Oculus: Chapter 3 - The Man with the Plan (Short 2006)

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+

unity9
Jun 9, 2009
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Did you know

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Trivia
The third chapter in a planned anthology about the sinister Lasser Glass, "The Man With the Plan" is actually the first installment to be filmed. Of the nine possible chapters to shoot, Mike Flanagan and Jeff Seidman opted for this one purely because of budgetary constraints - the single character/single location nature of this chapter made it ideal. This chapter also gives the viewer a detailed history of the mirror itself, which the filmmakers wanted to include in their first film so that the other chapters would have the proper context.

Goofs
Boom mic and operator visible in Scott Graham's glasses during the entire "history" section of the film.

Quotes
Tim Russel: I have met my demons and they are many... I have seen the devil and he is me.

Alternate versions
Early versions of the film featured an alternate ending in which Tim's friend Steve (Dave Levine) comes to see him after Tim stops answering his calls. Steve finds Tim near death, sitting in front of the mirror, the entire room in shambles around him. The video equipment is destroyed. Steve glances into the mirror and sees Tim's "father" perched over him, draining the life from him. Tim falls dead, Steve stumbles back in shock, and then becomes enchanted by the mirror. The earliest versions of this ending had Tim's dead body sit up and attack Steve, the later versions just left Steve staring into the glass, transfixed.