“Oculus” is a fresh, unique take on the horror genre that relies on smart writing, strong acting, impressive storytelling and the bending of reality for its scares.
Put simply: It is the best horror film to hit theaters in years.
The film revolves around siblings Kaylie (Karen Gillan) and Tim Russell (Brendon Thwaites) as they try to prove that an antique mirror was actually the cause of their family’s traumatic, murderous past, rather than their deranged father.
With surveillance equipment, weapons and a lot of planning, the two plan to prove the existence of the mirror’s monster and kill it for good.
The monster in question is a dark supernatural being with the power to twist perceptions and physically and emotionally manipulate anyone in its vicinity.
The idea of an evil presence in a mirror is nothing new, but the way the story’s told is refreshingly different than the methods used by past films with similar premises.
The film is set in two time periods as it tells the current-day story of Tim and Kaylie trying to destroy the mirror and the past story of what originally happened to their family.
As the film progresses, the lines between the time periods begin to blur. Thanks to strong editing, it becomes nearly impossible to distinguish whether the greater danger is in the past or the present.
All of this only adds to the inventive way director Mike Flanagan uses confusion to create fear. “Oculus” is sometimes quite hard to keep up with, and it’s all the better for it.
