OCULUS
Oculus was directed by Mike Flanagan (Absentia) and released to DVD and VOD August 5, 2014.
The story centers around the Russell family of four and moves back and forth between two decades. The family moves into a new home. When they do, they buy an antique mirror which is placed in the father’s office. A tragedy befalls the family and as a result the young son, Tim, is convicted of murder. Ten years later when he is released his sister Kaylie sets out to prove the mirror is responsible for the murder her brother was arrested for as well as many others deaths dating back to the 1700s.
I won’t go further. I don’t do spoilers. I was skeptical about this film as I did not care for Absentia at all . However, I was pleasantly surprised. It seems Mr. Flanagan is improving as a director. I call it an Amityville/Poltergeist hybrid with a dash of Nightmare On Elm Street.
I enjoyed this film and cared about the characters. Kaylie reminded me of Nightmare’s Nancy with her plot to foil and destroy the mirror. I was often left wondering what was real and what was supposed to be in the imagination of the characters.
Maybe the film is supposed to be about a haunted mirror — but is it haunted or are all these people the victims of their own choices or bad luck? In my opinion the viewer is left to make that decision and I didn’t mind that. I think the director tried to do that same thing in Absentia. He was more successful in Oculus. While I wasn’t frightened by this movie, I was genuinely creeped out at times. If you are looking for tons of gore, action and nudity this isn’t the film for you. It was more of a slow burn.
I am a fan of Katee Sackhoff who has been building her Scream Queen resume since she appeared in Halloween Resurrection in 2002. Katee played Marie Russell, the mother. I loved her performance the most. In my opinion, the ending was bleak and I didn’t see it coming. Overall, I was impressed with the film and am curious to see what the irector will do next. If you like paranormal horror, this one is worth a shot!
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