It’s been a short month of recollection as we’ve celebrated one of my favorite holidays of the year. Last week was totally my bad. Sometimes life throws a little more at you than you’re able to get done in a timely manner, but we’re back this week looking at one of my newest favorite Halloween films, Oculus. If Friday the 13th was a great scare, Oculus will terrify you! It’s one of the most unsettling, and mind-game-playing movies that I’ve ever seen and I love it for that! There are a lot of twists and turns that happen, and I feel that if I were to reveal all of them to you, I’d spoil the entire potential experience so I’ll try to be spoiler light. However, it can’t be done without spoiling at least a little bit so consider yourself warned…
Oculus is a truly interesting movie. On its surface, it sounds like the kind of film that would really be a stinker, especially if you use a really condensed summary to describe it. If I were doing that sort of thing, I’d probably say something like, Oculus is a psychological horror film about a woman fighting against a sentient mirror. Sounds pretty silly, huh?! See, this is a movie that lives below the surface. It’s a nuanced film that requires quite a bit of attention from the viewer, and one that rewards that attention with all kinds of unnerving, and downright disturbing rewards. It’s also a film with an extremely interesting structure. That’s a little hard to describe in detail without spoiling the film, but let’s recap and see what I can squeeze in!
The movie opens with a tense game of cat and mouse between children Kaylie and Tim, whose father, under the influence of hallucination, has gone on a murderous rampage. Or does it? Actually, Tim is in therapy, and we’re given the impression that he’s been serving a therapeutic jail sentence for something. Next we see Kaylie, played by Karen Gillan, is at an auction, where she meets with the villain of the film, the mirror. I know it probably still sounds silly, but the jist is that the mirror is possessed, and it uses hallucinations to cause paranoia, and rage, and fear, which it feeds off of. The tale takes place in present day, but also we get snippets of the past, eleven years in the past to be exact. That’s where the structure of the film really shines in my opinion. If you read the Wikipedia article about the movie, it will tell you that we’re given the backstory via flashbacks, but in reality, those ‘flashbacks’ are directly tied to the present, and have just as much of an impact on said present as the things that are actually happening in present day.
In present day, Tim has just been released from his state mandated stay at the funny farm, and his sister has used her connections through her auction house to get her hands on the mirror. Her intention is to document what the mirror can do in order to clear her brother’s name, and then she intends to destroy the mirror. Tim becomes an unwilling participant in this exercise, and throughout the film, tries to serve as the voice of reason. As we shift between past and present, we find out that Kaylie’s dad, Alan, bought the mirror for his office when they moved into their new home. We also find out that Kaylie and Tim’s mom is played by Katee Sackhoff. We also see that both Kaylie and Tim are perpetually haunted by this mirror and the destruction that it wrought upon their family.
The movie only takes about 20 minutes to get us up to speed, and then the real fun begins. Kaylie ‘borrows’ the mirror, which has been sold, and is being held for shipping, and she takes it to their childhood home. There, she’s set up a veritable petri dish of ‘scientific’ toys, as well as a ‘kill switch’ in the form of an anchor should she find herself powerless to tell between reality and fantasy. This is where the movie takes the opportunity to get all up inside your head and play. The transitions between reality, and fantasy, past and present are so seamless that the viewer is never quite sure if what’s being presented is actually happening to the characters, or to what end the events are being portrayed. Sometimes we’re just getting some necessary backstory, and sometimes we’re being set up for some really disturbing gag.
As we witness the parents’ descent into madness in the past, in the present, Kaylie and Tim find themselves at the mercy of whatever malicious force inhabits the mirror. They find themselves slipping in and out of sanity. Things that seem perfectly harmless turn out to be harmful. Or do they?! It’s really hard to keep a handle on what is real and what is not as the ‘heroes’ battle this demented force. I really feel that this is an area where this film really excels. As the players descend into madness, and fear, our inability to keep track of what’s actually going on carries us along for a similar sort of ride. As I said, there are a ton of twists and turns along the way, and it makes for an extremely fun ride. Another area where I feel like this movie is just superb is in its subtlety. The gags are at times pretty overt, but usually, they’re flashes of movement, or an object that doesn’t quite fit in the scene. In a world where most horror films rely on cheap jump scares that are poorly set up ,and clumsily executed, this movie keeps its methods tight, and innovative.
The movie’s climax delivers in spades, but you’re going to have to see for yourself in order to find out what happens. Besides a great story, the movie has some great acting. All of the actors put in sterling performances. The pace is fantastic. It takes its time, but isn’t too slow. Also, the score is 100% the most effective part of the movie, mostly due to the fact that there’s hardly any of it in there. The lack of score, or any other music makes the moments where there is some score more impactful, and it really adds to the experience. It’s one of those films where nothing is wasted, and everything lends itself to great storytelling. I’ve seen very few films in the past that I’ve felt this way about, but this is one of my favorites to watch over and over again!
Oculus is a wild ride that leaves you guessing at every turn. It unsettling at its weakest, and disturbing at its best. It’s a great watch any time of the year, but especially in light of the holiday! I can’t say much more about it without completely spoiling it, but without that limitation, there’s so much good to say about this movie! It’s a real treat to behold, and it’ll leave you wanting more! I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up! Give it a watch, and see what a great psychological horror movie can deliver! And stick around for next week! We’re getting into that abstract ‘holiday season’ and I’ve got some great things planned!
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