Oculus: Chapter 3 - The Man with the Plan

My wife and I were lucky enough to happen upon a showing of this film at the Dragoncon film festival recently. I have been a huge fan of horror films and fiction since I was a young kid, and so did not expect to be remotely frightened by anything in the horror portion of the festival. I was almost right.

Mike Flanagan's outstanding film scared me more than anything that Hollywood has offered in many years. At the end of the 32 minutes that it ran, the audience let out an audible gasp because so many of us were holding out breaths. Any fright film fan will be thrilled to see that there are still truly gifted film makers out there who can scare the Hell out of you.

If you get a chance, see it. And when it becomes available on an anthology, buy it. You won't be disappointed.

This is the short film which director Mike Flanagan made which was a precursor for his 2013 feature film starring Karen Gillan. Once again it is essentially about an antique haunted mirror. Given the short running time and low budget its perhaps not too surprising that this is a pretty minimalistic bit of work, which boils down to one man locking himself in a room set up with recording equipment in order to observe the fateful mirror. It is a bit limited given the basic set-up but Flanagan nevertheless manages to keep this involving enough, with several odd moments and some historical background on the deadly artefact.

PS: I have no idea why this is titled 'chapter 3', as there does not seem to be a chapter 1 or 2 that I am aware of!

I saw this movie at the Dragon*Con 2006 Independent Film Festival. It was awarded 2 awards at that festival and rightfully so. This is probably the best short horror film I've ever seen. The simplicity of camera usage really works.The main character is brilliant. His acting is quite good and is believable. The 3 cameras in the room with Tim Russel make his insanity that much more believable. I love it. I have talked with Mike and he says that they are in the process of making a feature film compassing the first three chapters together. I can't wait. I will be first in line for that film. The effects of the "mirror" creatures are used so well. You don't see them for very long so it scares the pants off of you when you do. I recommend this film to anyone who wants to watch a good horror movie for once. Best 32 minutes of spine tingling horror I've ever seen. Thanks Mike.

Can't rate it as I have only seen the trailer, but it looks phenomenal. I love the minimalism, and that Flanagan doesn't try to do more with effects than his budget allows. He seems to work well within his limitations, rather than trying to stretch beyond them, which might distract the viewer from the atmosphere he intends to create.

I need to find this on DVD, ASAP. Any suggestions?

I went to school with Scotty Graham. Best friend I ever had. When he becomes famous, I'll make him buy my silence on all sorts of drunken childhood exploits the two of us shared. Just kidding about the last part. He was my best man at my wedding. Really happy for him.

What can i say, i love the Twilight Zone style shorts (and i'd say this was akin to that sort of sci-fi /horror) but this has got to be one of the most affecting short films that i've ever seen without it having to lower itself to the reliance of gore and visual explicitness.Simply a gruelling and incredibly paranoid half hour. Shot on an obviously low budget with minimal casting and mininimal locations (i.e. one room) it achieves maximum tension and maximum freakishness without actually being overtly freaky. A completely different viewing experience from what the ordinary filmic audience is used to.The acting was superb from the main character and my only quarm with the entire production is the last few seconds could have been a little more in the same vein and less showy (not in an f/x sense but more in a well,was it him or was it the mirror? Regardless,it's one of the most (not terrifying, but i think psychologically draining would be an accurate summary) nightmarish shorts you're likely to see.Check it out now!!!! A+