Oculus: Movie Review

The new horror film straight from the Blum House factory has the right tone and a decent cast, but it’s all-over-the-place story and lack of scares makes “Oculus” a polished but failed attempt at grabbing its viewers.  There are a few moments of creativity here, thanks to writer/director Mike Flanagan, but not enough to justify shelling out your hard earned money to go see it in a theater.

After being convicted of murdering his father and sent to a mental health facility as a child, Tim Russell (Brenton Thwaites) is released on his 21st birthday, where his sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan) is waiting for him with open arms and an agenda.  It turns out there is a mysterious mirror that was in their family home that turned their parents Marie and Alan (Katee Sackhoff and Rory Cochrane) psychotic. 

Kaylie wants to make good on the promise that she and Tim will destroy the mirror that destroyed their lives.  Through the story, we keep bouncing back between the events that took place while they were children and the present.  This is where “Oculus” pretty much lost me.  The constant back and forth between timelines made it difficult for me to actually take in the story or the characters.  This plot device is supposed to help make what was going on clearer, but they just made it more convoluted.  The cast is fine, most notably Katee Sackhoff, who I have liked since “Battlestar Galactica”.  

I was really hoping “Oculus” would be good, especially after all of the positive buzz it received by SXSW in March.  Unfortunately, it looks like the wait for some good scares will continue on.

By: Marc Ferman