Oculus

It is not often that a horror film causes restless nights for me, but after seeing Oculus on Thursday, I'm still thinking about it.

Now those that know me know that it takes a lot for a movie to freak me out, and somehow this one did. Once I got past Karen Gillan's American accent I truly enjoyed the film which started out as a dynamic debate between a skeptic (the younger brother) and a true believer (Gillan's character) who intends to both acquire proof of the paranormal and destroy the mirror that destroyed their family before the night is over, that's when the true horror starts.

"I love lamp!"

You must be wondering, what was so terrifying about this film. It wasn't the mirror, it wasn't the grisly self inflicted wounds and it certainly wasn't the jump scares provided by the ghosts from the mirror. What got to me was what the mirror would do to make people mutilate themselves and others. It is able to mess with your mind and alter your perception of reality. This takes form in things like going outside to make a phone call, not getting through several times and then discovering that you had never left the house in the first place. When you can't trust your own memory, that is one of the most horrific possibilities around.

No more antiquing for me.

What was also effective in making this a chilling tale was what started out as flashbacks to their first encounter with the mirror and eventually intertwined with the present leading to the devastatingly dark ending. I went into this film expecting a mediocre Hollywood horror film, but what I got was a film that left my with my jaw dropped and a few nightmares to boot. If it's still in theatres when you read this I highly recommend going to see it, otherwise I'm sure the DVD will be out soon so you can be cursed with sleepless nights as well.