So you want to get a good scare?

Topel Lee started as a short filmmaker and in December 2006, he eventually got into mainstream cinema via one of the episodes — Yaya — in Shake, Rattle & Roll.

Yaya was impressive — about a nanny literally  from hell because she turned out to be an aswang (played by Iza Calzado). It had a lot of scenes that were truly scary and it helped that the actors playing the principal characters turned in excellent performances: Calzado and child star Nash Aguas, who played her ward.

Now that Lee has finally made his first full-length movie — Ouija — it doesn’t come as a surprise at all that the film product he churned out is way above average and was, in fact, graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB).

Partly set in beautiful Camiguin, Ouija traces the misfortunes that trail half sisters Judy Ann Santos and Jolina Magdangal and their cousins Iza and Rhian Ramos after playing spirit of the glass and accidentally destroying the ouija board in the process. Terror hounds them from then on as they  battle an evil spirit that tries to annihilate them and succeeds in killing a whole lot of the people associated with these women.

Like most local horror films we have today, Ouija also derives inspiration from foreign scream flicks. In fact, with the young girl there haunting the characters, Ouija in some parts is like The Grudge Goes to Camiguin. But in spite of these derivative scenes, there is a whole lot to appreciate about Ouija.

The film has a good narrative to begin with and is careful about not leaving loopholes along the way of its storytellling. Fleshing out the lead characters in the film are four of the most glamorous women in Philippine entertainment, who prove in Ouija that they are not just pretty faces, but endowed with acting skills as well.

Ouija may not be a drama movie, but it has some dramatic points that utilize the great acting talent of Judy Ann. She may not look sad here all the time, but moviegoers at least get to see her acting scared. And you know what? She’s also good at looking frightened. This only proves that an actor/actress, if he/she is really talented would excel anywhere you put him/her. Judy Ann is one of the few in the acting profession who can do this.

On the technical side, Ouija scores very  high points once more, especially with the music and cinematography that make the film the glossiest local horror movie ever made. (The underwater scenes showing the sunken cemetery are spectacular and breathtaking.) The production design, however, is a little problematic because the supposed ancestral home of the grandmother, Anita Linda, apparently was embellished with fancy antique reproductions that obviously were smoked just yesterday to look old.

Ouija is also a winner when it comes to fright scenes, which is the most crucial because this is a horror film. For those who easily get scared, there are scenes here that you may have to see through your five fingers. It actually helps that the special effects are seamless.

Ouija in its narrative also imparts some lessons in life — especially about treading into the realm of the unknown (the women in the story not knowing what they were getting into when they played spirit of the glass). But this much you should know: If you want a good scare, Ouija is definitely the horror flick for you.