Oculus
3/4
Starring: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, Annalisse Basso, Garrett Ryan, James Lafferty, Miguel Sandoval
Rated R for Terror, Violence, Some Disturbing Images and Brief Langauge
"Oculus" is an ambitious little horror film, that may not succeed in its ultimate goal of scaring the audience, is successful and audacious enough that it's worth seeing.
Tim (Thwaites) has just been released from a mental institution. He's been there ever since his parents died, but his psychiatrist (Sandoval) thinks that he's no longer a danger to himself or others, and suggests that he be allowed to leave. His sister Kaylie (Gillan) is waiting for him. She drags him back to the house where their parents died and has set up an experiment. She knows that it wasn't as simple as him killing her parents. She believes that a cursed mirror is the real culprit, and sets out to prove it. Meanwhile, we get to see what happened to them and their parents 11 years ago, where their parents (Sackhoff and Cochrane) lost their minds and ended up dead.
"Oculus" attempts to make us question whether if what we see is what is really happening. In that respect, the film is a tremendous success. Apples turn into lightbulbs, hallucinations become real, and past and present blend together. The film is more of a "mindfuck" rather than a straight horror film.
Unfortunately, this comes at a price. All the visual and storytelling trickery makes it difficult to form an attachment to the characters, which means that the film really isn't that scary. There are some intense scenes here and there, but I don't think that there are going to be many people who will be spooked by mirrors after watching this movie.
That's not to say that the acting is bad or lacking in charisma. It's neither; everyone does solid jobs, especially Karen Gillan, who is bright and energetic as Kaylie. And since I'm a huge "Battlestar Gallactica" fan, I have to say that it's nice to see Starbuck (aka Katee Sackhoff) again.
What director Mike Flanagan and his co-writer Jeff Howard have attempted is definitely ambitious. It takes real skill to create a good mindfuck movie, especially one like this. The climax can get a little confusing, but all in all it's a successful movie.
Starring: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, Annalisse Basso, Garrett Ryan, James Lafferty, Miguel Sandoval
Rated R for Terror, Violence, Some Disturbing Images and Brief Langauge
"Oculus" is an ambitious little horror film, that may not succeed in its ultimate goal of scaring the audience, is successful and audacious enough that it's worth seeing.
Tim (Thwaites) has just been released from a mental institution. He's been there ever since his parents died, but his psychiatrist (Sandoval) thinks that he's no longer a danger to himself or others, and suggests that he be allowed to leave. His sister Kaylie (Gillan) is waiting for him. She drags him back to the house where their parents died and has set up an experiment. She knows that it wasn't as simple as him killing her parents. She believes that a cursed mirror is the real culprit, and sets out to prove it. Meanwhile, we get to see what happened to them and their parents 11 years ago, where their parents (Sackhoff and Cochrane) lost their minds and ended up dead.
"Oculus" attempts to make us question whether if what we see is what is really happening. In that respect, the film is a tremendous success. Apples turn into lightbulbs, hallucinations become real, and past and present blend together. The film is more of a "mindfuck" rather than a straight horror film.
Unfortunately, this comes at a price. All the visual and storytelling trickery makes it difficult to form an attachment to the characters, which means that the film really isn't that scary. There are some intense scenes here and there, but I don't think that there are going to be many people who will be spooked by mirrors after watching this movie.
That's not to say that the acting is bad or lacking in charisma. It's neither; everyone does solid jobs, especially Karen Gillan, who is bright and energetic as Kaylie. And since I'm a huge "Battlestar Gallactica" fan, I have to say that it's nice to see Starbuck (aka Katee Sackhoff) again.
What director Mike Flanagan and his co-writer Jeff Howard have attempted is definitely ambitious. It takes real skill to create a good mindfuck movie, especially one like this. The climax can get a little confusing, but all in all it's a successful movie.
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