It’s not really a horrory time of year right now; with the sun coming out and summer sport getting underway, most people probably have slightly brighter ideas planned if they’re heading to the flicks. The makers of Oculus must be hoping that the relative paucity of scary movies will make their film the automatic go-to for horror lovers in need of a fix.
It starts off interestingly enough, with a spooky nightmare for disturbed child offender Tim (Brenton Thwaites; plain, but believable) who’s being released on his 21st birthday. Meanwhile there’s a crime caper-esque set-up for his auction house worker sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan, whose impressive American accent puts memories of Amy Pond straight to the back of your mind). Thankfully, considering its low budget, the action quickly reins itself in from this elaborate start to the confined spaces of Tim and Kaylie’s childhood home.
Brenton Thwaites & Karen Gillan put in strong performances.
The strength of the film is the way it successfully builds a foreboding sense of dread. We learn that Kaylie believes that an ornate mirror, bought by their father to hang in his home office, is a demonic presence that coerced him into killing their mother. Tim, having received therapy as a child after the incident, tells her this is a flight of fancy. As the film progresses, the line between these views wavers as the events of the past intertwine with the present with an oppressively uneasy tone.
Playing around with timelines is nothing new, but Oculus packages it in a particularly enticing way that’s reminiscent of the stunning shooting scene in The Frighteners. It’s also stylish and restrained about its use of gore, making the moments where the claret flows all the more effective.
The soundtrack is great too, full of swelling electronics that reminded me of the score for Gravity, and definitely added to the heavy atmosphere without detracting from it.
As the credits rolled, I wondered whether the open ending was intended to make us think about fatalism and history repeating itself. Of course, I later realised it was more likely just to leave the door open for sequels. That said, if that means more creepy, twisty films with an emphasis on dread over gore, I’m definitely up for it.
