Oculus
Dir: Mike Flanagan
Starring: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, and Rory
Cochrane
Evoking fear from a mirror, an object used frequently in the
history of horror, and sustaining suspense for the duration of a film is a
difficult undertaking. Director Mike Flanagan, who last helmed the melancholy dramatic
horror film “Absentia”, doesn’t try to make a monster out of a mirror but
instead focuses on a character driven and methodically paced film that crafts a
smart and unsettling story.
The film is based off a short film directed by Flanagan in
2006. The film centers on the sibling relationship of Tim (Brenton Thwaites)
and Kaylie (Karen Gillan), who’s family was torn apart by a madness caused by
an antique mirror known as the Lasser Glass. Tim has just been released from a
mental institute on his 21st birthday and his sister Kaylie is
waiting to pick him up. She has been following the ownership of the mirror for
some time and has devised a plan, that includes a strategic setup of cameras
and timed alarm clocks, for her and Tim to destroy the mirror once and for all.

The performance by cast is quite good. Karen Gillan offers a
steadfast attitude that gives her a confidence that works nicely for her
determination to destroy the mirror. Katee Sackhoff gives one of her better
performances; her spiraling descent into the control of the mirror is chilling
when paired with the despair seen on the faces of children who are losing their
mother.
While “Oculus” may not offer the startling experience seen
in recent horror films, it’s still an intelligent film that executes an
ingenious technique to bring the horrors of a family’s history together for a dark telling.
Monte’s Rating
3.50 out of 5.00
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