#27 - Oculus (2013)
(dir. Mike Flanagan)
In my opinion, Mike Flanagan is turning out to be the next great horror director. His low-budget 2011 film Absentia was both original and truly frightening, and it was one of my favorites of that year. This film, based on a short he directed in 2006, shows what he can do with a much bigger budget, and I am definitely impressed. Kaylie is a young woman who, along with her younger brother Tim, went through a traumatic experience 11 years ago. Their father had a breakdown and murdered their mother, and the ordeal ended with her brother shooting him in self defense. After Tim is released from a psychiatric ward, Kaylie sets out to prove that the events had a supernatural cause, in the form of an antique mirror with a bloody past.
The story ricochets back and forth between the past and the present, and the two often seem to be happening at the same time. The effect is intentionally disorienting, as the mirror is trying to confuse Kaylie and Tim, but I never found the film difficult to follow the action. I found it to be quite clever, keeping things surreal enough for us to never be quite sure what is real while still telling a clear narrative. This film is also legitimately pretty scary, and despite some startling moments it doesn't rely too much on jump scares. The mirror is pure malevolence, and the things it does to torture and disorient its victims are chilling.
I really liked this one, and am greatly looking forward to see what Flanagan does next. Highly recommended as a smart and scary thriller.
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