Convincing horror effortlessly weaves together past, present, truth, & perception. Makes you question what you're witnessing while remaining completely believable. Twisted & unsettling, it's also cinematic proof redheads are crazy. #nitrosMovieChallenge.
557 Reviews
Mind-shattering battle against unbeatable mirror
Hallelujah28920 March 2022
Far more than a tale of supernatural horror, "Oculus" explores the fundamental terror of not being able to trust one's own mind. Newly released from mental institution incarceration, a young man is swept along by his sister to confront the demon in the mirror to shattering results. Too often, an evil force is described as unbeatable, and then easily beat. Not so here...
As ends go, this one goes dark-perhaps to realism within the rules of the world, but unsatisfying to those wishing for any kind of redeeming factor.
Other points dissatisfy, such as the amount of dialogue the actors have to say as quickly as they can, particularly Kaylie. And then Kaylie's odd face-framing bangs and her extension ponytail.
Overall though, a terrifying experience. If you'd like to watch a movie by this director Mike Flanagan that does balance a sense of consequence as well as victory, watch "Doctor Sleep" based on Stephen King's sequel his classic story The Shining.
As ends go, this one goes dark-perhaps to realism within the rules of the world, but unsatisfying to those wishing for any kind of redeeming factor.
Other points dissatisfy, such as the amount of dialogue the actors have to say as quickly as they can, particularly Kaylie. And then Kaylie's odd face-framing bangs and her extension ponytail.
Overall though, a terrifying experience. If you'd like to watch a movie by this director Mike Flanagan that does balance a sense of consequence as well as victory, watch "Doctor Sleep" based on Stephen King's sequel his classic story The Shining.
Please see this film!
fritzlang11 April 2014
This is a classic ghost story.
I won't spoil anything, but for a haunted mirror movie, I found it VERY effective.
There are only really 6 people in the film. The parents, and the children at 2 different ages. The film is not really linear, and it took me a while to get the flow of the constant changing from today and yesterday. Once I got it, I found it very clever.
What impressed me the most, however, is that there is hardly any blood, no nudity, no profanity, no sex, no gore and it scared the crap out of me!
No, it doesn't reinvent the genre (can you even really do that with the haunted mirror genre?), but it is a well crafted, well acted movie that really kept my interest all the way through.
The young girl was especially effective.
The film starts off slow and methodical and really hits its stride about the half way mark.
We need more films like this. Smart, clever "little" films - a few characters, a few props and lots of chills and thrills.
Please see this!
8/10
I won't spoil anything, but for a haunted mirror movie, I found it VERY effective.
There are only really 6 people in the film. The parents, and the children at 2 different ages. The film is not really linear, and it took me a while to get the flow of the constant changing from today and yesterday. Once I got it, I found it very clever.
What impressed me the most, however, is that there is hardly any blood, no nudity, no profanity, no sex, no gore and it scared the crap out of me!
No, it doesn't reinvent the genre (can you even really do that with the haunted mirror genre?), but it is a well crafted, well acted movie that really kept my interest all the way through.
The young girl was especially effective.
The film starts off slow and methodical and really hits its stride about the half way mark.
We need more films like this. Smart, clever "little" films - a few characters, a few props and lots of chills and thrills.
Please see this!
8/10
Psychologically disturbing- ORIGINAL
morgane010818 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I cannot believe that people are giving this movie low ratings. As an avid horror movie fanatic,it takes a lot to freak me out in a movie and this movie not only disturbed me it stood out to me.This movie is based off of psychological mind tricks and you will feel as if you are being deceived by the mirror.This does not get its horror based off of cheap jump out scares or gore, it messes with you so you no longer know what's real and what's not. While the ending was very abrupt,I love how the whole film mirrors itself in the past and that the two story lines interconnect.This may not be for everyone, but I can say that this movie is psychologically terrifying. This generation is used to over used gore and predictable horror, but this movie is different than that. Despite what others say it is not just another scary movie. I left the theater afraid after all of the illusions the movie pushes you through. It is slow, yes, but it is full of suspense and the slow dread adds to the plot. I bet the people who rate this low are into the shock factor and gore of other horror movies. Give it a chance.
Instant Horror Classic!
TheMovieVlog3 April 2014
This was really not that bad for a horror movie. The whole mirror monster sort of thing has been done before but what made this movie refreshing to me was the complete mind trip that was going on throughout the movie. I spent more than like 3/4ths of the movie utterly confused yet it made sense by the end. It was all over the place but slowly, I was able to piece things together. I personally thought it had the right amount of horror that it was actually able to make me jump at some parts without being too cringe worthy like most horror films are. Also, I was impressed with what was done despite the simplicity of the film. Tons of thrills, tons of fun. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this.
Effective trip into psychological horror
samuellop1012 April 2014
21 year old Tim Russell is released from a mental institution.That same week his older sister is able to get a few days alone with the Lesser mirror. Kaylie, the sister, decides to take the mirror back to their old house, where unspeakable horrors unfolded during their childhood shortly after they moved to the back-then-new-house, and their father bought the infamous mirror. Kaylie is convinced the mirror is haunted: the mirror being some sort of evil supernatural being. Tim, on the other hand, has grown completely skeptic about the supernatural aspect of the mirror, believing his sister only holds on to that notion simply to have a way to cope with the horrific events of their childhood. Needless to say, the mirror does seem haunted, and as the night progresses for the adult siblings, the door to those memories open up, revealing more and more those events which both are trying to move on from; albeit in very different ways. These two timelines (their childhood and their present-day adult selves) unfold in a parallel manner, with the ending of the film culminating the two timelines' climaxes together.
One of the things the film gets right is the acting. Both Karen Gillian and Brenton Thwaites do a very decent job in portraying the adult version of the siblings. Their children counterparts also do an impressive work in portraying two small, terrified brother and sister with no one to turn to for help, slowly accepting the fact that they are both alone against the mirror.
The second good thing about it is the staging of the story. Although the concept is nothing new or original, the execution of such concept is both new and original. This injects a healthy dose of re-freshens and also a decent amount of unexpectedness to the film. Both helping in making this horror film one in which the audiences are actually engaged and interested in what will happen next, and at the same time they can have fun in the direction the story advances to.
A neutral element in it is the way they decided to unfold both story-lines (past and present). Like mentioned above, both of them move forward hand-in-hand, with various parallels presenting themselves in the way of flashbacks from both siblings. While this works wonderfully in the first half of the film, the second half of it loses a good chunk of the excitement which this sort of narrative added to the first half. That is not to say however, that it hurts it, but by the ending it just feels it needed to continue this way to explain what had happened, rather than using it to strengthen the present events.
More personally speaking, the ending felt rather frustrating and just almost unimaginative. While the final events fit into the pattern of what the mirror does, it feels like it should have had a more surprising ending due to the excellent build-up the film provides in the first two-thirds. The moment when the final twist happens, it is shocking, with everything falling into place seconds later, only to add more shock to what happens. However, moments later the feeling of shock is quickly replaced by one of been-there-done-that, leaving the audience feeling that there should have been more to it, rather than it being so simple and straight-forward.
If you are expecting an explanation for what the mirror really is, what entity it holds, or how it came to be, you will be disappointed. If you are rather more interested in the how (instead of the why's or what's of the mirror) you will feel more satisfied. The focus of the film is in tricking its characters, and along with them the audience as well. The story is very effective in messing with one's psyche, making one actually wonder what is actually happening to the characters, and what is fake and just a product of the mirror.
Overall, adjust your expectations into knowing that this film is good, but it does not redefine the genre in the slightest. It does feel refreshing, but other than in its execution, there is nothing new to see here. The movie is fun and unexpected (something very few recent horror movies can say), so with everything else, it is definitely an enjoyable ride as a whole.
One of the things the film gets right is the acting. Both Karen Gillian and Brenton Thwaites do a very decent job in portraying the adult version of the siblings. Their children counterparts also do an impressive work in portraying two small, terrified brother and sister with no one to turn to for help, slowly accepting the fact that they are both alone against the mirror.
The second good thing about it is the staging of the story. Although the concept is nothing new or original, the execution of such concept is both new and original. This injects a healthy dose of re-freshens and also a decent amount of unexpectedness to the film. Both helping in making this horror film one in which the audiences are actually engaged and interested in what will happen next, and at the same time they can have fun in the direction the story advances to.
A neutral element in it is the way they decided to unfold both story-lines (past and present). Like mentioned above, both of them move forward hand-in-hand, with various parallels presenting themselves in the way of flashbacks from both siblings. While this works wonderfully in the first half of the film, the second half of it loses a good chunk of the excitement which this sort of narrative added to the first half. That is not to say however, that it hurts it, but by the ending it just feels it needed to continue this way to explain what had happened, rather than using it to strengthen the present events.
More personally speaking, the ending felt rather frustrating and just almost unimaginative. While the final events fit into the pattern of what the mirror does, it feels like it should have had a more surprising ending due to the excellent build-up the film provides in the first two-thirds. The moment when the final twist happens, it is shocking, with everything falling into place seconds later, only to add more shock to what happens. However, moments later the feeling of shock is quickly replaced by one of been-there-done-that, leaving the audience feeling that there should have been more to it, rather than it being so simple and straight-forward.
If you are expecting an explanation for what the mirror really is, what entity it holds, or how it came to be, you will be disappointed. If you are rather more interested in the how (instead of the why's or what's of the mirror) you will feel more satisfied. The focus of the film is in tricking its characters, and along with them the audience as well. The story is very effective in messing with one's psyche, making one actually wonder what is actually happening to the characters, and what is fake and just a product of the mirror.
Overall, adjust your expectations into knowing that this film is good, but it does not redefine the genre in the slightest. It does feel refreshing, but other than in its execution, there is nothing new to see here. The movie is fun and unexpected (something very few recent horror movies can say), so with everything else, it is definitely an enjoyable ride as a whole.
A brilliant, creative, slow-burner of a horror movie sandwiched between a lackluster opener and predicable ending
Joe_Chadowski12 April 2014
A while ago I reluctantly accepted that we will probably never see a truly groundbreaking horror movie again. A film that is both truly cinematic and gut-wrenchingly horrifying. Hollywood has just become to commercialized, too calculated, and to conveyor belt-like in its approach to horror. Everything is summer blockbuster, Oscar season, and the crap that comes out January-March. Horror has become a get-rich- quick investment for producers. Invest small, obtain profit 10-fold.
But once in a while, a horror film gives us a glimmer of hope. Not redemption, but a little window of light from someone who almost gets it. And the skunkworks group from the Saw-Insidious-The Conjuring clan are to thank for that. They're latest work, Oculus, is the story of a brother and sister who obtain a mirror from their childhood that (they think) was responsible for the possession and murder of their parents. They rig their childhood home with cameras and lights, and wait for the proof that the mirror is possessed to get captured on camera.
Oculus is properly scary and, once you get past the awkward first 20 minutes, has a wonderfully progressive nature to it. Too many "horror" film nowadays deliver an uneven stream of gut-punches in the form of BOOM scares and disfigured faces. Oculus relies on an unsettling tonality, and a quantum state of uncertainty, making it a much more effective scare. The colors and set design is vintage Gothic horror, and the majority of the film is flashback driven which is was a very creative storytelling method and integrates perfectly with the story. And there's a scene or two that were so intense, I was making noises like I was lowering myself into scalding water, and fighting the intrinsic urge to turn my head.
My frustrations are centered on the beginning and the end. The first 20 minutes of the film, which set the story in place, is the only part of Oculus that takes place outside the house. It feels tacked on, ham-fisted in its delivery and lacks narrative, especially against the rest of the film. And given the flashback-heavy story, I believe the setting of the story could've been built into the flashbacks, strengthing the narrative and setting the whole film inside the house, which would make the film feel terrifyingly claustrophobic. And about the ending... It's just clichéd, predicable, abrupt and leaves too many questions unanswered.
Oculus isn't the last word in horror or quality, but it's scary as hell and it does what so few horror films do nowadays; it dissolves the world around you and makes you buy into a ridiculous story. The weak narrative gets a little long in the tooth around the third act, and I was left wondering if the script was ever going to reveal anything worth discovering. And ultimately it doesn't. Much like the never-ending winter we've had, we've had so many lackluster horror films lately, that when an average film comes along it feels like a gift.
But once in a while, a horror film gives us a glimmer of hope. Not redemption, but a little window of light from someone who almost gets it. And the skunkworks group from the Saw-Insidious-The Conjuring clan are to thank for that. They're latest work, Oculus, is the story of a brother and sister who obtain a mirror from their childhood that (they think) was responsible for the possession and murder of their parents. They rig their childhood home with cameras and lights, and wait for the proof that the mirror is possessed to get captured on camera.
Oculus is properly scary and, once you get past the awkward first 20 minutes, has a wonderfully progressive nature to it. Too many "horror" film nowadays deliver an uneven stream of gut-punches in the form of BOOM scares and disfigured faces. Oculus relies on an unsettling tonality, and a quantum state of uncertainty, making it a much more effective scare. The colors and set design is vintage Gothic horror, and the majority of the film is flashback driven which is was a very creative storytelling method and integrates perfectly with the story. And there's a scene or two that were so intense, I was making noises like I was lowering myself into scalding water, and fighting the intrinsic urge to turn my head.
My frustrations are centered on the beginning and the end. The first 20 minutes of the film, which set the story in place, is the only part of Oculus that takes place outside the house. It feels tacked on, ham-fisted in its delivery and lacks narrative, especially against the rest of the film. And given the flashback-heavy story, I believe the setting of the story could've been built into the flashbacks, strengthing the narrative and setting the whole film inside the house, which would make the film feel terrifyingly claustrophobic. And about the ending... It's just clichéd, predicable, abrupt and leaves too many questions unanswered.
Oculus isn't the last word in horror or quality, but it's scary as hell and it does what so few horror films do nowadays; it dissolves the world around you and makes you buy into a ridiculous story. The weak narrative gets a little long in the tooth around the third act, and I was left wondering if the script was ever going to reveal anything worth discovering. And ultimately it doesn't. Much like the never-ending winter we've had, we've had so many lackluster horror films lately, that when an average film comes along it feels like a gift.
Best horror film I have seen in a while
samlynn1219 June 2014
This film was fantastic. I was creeped out the entire time, right from the introduction of the mirror. There has always been something slightly disconcerting about staring into a mirror at night, half expecting someone to jump out from over your shoulder. This film captured the essence of this perfectly. There was not a lot of action, not much blood or violence, but just enough to scare the audience. Just when you think that you have the mirror figured out, something else comes around to make you think otherwise. It makes you wonder if the characters are just crazy, that none of the film is actually real. You will never know exactly what is going on. That is what made it such a well done horror film, backed up by great acting performances from both adults and children. If you enjoy horror films as I do, go to see this film, you will not be disappointed!
nice moody horror
SnoopyStyle27 June 2016
Tim Russell (Brenton Thwaites) gets released from a mental hospital. Eleven years earlier, his parents (Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane) get a mysterious mirror. His father supposedly tortured and killed his mother. In the present, his sister Kaylie Russell (Karen Gillan) rediscovers the mirror. Tim has only fragmentary memories of the incident. Kaylie aims to prove the murderous supernatural nature of the mirror. Michael Dumont (James Lafferty) is Kaylie's boss at the auction house and her boyfriend.
This movie has great moodiness. Much of it is due to the cold look and the vibrating sound design. Gillan is great. There is real tension about memories and reality when Tim disagrees with Kaylie. It's an old fashion horror like a ghost story told by the camp fire. It is expertly revealed. Everybody including the kids are great. The last act does get a little muddled as it tries to ramp up the excitement while trying to wind down the plot. It would have been great to have Gillan continue as the lead as the franchise inevitably continues.
This movie has great moodiness. Much of it is due to the cold look and the vibrating sound design. Gillan is great. There is real tension about memories and reality when Tim disagrees with Kaylie. It's an old fashion horror like a ghost story told by the camp fire. It is expertly revealed. Everybody including the kids are great. The last act does get a little muddled as it tries to ramp up the excitement while trying to wind down the plot. It would have been great to have Gillan continue as the lead as the franchise inevitably continues.
Deus ex Machina ending
kirrwed16 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The 2 stars are for what was an intriguing setup that positioned itself to resolve by way of a clever or satisfying ending based on the rules the film setup for itself.
Disastrously, however, the finale of the film completely abandons all the "rules" it setup for the situation.
Possible spoilers follow....
The protagonist establishes that this evil mirror has "predictable" behavior and the entire film fortifies that theory. In the current as well as the historical cases, the plants wither on cue, people dehydrate for some reason before this thing, and it protects itself if someone attacks it, etc...
However, just as another commenter pointed out, they knew the thing had a range of "power" of about 30 feet, inside of which, it would use the power of suggestion or whatever to make the person miss-hit or just not strike. So why not take it out with a rifle?
Additionally, the very last few minutes of the movie shifts into a huge film violation, which is to simply create illusions. What the viewer and characters are seeing aren't really there, but sometimes, it is really there. There is no consistency as to when something is there but really isn't or when something is really there but we and the characters can't perceive it. There is no consistency with using a camera to see what is real or not either.
So basically, the writers of the film created a canvas from which they allowed themselves to do absolutely anything they wanted. This is Deus ex Machina to the extreme. So they just write the characters perceiving themselves to kill the mirror when in reality they are hallucinating and one of them ends up getting killed. It is simply poor writing, and a disastrous, unsatisfying ending. Frankly, with all the hallucinations and illusions the writers set up by this point, we, the viewers, don't even have good reason to believe anything in the movie really happened. What's to stop them from making a sequel that says the last 10 minutes of the movie were just the protagonists' daydream, they snap out of it and resume the movie where they snap out of it. There is nothing to stop the story from going that direction if the writers' feel like it because they established anything goes, we can fake anything you see, etc....
Besides all that, the acting was generally flat as well. I can't recommend it.
Disastrously, however, the finale of the film completely abandons all the "rules" it setup for the situation.
Possible spoilers follow....
The protagonist establishes that this evil mirror has "predictable" behavior and the entire film fortifies that theory. In the current as well as the historical cases, the plants wither on cue, people dehydrate for some reason before this thing, and it protects itself if someone attacks it, etc...
However, just as another commenter pointed out, they knew the thing had a range of "power" of about 30 feet, inside of which, it would use the power of suggestion or whatever to make the person miss-hit or just not strike. So why not take it out with a rifle?
Additionally, the very last few minutes of the movie shifts into a huge film violation, which is to simply create illusions. What the viewer and characters are seeing aren't really there, but sometimes, it is really there. There is no consistency as to when something is there but really isn't or when something is really there but we and the characters can't perceive it. There is no consistency with using a camera to see what is real or not either.
So basically, the writers of the film created a canvas from which they allowed themselves to do absolutely anything they wanted. This is Deus ex Machina to the extreme. So they just write the characters perceiving themselves to kill the mirror when in reality they are hallucinating and one of them ends up getting killed. It is simply poor writing, and a disastrous, unsatisfying ending. Frankly, with all the hallucinations and illusions the writers set up by this point, we, the viewers, don't even have good reason to believe anything in the movie really happened. What's to stop them from making a sequel that says the last 10 minutes of the movie were just the protagonists' daydream, they snap out of it and resume the movie where they snap out of it. There is nothing to stop the story from going that direction if the writers' feel like it because they established anything goes, we can fake anything you see, etc....
Besides all that, the acting was generally flat as well. I can't recommend it.
Twisted Story with Excellent Performances
hugorocksmy1 May 2014
Even though it wasn't as scary or gory, as I wanted it to be. It still managed to creep me out and get on my nerves, with it's very creative and elaborate story and excellent performances from all it's cast. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two younger actors played by Annalise Basso & Garrett Ryan, and the relationship they had as characters, which added a lot of heart and sentiment to the whole story. Moreover, this movie was more a drama with some horror, because it didn't played with the whole scare and gore factors, but instead it was more about the the story behind the mirror and the effect it had with the people that surrounded it. It would be a good idea to make this a franchise because of how extensive its universe could be, as well as how many different stories and characters it could incorporate and continue to haunt, even though it's ending was melodramatic to me, it felt conclusive and eerily heartbreaking. Overall, it was a very good little drama-horror film that goes more farther than you could imagine and think.
Disappointment
m-haan1125 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is being marketed as a horror-movie. But the film never gets scary. It has some tense moments and therefore is a thriller. Not a very good one at that. As a viewer you are guided through the events as they work towards the climax. You are waiting for things to actually get going, but they never do. Just scene after scene of stuff being explained by the girl and then talked over with her brother. In the end we some creepy characters emerging from the mirror. But who is that woman? Why is the mirror the way it is? It is never explained. Also the ending is not very original and you can see that coming from miles away. A really disappointing movie that never gets scary or give you the chills.
Silly, predictable plot
starcraftbw882 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
It's not that it was poorly done or acted, in fact, the acting was quite strong; but everything was too predictable for me. The parallels drawn between the past and present was interesting, but ultimately pointless because you already know the path the past storyline takes as it's conclusion is already stated in the beginning of the movie. The differing viewpoints between the siblings was far more interesting, but never fully utilized.
The plot failed more than anything; for a supposedly bright girl to devise such a poor "plan" to defeat a mirror that manipulates people. As the mirror manipulates people, there was a HUGE lack of foresight in her plan to begin with. And the moment you see the incredibly stupid "insurance" setup she's done, you wonder why she doesn't just release it herself to begin with - which is when you realize it's a cheap plot device for one of them to die.
The plot failed more than anything; for a supposedly bright girl to devise such a poor "plan" to defeat a mirror that manipulates people. As the mirror manipulates people, there was a HUGE lack of foresight in her plan to begin with. And the moment you see the incredibly stupid "insurance" setup she's done, you wonder why she doesn't just release it herself to begin with - which is when you realize it's a cheap plot device for one of them to die.
This was a good movie but.
carminesepe23 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
There are tons of reviews that talk about how the storytelling is good and I have to agree. The only thing that really annoys me is that the female protagonist (Kayle) has prepared herself for how long? 10+ years? And she didn't think that the mirror would have tried to put them in front of him (her;it;whatever) to prevent the giant damn anchor to kill him (her;it;whatever)? I realize at the start of these 10 years she was a child but it's a very long time to think about the execution and I can think of 10 best ways to do that 45 min after watching the movie, I expect to come up with many others if I spend 10 years thinking about it.
surprising
Kirpianuscus25 May 2018
It is far to be the right word defining "Oculus" but it is a real surprising film. first , for the story. simple and tragic and reminding old Greek tragedies. second , for the performances. not the last, for the great art of director to explore and use and give tension and seduction force to a film who is more than a horror but a remarkable one. for the wise use of illusion. for the science to give unity using the fragments as a sort of yellow bricks road. and for an idea not exactly unfamiliar. about family, fears, sibillings and the evil. and the enemy is too familiar for ignore the references about it. short, a good film. a special one. and little more.
Madness and Possession
claudio_carvalho4 July 2014
The twenty-one year-old Timothy "Tim" Allen Russell (Brenton Thwaites) is discharged from a mental institution by his psychiatric Dr. Shawn Graham (Miguel Sandoval) completely healed from a childhood trauma. His sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan) welcomes him in the parking area and brings him home. Then she tells that they need to destroy an ancient mirror that she has just bought in an auction.
The reluctant Tim follows his sister and has fragmented recollections from his childhood, when his mother Marie (Katee Sackhoff) buys a mirror for the home office of his father Alan (Rory Cochrane). Kaylie (Annalise Basso) and Tim (Garrett Ryan) see a woman with their father in his office and the behaviors of Alan and Marie change, ending in a family tragedy. Kaylie blames the mirror and now she wants to destroy it with Tim. Will they succeed?
"Oculus" is a horror movie with a story of madness and possession that deserved to be better written. The plot in the past with the Allen Russell family is interesting, but the story in the present days should have been better written. Kaylie knows how dangerous the indestructible mirror is and her explanations of the reason for destroying the mirror with Tim does not convince. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Espelho" ("The Mirror")
The reluctant Tim follows his sister and has fragmented recollections from his childhood, when his mother Marie (Katee Sackhoff) buys a mirror for the home office of his father Alan (Rory Cochrane). Kaylie (Annalise Basso) and Tim (Garrett Ryan) see a woman with their father in his office and the behaviors of Alan and Marie change, ending in a family tragedy. Kaylie blames the mirror and now she wants to destroy it with Tim. Will they succeed?
"Oculus" is a horror movie with a story of madness and possession that deserved to be better written. The plot in the past with the Allen Russell family is interesting, but the story in the present days should have been better written. Kaylie knows how dangerous the indestructible mirror is and her explanations of the reason for destroying the mirror with Tim does not convince. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Espelho" ("The Mirror")
Loved this movie, very atmospheric
benjaminmoleb104 November 2014
I've just finished watching this movie.
I'm currently home alone and it's close to 1 in the morning, I'm scared to go to bed because of the mirror in my room and the crushing sense of dread that this movie instilled in me.
And I couldn't be happier.
It's been a while since I watched a horror movie alone and wanted something more psychological to watch. This movie did not disappoint.
It's relatively low on blood and gore, making the parts that do contain blood stand out more. And it constantly wrong foots you about what's going on, at times this makes it hard to track, but it didn't really bother me.
I took a star off because the ending felt slightly predictable and I would have wanted it to end differently but this leaves it open(ish) for sequels and I'm OK with that.
The point is that you should watch this movie, totally watch it. Alone in the dark with the sound up
I'm currently home alone and it's close to 1 in the morning, I'm scared to go to bed because of the mirror in my room and the crushing sense of dread that this movie instilled in me.
And I couldn't be happier.
It's been a while since I watched a horror movie alone and wanted something more psychological to watch. This movie did not disappoint.
It's relatively low on blood and gore, making the parts that do contain blood stand out more. And it constantly wrong foots you about what's going on, at times this makes it hard to track, but it didn't really bother me.
I took a star off because the ending felt slightly predictable and I would have wanted it to end differently but this leaves it open(ish) for sequels and I'm OK with that.
The point is that you should watch this movie, totally watch it. Alone in the dark with the sound up
I'm on the fence about this one...
venusboys39 June 2014
I'll say right off that this movie is well made, well filmed, well acted. There's nothing technically wrong with it. My only issue is with the general sub-genre of 'messing with reality' movies... and how, once all the tricks have been played, you're usually left holding a big bag of nothing. Very similar to how I felt about 1408. I'm fine with not having all the answers at the end of a movie, I generally prefer it to whatever nonsense the writers dream up to tie it all together. Still... there needs to be a story... and I'm not sure this movie really has one. Not past the point of 'some bad stuff happened and here it is happening again'. Is there really any point to it? The characters are not fleshed out much at all... they're just there to react to stuff as it happens. Except for the sister's obsession (a plot device) they'd be interchangeable with just about anyone. It's not a 'bad' movie at all... but after all the twisty mind games are over there's just not much to talk about.
Refreshing
dunnypop16 April 2014
When I first read a slew of positive reviews in 2013 about Oculus, I really wanted to check it out. I really enjoy the horror film genre however it's a real cynical bunch of viewers ("not scary enough", "not enough gore", "this has been done before"), and with the reviews coming down like "never seen anything like this", I was interested and skeptical.
Oculus is a slow-burn. It's slow and keeps to this pace throughout the film. This isn't the Conjuring which is pretty much fast paced... this reminded me of a mix Last Exorcism of Emily Rose and perhaps the Orphanage. You will either get really interested in how creepy the film gets or not. You will either really dig the layers of how things work in the horror realm or try to poke holes through everything (ex: 30 ft safe radius).
The genius of Oculus isn't the concept (haunted mirror) but the screenplay of disjointed story telling and flashbacks mixing into a coherent and perhaps a complex story. Think of it like a toned down Inception. It's effective because you eventually feel and question what is reality and not.
This is above mediocre but perhaps not for the mainstream. It's a great refreshing horror film.
Oculus is a slow-burn. It's slow and keeps to this pace throughout the film. This isn't the Conjuring which is pretty much fast paced... this reminded me of a mix Last Exorcism of Emily Rose and perhaps the Orphanage. You will either get really interested in how creepy the film gets or not. You will either really dig the layers of how things work in the horror realm or try to poke holes through everything (ex: 30 ft safe radius).
The genius of Oculus isn't the concept (haunted mirror) but the screenplay of disjointed story telling and flashbacks mixing into a coherent and perhaps a complex story. Think of it like a toned down Inception. It's effective because you eventually feel and question what is reality and not.
This is above mediocre but perhaps not for the mainstream. It's a great refreshing horror film.
Delightfully twisted
hoytyhoyty12 July 2014
Actual vote: 8/10. It needed boosting.
1 point off - I only give 10/10 to films that I would buy and keep on the shelf. Not just hire and give back. There are not many of these.
1 point off - I personally had gripes about the plot, but that's just me and my tastes. If it had been me, I would have done a couple of things differently. But hey, it wasn't me.
Very good film.
For Doctor Who fans - you have the impossibly pretty Karen Gillan (slightly less charming than usual due to having an American rather than her native scots accent). She is a little monochromatic, as always. But she plays with force, as always.
For BSG fans - you have the wonderful Katee Sackhoff. This is one of the better performances of her career. Very pithy and convincing.
And beyond that... Can't say a *single* thing about the details without ticking the Spoiler box.
So here we go with keywords.
Gripping. Creepy. Unorthodox. Fairytale-like in some ways. Sci-Fi like in others. Confusing (in a good way). Tricky.
And scary, definitely... but overall I would say more gripping than scary.
Very highly recommend Oculus.
1 point off - I only give 10/10 to films that I would buy and keep on the shelf. Not just hire and give back. There are not many of these.
1 point off - I personally had gripes about the plot, but that's just me and my tastes. If it had been me, I would have done a couple of things differently. But hey, it wasn't me.
Very good film.
For Doctor Who fans - you have the impossibly pretty Karen Gillan (slightly less charming than usual due to having an American rather than her native scots accent). She is a little monochromatic, as always. But she plays with force, as always.
For BSG fans - you have the wonderful Katee Sackhoff. This is one of the better performances of her career. Very pithy and convincing.
And beyond that... Can't say a *single* thing about the details without ticking the Spoiler box.
So here we go with keywords.
Gripping. Creepy. Unorthodox. Fairytale-like in some ways. Sci-Fi like in others. Confusing (in a good way). Tricky.
And scary, definitely... but overall I would say more gripping than scary.
Very highly recommend Oculus.
Below average
andy44197017 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
There are inevitable predictabilities in all films. However this one let me down because as soon as I saw the "kill switch", which is a very complicated device to assemble on your ceiling, and the girl must have had professional help installing it, as soon as I saw it while they tested it, I knew instantly that someone would die from it. Then I thought there was no reason for the device to be assembled so that it can kill a person simply passing in front of the mirror at the wrong time. The device could simply be adjusted to swing higher, simple safety precautions. This is so basic that the script fails badly, considering the kill-switch is the largest "twist" of the film.
The sister had many years to prepare the experiment, in full knowledge that all sorts of crazy things and hallucinations take place when you are around the mirror. Still, she appears to fail (absurdly) in another two areas.
Firstly she has invited her shaken brother to the experiment area which she has meticulously thought of and has setup, however she has not prepared him at all, he really has no idea what this is all about. So he is startled and spends most of the time on camera being completely useless or even contradictory. Might as well have stayed at home.
In addition she makes no effort, except in just one scene, to "stay together". They both roam around the house as if on a picnic making no effort to protect themselves against the hallucinations which they had experienced before as children and should know by now or be prepared at least with an exit strategy. Which was kind of hinted in one scene, "the influence stops at 30 yards", well then dumb-ass stay farther than 30 yards. Doh! The girl has lost her mother and her father and has seen her brother institutionalised because of the mirror. She has researched dozens of victims through the years all dieing gruesome deaths and clearly suffering hallucinations. Yet she displays a cocky attitude walking around the house carelessly like a botanist observing his plants!
The few scenes that we see of their parents are also absurd. Both behave illogically with ridiculous dialogues such as the "woman in the office", the "voices", their reactions to the dog's behaviour, the husband who appears to be from Mars... If you see a woman suddenly materialising in front of you I doubt you will simply brush it aside and go eat your corn flakes.
The general idea of the malevolent mirror is sound and its exploitation could have been done so much better. The author has a free hand, like in Harry Potter, to create any situation he wishes. The mirror is magical and can create any situation imaginable. Those situations should have been engineered to lead the actors inexorably to their destruction but without having them acting absurdly.
The whole story can be summarised "magic mirror kills people around it". That's about it.
The sister had many years to prepare the experiment, in full knowledge that all sorts of crazy things and hallucinations take place when you are around the mirror. Still, she appears to fail (absurdly) in another two areas.
Firstly she has invited her shaken brother to the experiment area which she has meticulously thought of and has setup, however she has not prepared him at all, he really has no idea what this is all about. So he is startled and spends most of the time on camera being completely useless or even contradictory. Might as well have stayed at home.
In addition she makes no effort, except in just one scene, to "stay together". They both roam around the house as if on a picnic making no effort to protect themselves against the hallucinations which they had experienced before as children and should know by now or be prepared at least with an exit strategy. Which was kind of hinted in one scene, "the influence stops at 30 yards", well then dumb-ass stay farther than 30 yards. Doh! The girl has lost her mother and her father and has seen her brother institutionalised because of the mirror. She has researched dozens of victims through the years all dieing gruesome deaths and clearly suffering hallucinations. Yet she displays a cocky attitude walking around the house carelessly like a botanist observing his plants!
The few scenes that we see of their parents are also absurd. Both behave illogically with ridiculous dialogues such as the "woman in the office", the "voices", their reactions to the dog's behaviour, the husband who appears to be from Mars... If you see a woman suddenly materialising in front of you I doubt you will simply brush it aside and go eat your corn flakes.
The general idea of the malevolent mirror is sound and its exploitation could have been done so much better. The author has a free hand, like in Harry Potter, to create any situation he wishes. The mirror is magical and can create any situation imaginable. Those situations should have been engineered to lead the actors inexorably to their destruction but without having them acting absurdly.
The whole story can be summarised "magic mirror kills people around it". That's about it.
Upon Reflection - Simply Brilliant
gregsrants11 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
It was 2006 when director Mike Flanagan first caught our attention. We obtained a copy of his short, Oculus: Chapter 3 and were one of the first internet reviews of the short (a favourable review in case you were wondering). We kept our eye on Flanagan through the years through his follow up projects, Makebelieve (2000), Still Life (2001) and Ghosts of Hamilton Street (2003). But it was Flanagan's 2011 film, Absentia, that really put the budding director in the limelight. Absentia was a small yet ambitious project that did its best on the festival circuit before getting some attention on VOD and DVD and was Killer Reviews' pick as the best horror film of 2011. Flanagan is back behind the camera with Oculus, a picture that was picked as one of the Elite 10 of the Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight Madness Series. Oculus tells the story of Tim and Kaylie Russell (Brenton Thwaites, Karen Gillan). Tim has recently been released from a mental institution where he spent most of his younger years after he and his sister witnessed a deadly family tragedy that left Tim's psyche in a state of fragility. Only hours removed from the hospital, Kaylie convinces Tim that a mirror procured and displayed at the Russell household was the cause of their violent childhood. Kaylie is convinced that the mirror has a 300-year history of death and destruction and she solicits Tim's help in an attempt to confront and destroy the evil that possesses the antique mirror. Kaylie and Tim's attempts to find answers and draw out the evil lead to violent hallucinations and flashbacks that both siblings in danger and challenge the sanity of the recuperating Tim. As their night alone with the mirror draws long, Kaylie and Tim soon learn that the mirror is still the dominant force and their attempts at closure soon become a race for survival. If Absentia was Flanagan's Star Wars, then Oculus is his Empire Strikes Back. A better more polished film, Oculus was as eerie and involving as it was particularly complex in its non-linear storytelling. Much like Absentia, Oculus is intelligent in its unravelling and doesn't cater to the microwave generation's want for a high body count while still delivering the goods. The acting was stellar with familiar faces Rory Cochrane (CSI: Miami) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) complementing the adult Gillan and Thwaites). But is was the performance of the younger Kalie (Annalise Basso) that steals the movie with a virtuoso performance that demonstrates the young actor's range. Horror fans that have longed for a good and clever thriller involving ghosts and the paranormal will have their thirst quenched with the smoothness of a 12-year-old Scotch. Oculus is everything we could have hoped for from the no-longer-unknown Flanagan. It is a superior thrill ride that will challenge audiences to keep up with the fast moving plot developments while delivering upon an onion layered type screenplay that will keep your guessing not only in what happens next, but if what is happening is even real.
Please name me one mirror movie that doesn't leave you perplexed
MovieProductions14 April 2014
**1/2 out of ****
Upon reading the reviews, a lot of them entailed that while "Oculus" is told in a non-linear fashion, that it makes sense in the end, and that everything is wrapped up in a nice little package. I think we saw a different movie.
"Oculus" revolves around brother and sister trying to figure out if the mirror is responsible for a tragic death that occurred, which landed brother into the loony bin.
Now what I liked about "Oculus" is what a lot of critics did as well: Mixing the past with the present, sometimes with events that are a figment of one of the character's imaginations, or seen from a character's different perspective. This leaves what could have been a typical "something went bump in the night!" story, behind. But why this doesn't work: It feels like there's no plot. Rather than having your exposition, your rising action, climax, etc., it's like there's no climax, there's no "ah! that's why this makes sense" moment. It's like watching fragments of a movie, with no complete picture.
One thing I must say is that the acting wasn't all-around spectacular like many lead me to believe. The sister was at times a bit much, and her "theories" got to get a little out of hand. It reminded me of those overt-religious movies that get too preachy. But other than a few times she got out of hand, she was solid. The brother was serviceable but nothing amazing. The father was a really good actor, but the mother was a little wooden. The little kid actors though stole the show. I might even start to believe the child actors were better than the grown-ups!
Now what's shocking about "Oculus" is how light it is on scares, and surprisingly, how much it relied on jump scares and cheap thrills. While every reviewer out there will try to hinder this fact, I'm going to tell you while the way it's presented is a little different, it's essentially the same scare-vehicle. You have people coming in and out of scenes, the whole "gotcha!" moments, etc. It was like "Insidious". But I have to hand it to the filmmakers, there was a few times I was watching "Oculus" where I was flabbergasted.
What a few reviewers picked up on was how pitch-perfect the editing was, and I agree. Studying editing myself, and cutting together some amateur videos, there was not one shot I would change, editing-wise. Everything ran at the length it should have, I liked transitions, etc. But as far as direction goes, the beginning and end leave a lot to be desired. I didn't have as much as an issue with the beginning as most people had, but some of the stuff just did not work. The dialog got to be cheesy, character motifs were pretty questionable, it felt at times like a rough draft. And that ending? I might not have taken a Psychology course, but even I don't think everything fit like a perfect package.
What stays the same in all these mirror movies are the complex structures, and I don't know why. "Mirrors" which came out maybe half a decade ago was completely nonsensical and rather dry. "Oculus" was more interesting you could argue, but still kind of perplexing and nonsensical in its structure.
I think the biggest problem with "Oculus" is not that it wasn't what I expected, in a matter of fact, that's what might get a lot of non-horror fans and general moviegoers to see this one. It's the fact that it is way too silly to take seriously at times. We already had to suspend our belief with the mirror already, but there's some instances that took me out of the film.
While it sounds like I found this movie highly problematic, I will say that it didn't disappoint me to the point where I regret seeing it. Not exactly praise, or a reason to get you to see this movie, but it's definitely different. I just wouldn't go in expecting something among the greats such as "The Conjuring". If you expect more like this year's "Insidious" or maybe even "Sinister", you'll walk away a little more fulfilled.
I'm going to give "Oculus" a mild recommendation and advise a matinée.
Upon reading the reviews, a lot of them entailed that while "Oculus" is told in a non-linear fashion, that it makes sense in the end, and that everything is wrapped up in a nice little package. I think we saw a different movie.
"Oculus" revolves around brother and sister trying to figure out if the mirror is responsible for a tragic death that occurred, which landed brother into the loony bin.
Now what I liked about "Oculus" is what a lot of critics did as well: Mixing the past with the present, sometimes with events that are a figment of one of the character's imaginations, or seen from a character's different perspective. This leaves what could have been a typical "something went bump in the night!" story, behind. But why this doesn't work: It feels like there's no plot. Rather than having your exposition, your rising action, climax, etc., it's like there's no climax, there's no "ah! that's why this makes sense" moment. It's like watching fragments of a movie, with no complete picture.
One thing I must say is that the acting wasn't all-around spectacular like many lead me to believe. The sister was at times a bit much, and her "theories" got to get a little out of hand. It reminded me of those overt-religious movies that get too preachy. But other than a few times she got out of hand, she was solid. The brother was serviceable but nothing amazing. The father was a really good actor, but the mother was a little wooden. The little kid actors though stole the show. I might even start to believe the child actors were better than the grown-ups!
Now what's shocking about "Oculus" is how light it is on scares, and surprisingly, how much it relied on jump scares and cheap thrills. While every reviewer out there will try to hinder this fact, I'm going to tell you while the way it's presented is a little different, it's essentially the same scare-vehicle. You have people coming in and out of scenes, the whole "gotcha!" moments, etc. It was like "Insidious". But I have to hand it to the filmmakers, there was a few times I was watching "Oculus" where I was flabbergasted.
What a few reviewers picked up on was how pitch-perfect the editing was, and I agree. Studying editing myself, and cutting together some amateur videos, there was not one shot I would change, editing-wise. Everything ran at the length it should have, I liked transitions, etc. But as far as direction goes, the beginning and end leave a lot to be desired. I didn't have as much as an issue with the beginning as most people had, but some of the stuff just did not work. The dialog got to be cheesy, character motifs were pretty questionable, it felt at times like a rough draft. And that ending? I might not have taken a Psychology course, but even I don't think everything fit like a perfect package.
What stays the same in all these mirror movies are the complex structures, and I don't know why. "Mirrors" which came out maybe half a decade ago was completely nonsensical and rather dry. "Oculus" was more interesting you could argue, but still kind of perplexing and nonsensical in its structure.
I think the biggest problem with "Oculus" is not that it wasn't what I expected, in a matter of fact, that's what might get a lot of non-horror fans and general moviegoers to see this one. It's the fact that it is way too silly to take seriously at times. We already had to suspend our belief with the mirror already, but there's some instances that took me out of the film.
While it sounds like I found this movie highly problematic, I will say that it didn't disappoint me to the point where I regret seeing it. Not exactly praise, or a reason to get you to see this movie, but it's definitely different. I just wouldn't go in expecting something among the greats such as "The Conjuring". If you expect more like this year's "Insidious" or maybe even "Sinister", you'll walk away a little more fulfilled.
I'm going to give "Oculus" a mild recommendation and advise a matinée.
Horrible!
cheryllynne-708545 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
It's so bad I created an account specifically to pan it.
Lead female moron, knowing full well the evil power of the mirror, sets up laughably inept plan to prove the mirror is evil and vindicate her parents. 'Oh! The mirror can make us hallucinate and think/do anything it wants. Why, I'll just videotape what happens as proof! And for good measure, I'll force my lunatic asylum alumnus brother to help me!'
Only an imbecile would conceive of the...uh... fail safe 'kill switch' in this stinker. As fate (and Darwin) would have it, the imbecile suffered the consequences.
If your IQ is under 90 - this is the movie for you!
Lead female moron, knowing full well the evil power of the mirror, sets up laughably inept plan to prove the mirror is evil and vindicate her parents. 'Oh! The mirror can make us hallucinate and think/do anything it wants. Why, I'll just videotape what happens as proof! And for good measure, I'll force my lunatic asylum alumnus brother to help me!'
Only an imbecile would conceive of the...uh... fail safe 'kill switch' in this stinker. As fate (and Darwin) would have it, the imbecile suffered the consequences.
If your IQ is under 90 - this is the movie for you!
stay away from creepy old mirrors and this movie
vistheindian20 April 2014
Quickie Review:
Oculus is a movie about a mirror that may or may not be evil. A brother and a sister, set out to prove that there is something supernatural about the mirror that tormented their family during their childhood. This film does try some creative ways of storytelling by weaving in and out of the present and past time-lines. It also tackles the psychology of the characters, which is rare for the horror genre. While these new ideas are refreshing, ultimately the build up to the story is slow and the ending is predictable. You will most likely leave the cinema unsatisfied.
Full Review:
Years after a tragedy in their family, Kaylie (Karen Gillan) reunites with her brother Tim (Brenton Thwaites). Kaylie is convinced that a supernatural force within a mirror is what plagued their childhood, while Tim believes that they both created false memories. Kaylie then sets up an elaborate plan to prove herself and thereby prove that something evil lurks in this mirror. In this process we consistently flash between events of their past and present. In the meantime they are also constantly battling the notion that what they perceive to be supernatural phenomenon may in fact be figments of their imagination.
When I first heard the premise, I was intrigued. It seemed like Oculus may be something unique, and in some aspects it is. I liked how the story shows the psychological state of the characters, leaving it up to the audience to decide if they really are crazy or not. What I enjoyed the most about the movie was the direction of two time-lines. Director Mike Flanagan, seamlessly blends the two stories so well that for a split second even the audience has to think when and where they actually are. So for that instant you feel some of the same confusion the characters are feeling. This plays out very well in the climax of the movie.
As for the scariness of the movie, yes, there are some of the typical jump scares, but it does not rely on it. For the most part it is the atmosphere and the tone that plays into the tension. The domestic situation of the family in the past time-line and some of the imagery used is disturbing at times and adds to that overall tension. While that is interesting, I never felt the need to grab on to someone or hide under my blanket (it's a very powerful blanket). I instantly fell asleep like a baby the following night, if that's any indication.
Now as to why despite some of the positives, I'm giving this movie a mediocre rating. During the first 30 minutes, it felt like the writers knew that they didn't have much to pull off a whole movie. So the beginning of the movie feels overstretched with unnecessary suspense dialog for things that majority of the audience already figured out. The movie falters again in the last moments, because it is so abrupt and unsatisfying. I knew exactly how it was going to unfold, and it did just that. What is another detriment to the movie is that there was no purpose to the story, no motive. As a result you don't really care about what's happening on screen, it ends up being just a collection of mildly creepy scenes.
Oculus has a refreshing take on the horror genre by blending it with aspects of a psychological thriller. I especially appreciate the effort put into the storytelling techniques employed. In the end, as a whole package, Oculus is underwhelming and falls into the horror trap of predictable endings. Therefore I would not recommend paying to go see this in the cinema.
Oculus is a movie about a mirror that may or may not be evil. A brother and a sister, set out to prove that there is something supernatural about the mirror that tormented their family during their childhood. This film does try some creative ways of storytelling by weaving in and out of the present and past time-lines. It also tackles the psychology of the characters, which is rare for the horror genre. While these new ideas are refreshing, ultimately the build up to the story is slow and the ending is predictable. You will most likely leave the cinema unsatisfied.
Full Review:
Years after a tragedy in their family, Kaylie (Karen Gillan) reunites with her brother Tim (Brenton Thwaites). Kaylie is convinced that a supernatural force within a mirror is what plagued their childhood, while Tim believes that they both created false memories. Kaylie then sets up an elaborate plan to prove herself and thereby prove that something evil lurks in this mirror. In this process we consistently flash between events of their past and present. In the meantime they are also constantly battling the notion that what they perceive to be supernatural phenomenon may in fact be figments of their imagination.
When I first heard the premise, I was intrigued. It seemed like Oculus may be something unique, and in some aspects it is. I liked how the story shows the psychological state of the characters, leaving it up to the audience to decide if they really are crazy or not. What I enjoyed the most about the movie was the direction of two time-lines. Director Mike Flanagan, seamlessly blends the two stories so well that for a split second even the audience has to think when and where they actually are. So for that instant you feel some of the same confusion the characters are feeling. This plays out very well in the climax of the movie.
As for the scariness of the movie, yes, there are some of the typical jump scares, but it does not rely on it. For the most part it is the atmosphere and the tone that plays into the tension. The domestic situation of the family in the past time-line and some of the imagery used is disturbing at times and adds to that overall tension. While that is interesting, I never felt the need to grab on to someone or hide under my blanket (it's a very powerful blanket). I instantly fell asleep like a baby the following night, if that's any indication.
Now as to why despite some of the positives, I'm giving this movie a mediocre rating. During the first 30 minutes, it felt like the writers knew that they didn't have much to pull off a whole movie. So the beginning of the movie feels overstretched with unnecessary suspense dialog for things that majority of the audience already figured out. The movie falters again in the last moments, because it is so abrupt and unsatisfying. I knew exactly how it was going to unfold, and it did just that. What is another detriment to the movie is that there was no purpose to the story, no motive. As a result you don't really care about what's happening on screen, it ends up being just a collection of mildly creepy scenes.
Oculus has a refreshing take on the horror genre by blending it with aspects of a psychological thriller. I especially appreciate the effort put into the storytelling techniques employed. In the end, as a whole package, Oculus is underwhelming and falls into the horror trap of predictable endings. Therefore I would not recommend paying to go see this in the cinema.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
