Sunday, September 21, 2014

Movie Review: Oculus

Although nearly a year after the fact, I finally got around to seeing the 2013 horror film Oculus last night, and honestly, it was pretty darn good.

The movie focuses on two grown siblings, Kaylie and Tim Russell, and their attempt to prove the evil and supernatural nature of an antique mirror called "The Lasser Glass" which they believe is responsible for the death of their parents.

The film uses two parallel story lines, focusing on Kaylie and Tim as adults and children, and as the effects of the mirror grow throughout the film, the story lines begin to overlap in really interesting and intriguing ways.

Considering the film's chief antagonist is an inanimate object, much of the strength of the film comes down to the story, the editing and the acting (standouts were Karen Gillan, playing the adult Kaylie, and Katie Sackhoff, playing Kaylie and Tim's mother).  Personally, one thing I really enjoyed about the film (sorry for the mild year-old spoiler) is the fact that although a history of the mirror is given, its origins are never explained, leaving them to the audiences imagination (a lot like some of the best Lovecraft stories, come to think of it).

In the end, the film is pretty great, has some fun twists and turns, and definitely kept me guessing until the end.

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