Ouija Shark is one of those titles that is as upfront as possible. Everything a potential viewer needs to know about the movie is right there in the title. It is obviously not taking itself seriously, is presumably low budget, and is about a shark summoned from a spirit board. You are either already entirely onboard or were turned off before this paragraph even wrapped up. The question then is, does Ouija Shark deliver on its promise of fun?
Jill (Steph Goodwin) is frolicking amongst the waves when she discovers a wooden spirit board has washed onto the shore. Intrigued, she decides to take it with her to her friend’s house party for the weekend. After the grilling hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner that first night at Kim’s (Robin Hodge), said friend, Jill, busts out the Ouija board. Those two, and the others, decide to try it out.
In doing so, they summon the malevolent spirit of a shark who hungers for human flesh. The friends quickly learn how dangerous playing with the supernatural can be. Now, they must find out how to defeat the ghostly creature as a pile of bodies lies in its path.
Ouija Shark was directed by Canadian low-budget guru Brett Kelly, using the pseudonym Scott Patrick. He has used the alternate name some five times starting in 2010, but most of his movies have his proper name attached. No matter the name used, the directing is perfectly adequate. Kelly has proven his more stylistic flair in other titles but does a decent job of getting from point A to B with extremely limited resources.
“…Jill busts out the Ouija board…they summon the malevolent spirit of a shark who hungers for human flesh.”
Look, the acting is goofy and not always the most believable, but everyone is aiming for that sweet spot of so bad, it’s good fun and mostly delivers. The dialogue ranges from eye-rolling to pretty funny, such as this exchange of two victims: “Is it a ghost, or is it a shark?” “I think it’s a ghost shark.” Low hanging fruit to be sure, but it is still a funny line.
And that is the best way of explaining the low-key charms to be found here. Either you’ll be delighted by the goofy look of the shark hand puppet, or you’ll think it looks so fake as to take you out of the movie. If you are of the former mindset, then congratulations, Ouija Shark is for you.
But that is not to say the film is not with any issues beyond that of budgetary and intentional silliness. Even at 70-minutes long, including credits, Ouija Shark is padded out. One of the friends wants to instantly go into the pool upon arriving at Kim’s. However, she gets waylaid into helping her neighbor wash his car. The introduction of the neighbor is poorly edited, and it is an unnecessary diversion. The few minutes spent cutting back to them, should have been spent fleshing out everyone’s relationships.
And not enough is made of Jill’s dad. Extending the movie to even just 80-minutes would have been made this more than just a lark. But, a perfect way to kill an hour it is, and you’ll have fun if you know what you are getting into. If so, Ouija Shark offers small charms, but that is better none at all.
"…either you’ll be delighted by the goofy look of the shark hand puppet, or you’ll think it looks so fake as to take you out of the movie."
