A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon (www.imdb.com).
Director: Mike Flanagan (Absentia)
Starring: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, Katee Sackhoff
Oculus beats most conventional horrors with an extraordinary sibling pairing and a juggling with the past and the present. Kaylie (Gillan) sets out to prove to the world that a celestial presence within a mirror killed her parents, not her brother. She's hard as nuts, which goes against every femme-fatale/horror genre adage there is. Her brother Tim (Thwaites) faired less well, having treatment to see him through troubled times. These siblings occupy diametric motives; Tim believes it be a facade, conjured up in their youthful minds, whereas Kaylie's determination drives her as well as our own curiosity. Oculus is frightening, playing on many fears; of the dark, family troubles and a unwarranted presense. This film differs from most horrors, blending two time spans following the young and present day relatives. The lead up to the disaster and the subsequent teasing of the 'monster' in the mirror are stylistically overlapped with amazing cuts and visuals. Support from Cochrane and Sackhoff as the siblings' parents are foreboding as a couple on the brink of collapsing. The worst fear of them all? Seeing their parents' relationship slowly deteriorate. Oculus is a cut above the horrors smothering Hollywood these days.
4/5
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