The internet has a weirdly long memory for things that go bump in the night. If you were scrolling through YouTube or checking out movie blogs around 2016, you probably remember the absolute flood of hype surrounding the trailer for Ouija 2—officially titled Ouija: Origin of Evil. It was a strange moment for horror fans. Most of us had pretty much written off the franchise after the first movie in 2014, which, let’s be honest, wasn't exactly a masterpiece. Then this trailer dropped. It looked different. It felt different. It actually looked... good?
The Hook That Changed the Game
Most horror sequels try to go bigger, louder, and more expensive. This one went backward. Literally. Setting the story in 1967 Los Angeles was a stroke of genius by Mike Flanagan, the director who eventually gave us The Haunting of Hill House. When that first trailer for Ouija 2 hit screens, it didn't lean on the typical jump scares that plagued the first film. Instead, it leaned into the aesthetic of the 60s.
You saw the grainy film stock. You saw the "cigarette burns" in the corner of the frame—those little circles that signaled a reel change in old theaters. It felt authentic. It felt like a movie that actually cared about the craft of horror rather than just selling plastic board games to teenagers.
The central image of the trailer—young Lulu Wilson as Doris, sitting in bed and explaining in horrifyingly calm detail what it feels like to be strangled to death—became an instant viral hit. "Do you know what it feels like to be strangled?" she asks. It’s a terrifyingly long take for a trailer. It breaks the usual rapid-fire editing rules. That’s why people kept sharing it.
Why This Specific Trailer Worked When Others Failed
Marketing a sequel to a panned movie is a nightmare. Universal Pictures and Blumhouse had a massive hurdle: convincing people that Origin of Evil wasn't just another cash grab. They did this by showcasing the practical effects.
In the trailer for Ouija 2, there’s a shot of Doris’s mouth stretching open to an impossible, cavernous size. Nowadays, that's almost always cheap CGI. But Flanagan and his team used a mix of physical prosthetics and clever lighting that made it look visceral.
- The Period Piece Factor: By grounding the scares in a 1960s suburban home, the trailer tapped into a specific kind of The Conjuring-style dread.
- The Sound Design: Instead of just loud "BAM" noises, the trailer used a distorted, eerie version of classic 60s pop vibes and the rhythmic clicking of the planchette.
- The "Flanagan" Touch: Even before he was a household name for horror buffs, his style of keeping "ghosts" in the background of shots was present here.
If you watch the trailer closely, you’ll notice the shadows in the Zander household aren't just empty space. There’s a constant sense of being watched. That’s what elevated the hype. It wasn't just about a board game anymore; it was about a broken family being hunted by something they didn't understand.
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Breaking Down the Visual Language of the Ouija 2 Trailer
Let's talk about the planchette. In the first movie’s marketing, it was treated like a magical HUD or a lens. In the trailer for Ouija 2, it’s a portal to something rotting. There is a specific shot where Doris looks through the eye of the planchette and sees a tall, spindly figure that isn't there in real time.
This is a classic "reveal" mechanic, but the trailer paced it perfectly. It built tension. It didn't give away the ending. Honestly, so many trailers today ruin the third act by showing the "big monster." This trailer kept the entity, Marcus, mostly in the periphery or under the floorboards.
The casting was the secret sauce. Elizabeth Reaser, who most people knew from Twilight, brought a grounded, grieving energy to the footage. But Lulu Wilson stole every single frame. Seeing a child do a wall-crawl—not with Exorcist speed, but with a slow, deliberate, "something is wrong with her bones" movement—stuck with people. It’s the kind of imagery that stays in your head when you’re trying to go to sleep.
The Cultural Impact of the "Origin of Evil" Marketing
It’s rare for a sequel’s marketing campaign to actually improve the reputation of the original, but that’s basically what happened here. The trailer for Ouija 2 was so effective that it forced critics to re-evaluate the franchise.
When the film eventually released to a 83% on Rotten Tomatoes (a massive jump from the first film’s 6%), many traced that success back to the tonal shift established in the first teaser. It proved that the "Ouija" brand didn't have to be cheesy. It could be sophisticated.
The trailer also leaned heavily into the "Rules of the Game."
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- Never play alone.
- Never play in a graveyard.
- Always say goodbye.
By framing the trailer around these broken rules, the marketing team gave the audience a roadmap of exactly how the characters were screwing up. It creates a "No, don't do that!" reaction in the viewer, which is the gold standard for engagement.
What Most People Miss When Rewatching the Footage
If you go back and look at the trailer for Ouija 2 today, there are details that hint at the much darker ending of the film that most viewers ignored at the time. Look at the way the basement is lit. It’s not just dark; it’s oppressive. The trailer subtly shows the history of the house—the Polish doctor who performed experiments—without explicitly stating it through boring exposition.
The use of "The Twist" in the trailer is also masterful. You see Doris becoming the vessel, but you don't realize the mother is the one who inadvertently invited the evil in by faking the séances. The trailer presents her as a victim, but the movie reveals her as the catalyst. That’s smart editing. It subverts expectations while still delivering the "greatest hits" of horror imagery.
Practical Insights for Horror Fans and Creators
If you're looking at the trailer for Ouija 2 as a study in film marketing or just as a fan of the genre, there are a few things to take away.
First, atmosphere beats jump scares every time. The most effective parts of that trailer are the quiet moments where something is just off in the background.
Second, the "Creepy Kid" trope only works if the kid can actually act. Lulu Wilson's performance in the trailer alone was enough to carry the entire marketing cycle.
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Third, don't be afraid of the "Retro" look. The 1967 setting gave the film a texture that felt more permanent and "heavy" than the slick, digital look of the 2014 original.
How to Find the Best Version of the Trailer Today
To get the full effect, you shouldn't just watch a low-res re-upload. Look for the "Official Teaser Trailer" on the Universal Pictures or Blumhouse YouTube channels. Check the comments from ten years ago—you can see the exact moment the collective internet went from "Why are they making another one?" to "Wait, this actually looks terrifying."
If you’re a collector, sometimes the physical Blu-ray releases of Origin of Evil include the teaser and theatrical trailers with commentary or behind-the-scenes breakdowns of how they achieved the Doris "neck snap" and "mouth stretch" effects without relying solely on a computer.
The trailer for Ouija 2 stands as a masterclass in how to save a dying brand. It took a property that was a joke and turned it into a serious contender in the mid-2010s horror boom. It’s the reason we now expect more from Hasbro-based movies. It’s the reason Mike Flanagan is a household name. And it’s still one of the best-constructed two minutes of horror marketing in the last twenty years.
To truly appreciate the craft, watch it back-to-back with the trailer for the first movie. You’ll see the difference between a studio trying to sell a toy and a filmmaker trying to tell a ghost story. The lighting is colder. The stakes feel more personal. The silence is louder.
Final Steps for Horror Buffs
For those looking to dive deeper into the world of Mike Flanagan or the Ouija lore, your next move is clear. Skip the first movie if you haven't seen it; you don't need it. Go straight to Ouija: Origin of Evil. Watch it on a dark night with a good sound system. Pay attention to the background of the shots, specifically in the hallways.
Check out the "making of" featurettes to see how they used a "squib" and wirework for the stunts instead of CGI. It’ll make you appreciate the trailer for Ouija 2 even more when you realize the girl actually did most of those contortions herself. Horror is always better when it feels like something that could actually happen in your own living room, and this trailer nailed that feeling perfectly.