Jumping back and forth between the present day and eleven years prior, this is the story of siblings Kaylee and Tim Russell (Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites). Tim's just been released from a psychiatric facility after his and Kaylee's parents were murdered in 2002. That happened after father Alan (Rory Cochrane) bought an antique mirror to put in his office, not realising it supernaturally inspires hallucinations. After the increasingly violent Alan starts abusing his wife Marie (Katee Sackhoff), that's when the tragedy is set in motion. Now, back after Tim's release, he and Kaylee try to clear his name, but the mirror's game is far from over.
Mike Flanagan's 2013 effort Oculus, based on his 2005 short film Oculus: Chapter 3 - The Man with the Plan, is, I think, immensely overrated. Firstly, the narrative is increasingly convoluted which I realise was the point, but I didn't find it convoluted in a lucid or logical manner. There's even an especially dumb scene involving a lightbulb being eaten. Flanagan's pacing and editing are much too relaxed for a horror movie (even one that relies on on strong character development as this one does, to its credit), Michael Fimognari's cinematography is unimaginative and Flanagan's regular composers the Newton Brothers' score is too subtle even when most horror scores are too excessive. Gillan tries to bring authority and sympathy to Kaylee, but Thwaites gives a lazy performance and goes through numerous scenes with his mouth gaping open like one of those metal clowns at the show (funfair, for you American readers if I have any). Seriously, I felt like feeding him a ping-pong ball.
For a great - and more importantly, scary - recent horror flick about a dysfunctional family, I say skip this one and watch Hereditary or Lights Out instead. To me, Oculus is no match for them. 6/10.
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