10 Best Horror Movie Prequels

10. Ouija: Origin Of Evil

On paper, 2014's Ouija had plenty going for it; the promise of spooky Ouija board action, a screenplay from The Possession's Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, a headline role for the always-impressive Olivia Cooke of Bates Motel fame, and a pivotal part for major genre fave Lin Shaye.

Sadly, the film turned out to be a stinker.

Given the response to Ouija, demand for a follow-up was minimal. To the surprise of many, not only did we get a follow-up, but that follow-up was actually good. And of course, said follow-up was a prequel effort.

Hot off winning plaudits for Oculus and Hush, it was Mike Flanagan - who would later go on to impress with Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, and The Haunting of Bly Manor - in the director's chair for 2016's Ouija: Origin of Evil.

Pulling clear inspiration from the likes of The Exorcist and The Changeling, Origin of Evil is a more nuanced, thoughtful picture than its predecessor. Exploring Shaye's Paulina as a 15-year-old girl in a 1960s setting, we see Lina, her sister Doris and their mother Alice embark on Ouija shenanigans that take over their house - leaving Doris and Alice dead, and Lina in the institutionalised state shown in the first movie.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

First Posted On: 20th Jul 2021

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Horror