Most mainstream Hollywood horror movies rarely get it right with regards to the level of story they’re trying convey or written for the screen. I've seen too many horror films that try to squeeze in way too much in a 90 minute movie. Oculus is the exception to that opinion.
Tim (Brenton Thwaites) is being released from a mental institution due to a childhood trauma he suffered many years earlier; he's met outside by his sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan) who has been preparing all her adult life for a showdown with the mirror.
Kaylie has gone to the extreme to prepare her and Tim's attempt in
destroying the mirror forever. She has an entire lab setup in the house
with cameras, timers and a failsafe object set to destroy the mirror in the
event neither of them is available to reset the trap once every hour. The
mirror has the ability to make anyone within a certain distance of it to
hallucinate. So all the while Tim and Kaylie can't be sure what they’re
seeing or much less doing is reality.
The directors ability to keep us on track throughout the story as the
characters are re-living childhood events while they are experiencing them
again in the present was a pleasure to watch unfold. This could have easily
turned out messy but Mike Flanagan does a masterful job of keeping the story
organized. It would have been easy to derail the train if they weren't
cautiousI really enjoyed the intersection between what the children were experiencing and what they are seeing as adults in the same location. It’s very difficult to put into words how the story flows from childhood and back to what the adults are experiencing, I have to admit I’ve never watched anything quite like it.
If you’re tired of the same old blood bath and want to enjoy a fresh new suspense filled movie Oculus will not disappoint.
