Ouijageist Spells Low Budget Love Letter To The Horror Genre: A Review and Interview With Director John R. Walker

Ouijageist is an English film directed by John R. Walker (The Amityville Playhouse) and written by Darrel Buxton and Steve Hardy. Our story centers on single mother India as she moves herself and her young daughter into a new home seeking a fresh start after a bad relationship. It doesn’t take long for ill-fortune to rear its head. India finds a mysterious relic buried in her garden and an unseen, malevolent presence is unleashed on her and her loved ones. Is the tragedy around her mere coincidence or is there something dark lurking behind the walls of her new home? What does her landlord really really know and can a local priest offer reprieve from the sinister forces that loom around every corner?  

Ouijagest is a good effort that moves at a reasonable pace and doesn’t overstay its welcome. At times I felt like I was watching a classic shot-on-video film from the 90s. The acting, sets, and effects were reminiscent of a Todd Jason Cook or Tim Ritter film, and that’s not a bad thing. It brings a certain charm to the screen that’s missing in some modern horror. Do these guys have the budget to make The Conjuring? No, but they have the heart to make something just as good and you can tell they care. The film is well-acted with a few convincing performances for a low budget affair. Lead actress Lois Wilkinson certainly stands out as a concerned single mother with her honest show of emotion and down to earth delivery. 

One of the first things that will strike the viewer about this film is the soundtrack by Liam Ashcroft. I like it a lot, but it’s perhaps a bit too in your face and present during some of the slower scenes. Still, there is competent skill shown in the composition and reverence for classic synth horror soundtracks. In fact, the whole film is wreathed in little details and callbacks to classic horror cinema (there’s even a priest who spouts horror film trivia).

I see a lot of Evil Dead’s influence here, from the framing and camera work of certain shots to the makeup design of the possessed victims. Not to mention a fairly comical scene where India’s ex-boyfriend vomits boiling coffee on her Exorcist style. I won’t deny that there were a few scenes that cracked me up (a severed dog head clocking our protagonist in the face, for instance). I don’t think this can be helped when making a horror film. Even the best have some hilarious moments. 

Despite its missteps, this film makes up for its lack of technical prowess with charm and a high appeal to fans of the genre.

This film gets a 6 out of 10 on the madness meter.

I had the opportunity to speak with director John R. Walker about the film. See what he has to say below.

Nicholas Eidolon: I see a lot of influence from films like Evil Dead in Ouijageist. Would you say that’s accurate? What other films did you look to for influence? 

John Walker: I think Evil Dead is the usual answer from all low budget filmmakers, so yes indeed, but I really liked the claustrophobic ending of the recent remake. The three Witchboard films are pretty much the reason I wanted to do one of my own, plus I dabbled in a little ouija scene for Amityville Playhouse. I love all the films with Catholic priests and nuns in! Amityville Horror, The Exorcist. All classics that have stood the test of time.

NE: You worked with writer Steve Hardy on previous films Amityville Playhouse. Did you work together before that and can we expect to see more from the two of you? What about co-writer Darrel Buxton? 

JW: I'm not actually sure how the whole Steve thing came along. He wrote a final episode for the 70 TV series Timeslip and I liked it so we got together. I did stacks of research on Amityville and had been a lifelong fan of the franchise so I threw EVERYTHING at him and asked him to turn it into a film. I think I tried to put TOO much in there as I think anyone has yet to grasp the backstory. It's not based on the Amityville Horror, but the reason Defeo killed 6 members of his family.

I did enjoy working with Steve. We get each other and aren't afraid to argue our own cases. It was Steve who brought Darrell on board. We actually did work together again on a short film but it's been sitting there unloved for 3 years so I recently gave it to American director Dustin Ferguson who has transformed it into 5G Zombies. I'll be interested to see how he's expanded it. I shot a short monologue scene the other day for him. I set up the set, camera, power, lights, mic, smoke machine, costume, and makeup. Self-isolation film making... I was just gutted when I could see the giant label poking out of the white coat. Oh, well. One day, if we ever actually make any money back we'll do a follow up to either Amityville Playhouse or Ouijageist, but I have so many other ideas to explore.

NE: I find the soundtrack very striking and deliberate in its classic synth tone. Can you talk about working with Liam Ashcroft and what he brought to the film? 

JW: I had seen the film It Follows and I knew Liam’s stuff as we worked together on Cute Little Buggers. I wasn't sure if it would fit my film as I never had it in mind when we shot it. People seem to either love or hate the score but no one can miss it (I love it). 

NE: Perusing IMDB, I noticed some trivia relating that the characters played by Lesley Scoble and the newscaster played by yourself in a director’s cameo have appeared in previously released films. Is this just a bit of fun or is there a cinematic universe in the works? 

JW: If I had the money, I'd make two films a year and, yes, they would all be linked in some minor silly way. Karen (Lesley Scoble) is indeed the same character that was in Amityville Playhouse. That scene in Playhouse with the British flashback is way too long and will be severely cut in the re-release but I was so excited to get such an amazing cast in there that I asked Steve to extend the scene. That was wrong of me but I would like to use all those British characters in films of their own one day. As for newsreader Peter Sommers, He's a newsreader I have played on about 10 films now and just last week I sent a scene off to the director of Amityville Hex.

This is mostly because of my busy lifestyle and lack of funds for another proper feature. I work Monday to Friday at the BBC and have my five-year-old at the weekends (My wife works all weekend) so it’s so tough to find the time to do much of my own stuff. I love acting and directing so I'm able to offer my services to other low budget filmmakers which keeps me happy. I think Peter Sommers has died twice already but he's always back for another film (Do get in touch if you want him in your film anyone.) It all comes down to money, I'm afraid, or I'd be making lots more films. I have so many ideas. I've been trying to shoot The Great British Massacre for about two years now and that just might have to be an anthology if I ever want to complete it.

NE: What projects can we be on the lookout for from you in the future? 

JW: Well as mentioned, our short film called The Coriolis Effect has been given to Dustin to become 5G zombies, which he releases on May 1st from SCS Entertainment and Peter Sommers will appear in something somewhere. But no actual features just yet. I'm on Facebook if anyone ever wants to chat. Get in touch and I do hope you enjoy Ouijageist. Its low budget but, carefully made with LOTS of love for the film and the genre.

Ouijageist is available now through digital platforms and on DVD from Wild Eye Releasing.

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