REVIEW: Oculus

Review by - SILENT-P.

At first glance this haunting movie seems a bit average. The premise revolves around a haunted mirror which manipulates people into killing each other, which is reminiscent of Amityville and The Messengers but on a smaller scale. However, the trailer looked interesting so I thought I’d give this a watch, if only to have an opinion of my own.

A cryptic opening scene immediately immerses you in the plot with plenty of action along the way. We’re given half of the back story to the movie but with enough questions to make what follows compelling. We cut to the present day and find Tim Russell (Brenton -Thwaites) being released from a secure hospital for the mentally ill after serving time for the murder of his own father, who in turn had tortured and killed their mother.

Meeting up with his sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan) we soon discover that what really happened on the night of their parents death is very much open to interpretation. Kaylie, who has had to recover from these horrific events without professional intervention, has spent years researching the creepy mirror from their father’s study, which not only spooked them as kids but also seemed to arrive in the house just as things started to get unpleasant. Not only has Kaylie compiled an extensive dossier on its grim history, but she has also tracked it down and installed it in their parent’s old home with a view to destroying it with her brother once and for all.

Beyond the opening scene, Oculus is quite a slow burn for the first act. Kaylie and Tim bicker about the facts of their childhood without much else occurring. Even Kaylie’s elaborate digital monitoring set up is dry, as she meticulously explains her methods and theories.

However, this only serves to deliver the first big shock of the movie like a slap in the face. And once the haunting has begun there’s no stopping it. Twist after twist, red herrings and contradictory explanations abound as the alleged haunted mirror causes the siblings to fathom whether one of them is responsible or if there is a supernatural presence involved.

The plot to Oculus is very slick, and is, in fact, two Tales weaved elegantly together. It’s a great take on a haunting story, but the excruciating thriller back story, brought out in flashbacks and alternate retellings, is compelling enough to keep you watching. The main story is played out largely as a dialogue between brother and sister. The script is a little-forced at times but still has an authenticity as they have had no contact for many years.

Gillan is powerfully driven and stubborn as Kaylie in the face of her brother’s pragmatic approach to the original crimes, and despite her wavering accent absolutely steals the show, right up to the brutally shocking crescendo.
Some slower moments and the aforementioned need for Kaylie to constantly revert to a calculated presentation of large plot details are necessary mechanisms but are risky drop out points which could lose viewers before the meat of the story kicks in. But it’s definitely worth sticking with, as the story wraps you into a false sense of security and then bludgeons you into submission in one mighty blow.

My only hope is that Oculus ends here. Director Mike Flanagan has made some other shorts around Oculus, but this movie could really benefit from being a single volume. There’s a worrying openness to the end which could be exploited for a series of James Wan-esque sequels, but if left well alone means that Oculus resonates as an eerie new horror story whose remaining questions will haunt the viewer as much as a creepy old antique mirror.

Review By Silent-P

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