Oculus
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Rent & Buy
A woman tries to exonerate her brother's murder conviction by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon.
What critics thought
Oculus earns mostly positive notices for prioritizing psychological dread over cheap gore, with its interwoven past-and-present structure drawing particular praise for intelligence and craft. Critics who pushed back felt the concept wore thin as it progressed, and some found the supernatural mirror too derivative of earlier horror — Ring being the most cited comparison. Audiences, however, were noticeably cooler on the film than reviewers.
“Less concerned with fake shocks and show-me violence than the grimly calibrated rotting of personalities, Oculus is one of the more intelligently nasty horror films in recent memory.”
Robert Abele·Los Angeles Times
“this unpretentiously efficient affair handles its dual-narrative past/present intercuts with aplomb and keeps a couple of nicely nasty tricks up its sleeve.”
Mark Kermode·The Observer
“well-acted, looks quite good, and manages some moments of entertainment, but as the minutes tick by it grows weaker and weaker until its final cheat designed to allow for a shocker ending.”
Film School Rejects
“It's certainly worth taking a glance at this looking glass, but horror fans may find the reflection a little familiar. Substitute a videotape for the mirror and it's basically Ring.”
Wendy Ide·The Times
Genres
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Mike FlanaganDirector
Karen GillanKaylie Russell
Brenton ThwaitesTim Russell
Katee SackhoffMarie Russell
Rory CochraneAlan Russell
Annalise BassoYoung Kaylie
Garrett RyanYoung Tim
James LaffertyMichael Dumont
Miguel SandovalDr. Shawn Graham
Kate SiegelMarisol Chavez
Justin GordonSupervisor Mark
Dave LevineRobert Clancy
Andrew GrushComposer
Taylor StewartComposer
Jeff HowardWriter
Michael FimognariCinematographyFrom the studio
Oculus
A woman tries to exonerate her brother's murder conviction by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon.
What critics thought
Oculus earns mostly positive notices for prioritizing psychological dread over cheap gore, with its interwoven past-and-present structure drawing particular praise for intelligence and craft. Critics who pushed back felt the concept wore thin as it progressed, and some found the supernatural mirror too derivative of earlier horror — Ring being the most cited comparison. Audiences, however, were noticeably cooler on the film than reviewers.
“Less concerned with fake shocks and show-me violence than the grimly calibrated rotting of personalities, Oculus is one of the more intelligently nasty horror films in recent memory.”
Robert Abele·Los Angeles Times
“this unpretentiously efficient affair handles its dual-narrative past/present intercuts with aplomb and keeps a couple of nicely nasty tricks up its sleeve.”
Mark Kermode·The Observer
“well-acted, looks quite good, and manages some moments of entertainment, but as the minutes tick by it grows weaker and weaker until its final cheat designed to allow for a shocker ending.”
Film School Rejects
“It's certainly worth taking a glance at this looking glass, but horror fans may find the reflection a little familiar. Substitute a videotape for the mirror and it's basically Ring.”
Wendy Ide·The Times
Genres
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Mike FlanaganDirectorKaren GillanKaylie RussellBrenton ThwaitesTim RussellKatee SackhoffMarie RussellRory CochraneAlan RussellAnnalise BassoYoung KaylieGarrett RyanYoung TimJames LaffertyMichael DumontMiguel SandovalDr. Shawn GrahamKate SiegelMarisol ChavezJustin GordonSupervisor MarkDave LevineRobert ClancyAndrew GrushComposerTaylor StewartComposerJeff HowardWriterMichael FimognariCinematographyFrom the studio
Stream
Rent & Buy