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Oculus

Oculus

Movie
Director(s): 
Genre: 
In Theatres: 
Apr 11, 2014
Grade:
B
Running Time: 
1 Hour, 45 Minutes

Every once in a while a horror film attempts to defy the odds with a plot that isn’t drowning in overused clichés or predictable scare tactics. Oculus delivers an original and ingeniously crafted story that despite not being all that scary will still have you on the edge of your seats.

Eleven years ago Tim (Brenton Thwaites) and his sister Kaylie (Karen Gillian) watched their father murder their mother after becoming influenced by an evil spirit that possesses an antique mirror they purchased. After spending the past decade in a metal hospital dealing with the tragedy after he had to kill his own father in self-defense and the supernatural nightmare that has haunted him, Tim is finally cleared for release. Waiting for him on the outside is Kaylie, who has a plan to destroy the mirror that tore their family apart.

Oculus seamlessly moves back and forth between the events of the past and present as Tim and Kaylie enact their plan to rid of the world of this evil entity. The film’s focus revolves around seeing what is and isn’t there as the mirror’s main tactic at getting what it wants is by showing people what they want to see. It’s all about mind games, for both the characters and the audience, as the story moves from one viewpoint to another. Nothing is ever what it seems and that’s precisely what I like about the film.

Oculus doesn’t follow the conventional horror tropes that we’ve become accustomed to. The supernatural entity is smart and takes pleasure in toying with Tim and Kaylie, as evident when it tricks Kaylie by switching an apple for a light bulb. I’ll let you put two and two together. The brother and sister duo aren’t stupid, either. Kaylie has everything planned out to the smallest detail such as when they should drink and eat, and even has a failsafe that triggers every half hour. Still, it’s always the entity that ends up one step ahead.

That being said, Oculus is far more psychological than it is actually scary. There are only a handful of truly frightening moments in the film, and it can be somewhat boring for those who are just looking for a good scream and don’t care all that much about the story. For everyone else, however, Oculus delivers a refreshing take on the horror genre that is sure to make you question what is and isn’t real.

Matt Rodriguez
Review by Matt Rodriguez
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