In a world where everyday objects become sources of terror, two siblings must face the death and destruction of their pasts to save lives.
“So a lot of horror movies do this: Escalate tension, let you off the hook, escalate tension, let you off the hook. And then they’ll escalate over time. What we were trying to do with ‘Oculus’ was just this: The unrelenting sense of building dread,” said Trevor Macy, producer of the new horror film, “Oculus,” alongside writer and director Mike Flanagan, who were both interviewed by the Clarion last week.
The film follows two siblings, Kaylie (Karen Gillan, “Doctor Who”) and Tim Russell (Brenton Thwaites, “The Giver”), who survived a scarring experience when they were young—both with clashing memories of the night that ended with their parents’ deaths. Tim, who has spent the majority of his youth locked in a psychiatric hospital, has recently been released into the care of his sister.
While Tim vehemently holds on to the belief that his father suffered a psychotic break and killed his mother, Kaylie has other ideas. She believes that the antique mirror that hung in their house was a supernatural force that overcame her father, citing years and years of its bloody history. Named the Lasser glass after its first known owner, over forty-five gruesome deaths occurred in its vicinity. While Tim attempted to deal with his horrifying memories through psychology, Kaylie has spent the last decade researching the Lasser glass and trying to relocate it, which she manages to do at the beginning of the film.
“Oculus” proves that there are still innovative, terrifying and intelligent plots, in a time when most movies seem to be remakes, adaptations or translations of books or other blockbusters. The feature film is based off of Flanagan’s eponymous short film, with the more in-depth feature-length film sparked from parts of his own life.
“I was always very terrified as a kid to watch horror movies. I couldn’t do it. So it became kind of like, this character-building exercise to try and survive the horror movie,” said Flanagan, who also wrote and directed the horror film “Absentia” in 2011.
Flanagan was also inspired by his relationship with his brother.
“Often horror movies will go with like friends hanging out or a couple, and I think that’s pretty well-worn territory. But the subtext siblings have—they don’t have to be polite, they know how to push each other’s buttons, and you kind of infer the long history they have with each other based on the way they behave, rather than having to be told,” said Flanagan.
Kaylie and Tim’s relationship is definitely one of the strongest points of the film. They are both young adults who have the crushing reality of their past perpetually hanging over them, each with their own method of dealing. Obviously, as the film progresses, Tim begins to see the truth of his sister’s belief in the supernatural, which contrasts dramatically from everything he spent the last decade accepting. In a series of flashbacks throughout the movie, the audience also learns the truth of what happened on that fateful night—but the past and present begin to merge together as the Lasser glass tries to drive the Russell siblings to insanity and death. The audience is able to fully experience the terror of uncertainty as the Lasser glass manipulates their perceptions of the events as well. In addition to being strongly character-driven, “‘Oculus’ stands out for its atypical use of true terror. While most genre films rely on ‘jump-and-relax’ tactics, this film works more with ‘chew-through-the-back-of-your-chair horror,’” said Macy.
In addition to the fantastic writing, all the actors provided captivating performances: Whether it was the horrifying encapsulation of Marie Russell, the mother who has spent days being tortured, portrayed by “Battlestar Galactica” veteran Katee Sackhoff, or relative newcomer Thwaites, whose depiction of a young man trapped between faith and science melded easily with a reality the audience understands. The child actors, Annalise Basso (“Bedtime Stories”) and Garrett Ryan (“Insidious 2”) especially captured their characters to an astonishing extent.
“I learned the first day that the best thing to do was just to tell [Basso and Ryan] where to stand and then get out of their way, because young actors like them, they are rare. They had this ability to fully and fearlessly commit to the make believe and they just turn it right on,” said Flanagan.
For those fans of horror films, “Oculus” is a must-see, as it simply redefines the overused tropes and setups of its genre, inspiring actual fear in its viewers, in addition to providing a truly relatable and compelling storyline. The growth of “Oculus” from a short created among friends to a major motion picture reminds viewers that their input can have a phenomenal impact.
“It’s fans that brought it to life. That’s amazing. And that would have been impossible ten years ago. So it’s an exciting time for movies. But I’m just kind of very fortunate. So I never want to forget to thank the fans, because … none of this ever would have happened,” said Flanagan.
Macy and Flanagan will be collaborating once more on the film “Diver,” which begins production later this year.
