20
Oculus
Chosen by Lilyn
A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon.
Directed By: Mike Flanagan
Written By: Mike Flanagan (Screenplay By), Jeff Howard (Screenplay By), Mike Flanagan (Based on a short screenplay by), and Jeff Seidman (based on a short screenplay by)
Starring: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, and Rory Cochrane
“This was a great movie that holds up well to re-watches. There are so many scenes that will never get old, and an equal amount that just make you cringe. (Biting into the ‘apple’, anyone?) All the actors do a phenomenal job. The first time we watched the movie, we literally just immediately restarted it and sat down to watch it again, we were so intrigued.”
Lilyn
Oculus wastes no time in getting straight to the point and I’m somewhat torn on that. On the one hand, I do like it when a movie skips the dawdle and gets to the good stuff. On the other hand, the ‘research’ phase of the haunted house (or object) movies is one of my favourite parts to them. I like learning about the history of the Evil Haunted Thing. I can see why they did, however, with the leaps from past to present it needed some trimming somewhere and that is the most logical spot.
Oculus admirably manages to keep past and present separate and cohesive until almost the end when they’re almost right on top of each other and you’re on the edge of your seat.
The mirror pulls off some amazing mindfuckery that is just so damn fun (and horrifying) to watch. I will second Lilyn’s apple mention because… OH. MY. GOD. I also loved a certain part near the end where they’re outside, looking in and wondering what’s real and if the house is trying to lure them back inside. It’s so good.
The chemistry between Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites was excellent. They were really believable as brother and sister. In particular, I really loved the “HA!” moment when they’re arguing about the mirror.
In short, if you haven’t watched it you really, really, really should.
Check back every day through the month of October for our Halloween Cover Countdown 2020 – Come back tomorrow to see what Tracy has in store for you!
GracieKat was the first co-host of Sci-Fi & Scary, Lilyn’s partner-in-crime, and sub-head of the Kali Krew. She reviews horror books, movies, and games for the site. She also does a weekly Focus on the Frightful feature, and is the site list-maker. She is also in control of the Sci-Fi & Scary podcast which will relaunch soon.