There's been something of a tidal wave of smaller-scale horror movies hitting screens in the last year or so, some treading very familiar and formulaic territory and disappearing into bargain bins at a decent speed. A few have stuck around and caught the critics' eyes - either because of decent twists, superior cinematography or their cast. In the case of Oculus, it's probably far too early to definitively say into which category this release falls - but the casting of Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) and Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) must be considered a potent form of catnip to a potential genre audience.
Directed by up-and-coming talent Mike Flanagan (Absentia), the film tells the tale of siblings Tim (Brenton Thwaites) and Kaylie Russell (Gillan). After, as youngsters, they observe a grisly family tragedy, Tim is confined to a mental institution.e. But on his eventual release, Kaylie tells Tim that she is convinced that a decidely sinister mirror is somehow behind the original violence. The brother and sister must confront not only a potential demon living in the mirror, but the secrets of that night so long ago...
The film did very well as part of the spooky line-up at the Toronto Film Festival with several reviews claiming it is more polished than many smaller movies and doesn't fall back on too many of the frequent torture-porn cliches.
Oculus will be released in the US in April and in the UK shortly thereafter... here's the new trailer:
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