Oculus

This was really not that bad for a horror movie. The whole mirror monster sort of thing has been done before but what made this movie refreshing to me was the complete mind trip that was going on throughout the movie. I spent more than like 3/4ths of the movie utterly confused yet it made sense by the end. It was all over the place but slowly, I was able to piece things together. I personally thought it had the right amount of horror that it was actually able to make me jump at some parts without being too cringe worthy like most horror films are. Also, I was impressed with what was done despite the simplicity of the film. Tons of thrills, tons of fun. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this.

21 year old Tim Russell is released from a mental institution.That same week his older sister is able to get a few days alone with the Lesser mirror. Kaylie, the sister, decides to take the mirror back to their old house, where unspeakable horrors unfolded during their childhood shortly after they moved to the back-then-new-house, and their father bought the infamous mirror. Kaylie is convinced the mirror is haunted: the mirror being some sort of evil supernatural being. Tim, on the other hand, has grown completely skeptic about the supernatural aspect of the mirror, believing his sister only holds on to that notion simply to have a way to cope with the horrific events of their childhood. Needless to say, the mirror does seem haunted, and as the night progresses for the adult siblings, the door to those memories open up, revealing more and more those events which both are trying to move on from; albeit in very different ways. These two timelines (their childhood and their present-day adult selves) unfold in a parallel manner, with the ending of the film culminating the two timelines' climaxes together.

One of the things the film gets right is the acting. Both Karen Gillian and Brenton Thwaites do a very decent job in portraying the adult version of the siblings. Their children counterparts also do an impressive work in portraying two small, terrified brother and sister with no one to turn to for help, slowly accepting the fact that they are both alone against the mirror.

The second good thing about it is the staging of the story. Although the concept is nothing new or original, the execution of such concept is both new and original. This injects a healthy dose of re-freshens and also a decent amount of unexpectedness to the film. Both helping in making this horror film one in which the audiences are actually engaged and interested in what will happen next, and at the same time they can have fun in the direction the story advances to.

A neutral element in it is the way they decided to unfold both story-lines (past and present). Like mentioned above, both of them move forward hand-in-hand, with various parallels presenting themselves in the way of flashbacks from both siblings. While this works wonderfully in the first half of the film, the second half of it loses a good chunk of the excitement which this sort of narrative added to the first half. That is not to say however, that it hurts it, but by the ending it just feels it needed to continue this way to explain what had happened, rather than using it to strengthen the present events.

More personally speaking, the ending felt rather frustrating and just almost unimaginative. While the final events fit into the pattern of what the mirror does, it feels like it should have had a more surprising ending due to the excellent build-up the film provides in the first two-thirds. The moment when the final twist happens, it is shocking, with everything falling into place seconds later, only to add more shock to what happens. However, moments later the feeling of shock is quickly replaced by one of been-there-done-that, leaving the audience feeling that there should have been more to it, rather than it being so simple and straight-forward.

If you are expecting an explanation for what the mirror really is, what entity it holds, or how it came to be, you will be disappointed. If you are rather more interested in the how (instead of the why's or what's of the mirror) you will feel more satisfied. The focus of the film is in tricking its characters, and along with them the audience as well. The story is very effective in messing with one's psyche, making one actually wonder what is actually happening to the characters, and what is fake and just a product of the mirror.

Overall, adjust your expectations into knowing that this film is good, but it does not redefine the genre in the slightest. It does feel refreshing, but other than in its execution, there is nothing new to see here. The movie is fun and unexpected (something very few recent horror movies can say), so with everything else, it is definitely an enjoyable ride as a whole.

When her younger brother is finally released from a psychiatric facility years after his conviction for the murder of their parents, a woman seeks to prove the existence of the malignant and supernatural force she believes actually responsible. Conveniently, the locale of said force is a mirror and therefore easily transportable back to the family home-come-erstwhile crime scene.

Playing out less like the haunted house story one might expect from the outline above, this interesting take on psychological horror initially subverts expectations by presenting us with a brave and capable heroine with a well thought out (though necessarily flawed) plan. Writer and Director Mark Flanagan who later made the derivative and lacklustre Hush (2016)* and valiantly attempted the 'unfilmable' Stephen King adaptation Gerald's Game (2017), has made female protagonists with agency a feature of his work.**

There is some real artistry in the way Oculus employs the storytelling technique of constantly shifting between flashback and present day. Over and above using this device as a clever short cut to character development, it is in the moments where past and present seemingly overlap that the viewer receives the most vivid portrayal of the characters' fraying mental state.

Yet it is perhaps these intriguing elements which become the film's worst enemy. In allowing these glimpses into the mind of the characters, there are hints of a rich vein of storytelling left unplundered and therefore 'setup' without payoff. Rather than leaving us wanting more, the untapped potential of Oculus has the unintended effect of relegating it toward mediocrity.

Oculus is not without gore nor jump scares and most fans of the horror genre will therefore find it serviceable. Yet in setting up something truly unique and promising a subversion of the genre, there is the abiding feeling that the film lacks the courage of its convictions.

* Specifically derivative of the excellent Wait Until Dark (1967). ** Deaf and Mute or handcuffed to a bed though they may be.

Convincing horror effortlessly weaves together past, present, truth, & perception. Makes you question what you're witnessing while remaining completely believable. Twisted & unsettling, it's also cinematic proof redheads are crazy.

#nitrosMovieChallenge.

Far more than a tale of supernatural horror, "Oculus" explores the fundamental terror of not being able to trust one's own mind. Newly released from mental institution incarceration, a young man is swept along by his sister to confront the demon in the mirror to shattering results. Too often, an evil force is described as unbeatable, and then easily beat. Not so here...

As ends go, this one goes dark-perhaps to realism within the rules of the world, but unsatisfying to those wishing for any kind of redeeming factor.

Other points dissatisfy, such as the amount of dialogue the actors have to say as quickly as they can, particularly Kaylie. And then Kaylie's odd face-framing bangs and her extension ponytail.

Overall though, a terrifying experience. If you'd like to watch a movie by this director Mike Flanagan that does balance a sense of consequence as well as victory, watch "Doctor Sleep" based on Stephen King's sequel his classic story The Shining.