Small news curiosity though this may be, the news that board-game movie Ouija once again lives at Universal is indicative of a trend that will most certainly continue to grow in Hollywood. What has brought back the massive blockbuster licensing project that just last year Universal was willing to take a $5m penalty hit to get rid of? You need only look to the rise of the low-budget horror flicks like Insidious and Paranormal Activity of course.

The project lives again because, reportedly, Paranormal Activity producer Jason Blumhouse’s production company has — through its first-look deal with the studio — shown interest in retooling the Hasbro-licensed project as a low-budget thriller. Now instead of paying a $5m penalty, Universal will apparently get a whole film for the same price!

Whether this will be another “found footage” film is unclear, but it’s exceptionally easy to picture such a film in one’s mind complete with the scene of the kids aiming at a camcorder at their game, and one getting snatched into the darkness with the other not noticing. If that’s the case or not, I’d say it’s a safe assumption that no “Jumanji-style action” will be showing up in this flick.

Source | Deadline