‘Ouija’ & ‘Nightcrawler’ play Halloween trick or treat

WASHINGTON — Halloween has officially arrived — and a pair of creepy flicks lurk at the movie theater.

One is a cheap trick; the other, a haunting treat.

Sometimes it’s best to hear the bad news first.

Let’s start with the trick.

‘Ouija’

“Ouija” won the box office last weekend, grossing $19.9 million, marking the seventh micro-budget horror flick by producer Jason Blum to open in first place.

Buyer beware.

It’s doubtful “Ouija” will becme a multi-week phenomenon like Blum’s “Paranormal Activity” (2007), which grossed $107.9 million and inspired a handful of sequels. It may thrill the 25-and-under crowd that made up 75 percent of its opening weekend audience — boosted by a PG-13 rating — but most adults who have seen their share of suspense will be able to decipher creepy from clich

Jason Fraley

Hailed by The Washington Post for “his savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at WTOP as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up