: “Please remember the Ouija is not a toy. Some people should not even use or attempt to use one. You can actually summon spirits through them. And spirits will lie. They may act nice at first but they can become very very evil and do demented things. They can and will harm you and others if they get out. They are smarter than you think. And remember, don’t use it alone when you are most vulnerable.”
Others scoff at such a view and exhibit the dangerously distorted notion that things are only real if you believe they are. “Things are only given power, if you believe in it,” one commenter wrote. “You bring it alive, other than that it’s just a . . . board.”
Another commenter stated my feelings about this contest very succinctly. ” . . . This give away is the worst thing ever done. You may as well cut out the middle man and raise the demons from hell. This is nothing but trouble.”
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