Oculus Review

Oculus (2013)

Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff
Director: Mike Flanagan
Country: USA
Genre: Horror
Official Site: Here

Editor’s Notes: Oculus opens in wide release tomorrow, April 11th.

The hunger for good horror storytelling is an insatiable one. There needs to be suspense, a certain amount of gore (if not, all out), and a great driving device that can be so ridiculous, yet palpable enough to get at the grip of your imagination. Coming into Mike Flanagan’s Oculus, I was already hoping for the scares of Absentia. However, with a bigger budget and well-known actors (hello Amy Pond and Starbuck!), I tend to get kind of wary that the story becomes secondary to filmmakers. I was both pleasantly surprised and maybe a little disappointed. Let me explain.

The story is told in a non-linear format: much of the film flashes backwards and back to the present. This technique could have easily muddled the classic premise, but somehow Flanagan manages to take us easily through the maze.

Oculus centers around siblings Tim (Brenton Thwaites) and Kaylie (Karen Gillan). Separated by a tragedy involving a mysterious mirror with an illustrious and possible occult. backstory. While Tim spent time recovering in an institution, Kaylie was investigating and tracking the mirror’s whereabouts. They are reunited after Tim’s release, but instead of moving forward, Kaylie has devised a multi-tiered plan to finally rid themselves of the mirror and vindicate their parents’ deaths.

The story is told in a non-linear format: much of the film flashes backwards and back to the present. This technique could have easily muddled the classic premise, but somehow Flanagan manages to take us easily through the maze. It’s ingenious, really. He achieves this by keeping the settings the same throughout the present and the past, and the by keeping the textures slightly different in the transference. The past is a palette of dark greens and yellows while the present is a slightly shade lighter shade, but mostly white and black. The mirror, rather the black mirror frame, while being the focus of the film, is mostly referenced, instead of continually shown. With its black frame and infrequent appearances, the mirror/totem becomes enigmatical. This leaves the audience open to questioning whether the mirror is the source of the horror or if the horror is the result of Kaylie and Tim’s paranoia. It’s a great storytelling technique and it helps the audience navigate the dizzying development.

While the cast as a whole is solid, I have to say that the Annalise Basso, the girl who plays Kaylie as a child, carries this film. Her expressions of terror and curiosity are genuine and precocious for an actress her age.  

While the cast as a whole is solid, I have to say that the Annalise Basso, the girl who plays Kaylie as a child, carries this film. Her expressions of terror and curiosity are genuine and precocious for an actress her age. Gilan is cast quite well and not as Amy Pond, which is better than her being typecast. Katee Sackoff plays the most against type and it pretty much works well in the film’s favor.

My biggest problem with the Oculus, which isn’t much to say, is with its conclusion. There were hints throughout the film to much larger story around the mirror and I understand that there is a possibility for sequels, but the ending felt less abrupt and more neatly tied up than I would have liked. The cool thing about most thrillers that this film pays tribute to (My Bloody Valentine, The Haunting, The Shining – I only mention The Shining for its labyrinth nature), is that there’s something much more obscured in its outcome. The ending here had the texture of resolution rather than the windup that you’d want from a probable franchise.

Other than that, Oculus is a fine spine-chiller. Go see it.