Oculus

For once the Critics are more accurate than the Audience😲!

Mike Flanagan’s Oculus is a horror film with ambition, using psychological tension and a fractured narrative to elevate what could have been a standard haunted mirror premise. The story, told through interwoven timelines, follows siblings Kaylie and Tim as they confront a supernatural force that tore their family apart years earlier. What sets Oculus apart is its confident direction and commitment to blurring reality with delusion. Flanagan crafts eerie, disorienting sequences that challenge both the characters and the audience’s perception of truth. Karen Gillan delivers a strong lead performance, though some of the film’s structural choices—particularly its repetitive setup—dilute the impact of the horror. While Oculus doesn’t fully transcend its genre, it’s a well-executed psychological horror film with a unique approach to supernatural terror. It may not leave a lasting chill, but its craftsmanship and unsettling atmosphere make it worth watching.

It's interesting watching this for the first time after seeing some of the Netflix shows. It's cool to see how the haunted family, between time lapses drama came into fruition as a movie.

I realize I am 11 years late to this movie and if it was good then, for some unknown reason, it sure as hell did not hold up. It was recommended in my streaming feed and the trailer looked good but this movie was so unfulfilling that the ending actually made me angry. They waste way too much time trying to build dread and run the past and present as interwoven timelines, but that is ineffective because you know in the first 5 minutes how the past timeline was resolved, so the buildup to that climax is a huge letdown. And the current timeline gets so convoluted between what is real and what is a "trick" of the mirror that I didn't really care much what happened in the end. And then the actual ending was a cop out, nothing really got resolved, and I felt like Mike Flanagan wasted 2 hours of my life. Skip this. Or if you're that intrigued by the trailer, fast forward to the point where they give this history of the mirror, and then fast forward to the last 5 minutes and you've gotten the gist of the entire movie.

I felt this movie would have turned into a huge success if it had a happy ending

Okay at best not much of a plot, no way to get the win.

Great idea. Well filmed and produced. Based on a shorter story this does drag on some. The ending is disappointing and after the movie establishes that anything may be real or imagined and there are no rules this viewer tired of it.

Although perhaps too slow of a burn for some horror enthusiasts, Oculus makes a commendable effort to utilize its star power just enough to blur the line between scientific factuality and paranormal possibility into a watchable storyline.

Oculus has its issues such as the standard horror movie trope of characters making questionable decisions and I do see some merit to the accusations that the plot seems to be a bit too contrived to ensure the protagonists lose but I do think it's a decent horror movie. Just not as good as director Mike Flanagan's later work (while not his directorial debut, Oculus is his first fully mainstream film). The acting is good, the film gives you a constant sense of dread because of its take on the "haunted mirror" cliché and the climax does a good job justifying the title as the line is blurred between past and present, all culminating in a memorable, and disturbing, ending. Alas, the Critics Consensus really jumped the gun when it assumed there was going to be a sequel. More than a decade later and no signs of one happening anytime soon, even without Flanagan's involvement. Should've kept that deleted scene set after the end of the film as a post-credits scene. Oh well, you know what they say: always leave them wanting more. Better to have one generally well-liked horror movie than a crapton of unnecessary sequels that has people begging the filmmakers to stop.

I had the great pleasure of seeing this movie when it was released in theatres and for many years running it has been a favorite. From the dual storylines playing out at the same time, giving you background as the currect story plays out, the overarching theme of family trauma, and the unique concept it really hits all of the right notes. So often thrillers have some sort of happy ending but this one follows a much darker route. Even with every failsafe put in place the fate of the characters was sealed from the minute they return the haunted mirror to their childhood home. It is worth not only a watch but a rewatch over and over.