Oculus - A Movie Review

Don’t trust the image that you see in the mirror. It’s evil.

Released to theaters in 2013, Oculus is a film about two siblings returning to the nightmares of their childhood home. Determined to investigate the terrors behind an old mirror, they have to work hard. Because this mirror is known to play dark tricks, they have to watch their every move.

Oculus is so well-made that it even plays with your mind. Effectively making you feel the terror, the film presents a new horror. Never trust everything you see in Oculus in your fight to beat the evil.

Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites established their sibling dynamic. Both affected by the past, the two have contrasting opinions about the situation. They shared sweet and tender moments, while also arguing to prove points. Every interaction that they share is the core of the film.

Gillan was a powerhouse. Kalie is persistent to prove that the mirror is evil. She had sharp delivery. Gillan was great in her ominous looks of terror, along with one reaction which made me feel the pain. I’m impressed with Kalie’s in-depth research and determination.

Annalise Basso and Garrett Ryan were outstanding as the younger versions of Kalie and Tim. The kids never stop in all the chaos, trying to get to the bottom of everything. This is what all films need to do with kids instead of making them helpless.

As their parents, Katee Sackoff and Rory Cochrane were excellent. Channeling sinister behaviors, they were terrific in their performances. Most of their scenes were difficult, but the way they embraced the effective dynamic in their scenes sold their performances.

From the instant it starts, Oculus has an ominous tone. It makes you feel paranoid. The film has good use of build-up as we slowly find out what happened in the past. At first, I thought the splits between flashbacks and the present day were going to be a distraction. Turn out, I was wrong. Flashback scenes were italicized in the script.

You can never go wrong with a Mike Flanagan film. Right off the bat, Flanagan’s signature camera angles are brought to attention. I like the way the camera followed characters from behind. Prologoned shots, focusing on one image in a wide space, and quick edits were superb.

Most importantly, Flanagan did a terrific job in the direction of the story. I’m glad that he decided against making it as a found footage type film. Since we have already seen these stories played out in this format, it would have been too distracting from the story.

Flanagan gets inside your mind. Due to the way the film is set up, it was hard to trust anything. How do you know if you’re outside when you really could be pacing around inside? Did you pick up an apple or something else in that shape? And are you really the only person in the room? That’s the horror.

The house that was picked for the events was nice - but not a place I’d call home. Aside from locations, the makeup was startling. Be prepared to witness creepy ghosts.

Oculus is an original story. Flanagan has become one of my favorite directors of the horror genre. Although I will note that he tends to use the same horror cliches and storylines in most of his films. I would like to see a contrasting storyline in any of his upcoming projects.

You have to check out Oculus. It’s a favorite on Stephen King’s list of horror films. It is a fresh story that keeps you guessing until the end.