Oculus (2014)

Undescribable Perfection

the audience applauded

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

The acting in this movie is really good.

Having seen and appreciated Mike Flanagan's "Ouija: Origin of Evil", I decided to watch this with reasonably high expectations. The plot is basically about an alledgledly "cursed" mirror, which is mainly explained to us through the eyes of Kaylie, brilliantly played by Karen Gillan. He brother is released from a mental hospital from some dark event that happened when they were kids. The film takes its time and is very well paced and this works in its favor. This is a solid horror film that plays with time, reality and illusions, and it succeeds at every level, not letting go until the very end - which is weirdly satisfying.

This is basically not a bad movie; it is interesting to watch, it keeps the tension, and there are some emotional scenes in it. But it suffers from major problems with logics and plot holes in a way which does not allow it to be a good movie. Shortly said, the script is so full of implausible turns, especially regarding the psychology of the characters, that the movie had no chance whatsoever to come out as a coherent and consistent story.Besides, I wonder how so many here call it a new and original story. The plot is as old as the world. A magical mirror is a motif best known from myths and fairytales. A family moving to a new home which soon becomes threatening in one or another way is an age-old story. The device of blending present and past, showing figures simultaneously as children and as grown-ups is nearly as old as the cinema itself. So what is new or original about this plot or this device?.. Neither the development oft he events nor the ending are surprising as well, they follow as expected under the given circumstances. And now to the script failures: in the first five minutes of the film, it is revealed to us that a young man has been released from a mental asylum where he has spent more than 10 years for murder. And here the problems start: This murder was out of self-defence - would a young boy ever be shut in a mental asylum for self-defence?? We are being told that he received psychological help, but his sister did not. How come that in modern days America a little girl who survived a family tragedy never received any psychological help?.. Now the story goes on with this same sister, taking her brother to the home of their parents almost immediately upon his release and confronting him with the evil mirror story. Would a loving and caring sister, which she is constantly shown like as child, upset his brother in such a brutal way just upon his release? Well, after all that has happened to them (you will see) she might not be the same loving and caring person any more. But the question still is: if you know from your own experience that the mirror is that evil , would you really risk staying tete-a-tete with it? Such problems spin further, on and on. It's a pity that today's script writers do not seem to care about credibility at all. It destroys many movies with good potential. Not to mention this film relies heavily on "Shining" but has nothing from Kubrick's masterpiece accurate, compelling plot and lead act genius.

This was a very original horror film in the way that the story unfolds. You don't expect it to go between present and past, but it is very effective. The jump scares and suspense hit you when you least expect it, and the ending will chill you to the bones. A truly brilliant film.

It's had an xfiles vibe w a skeptic and a believer and I like that in a movie. It's not really. Exposition if they are debating the topic.