Oculus(2014 - April 11)
Horror
1 hr. 45 min.
Rated: R | Some Disturbing Images, Brief Language, Terror and Violence.
Common Sense Media says: Outstanding horror flick has gore, children in peril. Read more
Grade: B
Director: Mike Flanagan
Writers: Mike Flanagan (screenplay), Jeff Howard (screenplay), Jeff Seidman (based on a short screenplay by)
Stars: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff | See full cast and crew
Ten years ago, tragedy struck the Russell family, leaving the lives of teenage siblings Tim and Kaylie forever changed when Tim was convicted of the brutal murder of their parents. Now in his 20s, Tim is newly released from protective custody and only wants to move on with his life; but Kaylie, still haunted by that fateful night, is convinced her parents’ deaths were caused by something else altogether: a malevolent supernatural force unleashed through the Lasser Glass, an antique mirror in their childhood home. Determined to prove Tim’s innocence, Kaylie tracks down the mirror, only to learn similar deaths have befallen previous owners over the past century. With the mysterious entity now back in their hands, Tim and Kaylie soon find their hold on reality shattered by terrifying hallucinations, and realize, too late, that their childhood nightmare is beginning again.
Oculus is a 2013 American horror film directed by Mike Flanagan that had its world premiere on September 8, 2013, at the Toronto International Film Festival but didn't get its theatrical release until April 11, 2014.
The story is about two siblings, Tim (Brenton Thwaites) and Kaylie (Karen Gillan), who are
haunted by the events their tragic childhood when both of their parents were brutally
butchered. Tim is convicted of the killings and sentenced to protective
custody, he serves his time in a mental institution while Kaylie drifts into a deep despair. 
Kaylie is convinced that the source of
their horror is a mysterious mirror with a dark history. When Tim is finally released after his 21st birthday the siblings are reunited. Tim wants to start over and lay the past to rest. Kaylie is certain that her brother was innocent all along,
and that the antique mirror their parents once owned holds the answer
to her darkest questions. After years of searching she has located the long-lost looking glass and aided by her fiance have bought it at an auction.
After much argument she convinces Tim to join her in her plan to prove that the mirror is the source of the the evil that has plagued their lives and once she has that proof on video plans for the two of them to destroy it, it is a vow that they made as children, a vow that Tim has tried through his therapy to wipe from his memory.
Kaylie's assertions and fears are confirmed, a malevolent force does inhabit the
mirror, and it has brought tragedy and death to every person that has owned it. Kaylie's acquisition of the mirror has now reset the nightmarish cycle
of horror in their lives which returns with a vengeance.
They are taken on a wild ride where the lines between the past and present are indistinguishable and where they can not determine what is real and what is not.
Thankfully they don't rely on the hateful 'found footage' technique that is so common in the horror film genre these days. The shifting from past to present and back again keeps the story interesting and the viewer guessing. The R rating is not for profanity, sex or nudity, still it is not something you want to take children to see. The frightening and often violent images could stay with a child for a lifetime, the film would be far too intense for children under 16 or 17 years. As far horror films go, however, this one is pretty good. I liked it.
Behind the scenes on the set.
Cast
Kaylie Russell Tim Russell
young Kaylie young Tim
Alan Russell Marie Russell
Michael Dumont
I'll pass on this one.
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