If you had told us that a movie based on a Ouija Board was going to be made a few years ago, we’d have said, “Hey, it already was a movie. It’s called Witchboard. We’re sure the remake rights are cheap.” But apparently cheap wasn’t what Universal had in mind. The studio that’s bringing you a big summer blockbuster based on the board game Battleship had McG all signed up to direct a major tentpole release of Ouija last year, until somebody apparently pointed out, “Wait, we’re spending $100 million on Ouija?! Are we out of our minds?!” and dropped the film entirely back in August. Today, however, Universal has decided to bring the project back to life, with a lower budget than the typical romantic comedy.
Deadline reports that this new production of Ouija will have a budget of just $5 million, more on par with micro-budget successes like Insidious, a film which actually cost much less than that. The Insidious comparison is particularly fitting, since Universal has brought on that film’s producer, Jason Blum, who also produces the Paranormal Activity franchise, for Ouija. Also involved is Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes, the production company that brought you the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Nightmare on Elm Street remakes. Presumably, with these folks at the reins, we can expect a darker Ouija film than McG was planning with an exponentially larger budget.
Or maybe not: it’s based on a toy company’s product after all. Transformers probably moves action figures off the shelves, but do kids really want to buy a toy that scares the crap out of them? Well, actually they probably do. More importantly, do parents want to buy a toy for their kids that promises to give them nightmares?
CraveOnline will be back with more Ouija news after we ask who Debbie’s date to the prom will be.
