Oculus (2013)
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Two siblings must confront the terrifying reality of an antique mirror that has haunted their family for years.
The story
The film follows two siblings, Tim and Kaylie, who are haunted by the mystery of an antique mirror. In 2013, Tim is released from a psychiatric hospital while Kaylie, who has spent years researching the mirror's history, brings it to their family home to document its powers and prove their father's innocence. The narrative alternates between the present and 2002, when their parents, Alan and Marie, first acquired the mirror. As the siblings attempt to confront the object's supernatural influence in the present, they are forced to confront the tragic events of their past, where the mirror began to cause hallucinations and psychological decay for their family.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film intercuts between 2013 and 2002. In 2002, Alan and Marie purchase a mirror that causes hallucinations; Marie becomes possessed and is eventually locked away by Alan, who also falls under the mirror's influence. In 2013, siblings Tim and Kaylie bring the mirror to their home. They witness the house's environment decay and realize the mirror's power. During a confrontation, they see their own doppelgangers and experience a merging of past and present. In a tragic climax, the siblings are separated by the mirror's influence. Tim, unable to distinguish between reality and hallucination, accidentally kills Kaylie while trying to destroy the mirror. The film ends with Tim being arrested, seeing the ghosts of his parents, while the past and present timelines conclude in a shared, haunting vision of the mirror's influence.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mike Flanagan
- Writers
- Mike Flanagan · co-writer; Jeff Howard · co-writer
- Cast and characters
- Karen Gillan · Kaylie; Brenton Thwaites · Tim; Katee Sackhoff · Marie; Rory Cochrane; Annalise Basso; Garrett Ryan Ewald
- Genres
- supernatural; psychological horror
- Themes
- trauma; supernatural; memory
- Tone and mood
- dread; distorted; disoriented
- Setting
- A family home in the present (2013) and the same home in 2002.
- Premise and plot tags
- non-linear narrative; haunted object; dual timeline
- Source material / true-story basis
- Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 75% · scale: percentage · review count: 157; Metacritic · score: 61 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Production trivia
- The film features a reference to WWE wrestler Triple H.; The script was influenced by the works of H. P. Lovecraft.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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