Review of Oculus (2014) by Melissa E — 11 Mar 2015

Just shy of a truly GREAT movie, Oculus shows restraint in putting away the typical horror tropes in pursuit of something far greater - and it almost achieved it. Balancing psychological thriller with horror, Oculus succeeds where other similarly themed films (Babadook) fail, it draws you in with elegant camera work, subtle characterization, and several great underlying themes.

Unfortunately, for all its subtlety, it can leave behind your average audience in the mood for scares (73% critic rating vs 52% audience). Oculus masterfully weaves two timelines together, achieving an overall sense of dread and disorientation for the audience as well as the characters; the acting was convincing, and you wait around to see what's going to happen.

Sadly, not enough does. Ultimately a movie has to make a decision - psychological or horror - because very few are skilled & enigmatic enough to straddle both. This is a movie more about the journey than the end, but it ultimately fails to deliver on the intrigue and skillful artistry the rest of the film hints toward.

Still, it's definitely worth a watch.