Review of Oculus (2014) by Benskylerhill — 23 Apr 2018

The poor audience reception for Oculus comes from misunderstanding of the film's purpose. It seems that people these days seek to judge a horror movie's quality based on the amount of "jump-scares" it has. This is not one of those movies. Oculus has almost no jump-scares, and that's what makes it so effective as a horror. Rather than relying on gore or loud noises to induce fear, it utilizes a slow-burning sense of dread that grows as more of the plot is revealed.

The most notable thing I can praise about Oculus is its effective and strikingly original use of non-linear storytelling. It jumps back and forth between two timelines so as to not give away too much of its overall story of two characters desperately fighting in the present to overcome something terrible from their past. The two timelines are connected perfectly and the transitions--for the most part--feel natural, move the story along well, and perfectly build the characters in a way that makes them real to the audience.

The most common complaints I have heard about this movie are that it "doesn't make sense" and that it's "not that scary." I'll give my thoughts on these.

The first one is easily resolved when you realize that it's not supposed to make sense. The supernatural force that Kaylie and Tim encounter make them see whatever it wants them to see, and their struggle is in figuring out what is real and what is a ghostly illusion. We as the audience are supposed to feel as scared and confused as they do, and that's why reality is not made known. As for the second complaint of it not being scary, I would contend that Oculus taps into genuine fear rather than mere cheap, startling jump-scares. The movie is about two kids who witness the horrible effects that insanity inflicts on the family, and that is one of the scariest things that I can imagine.

While none of the performances truly stand out as extraordinary, it is very well-acted. Visually, the film is spectacular, delivering constant tricks on viewer's eyes that dragged me deeper into the mystery of what is real. The only thing truly lacking is in the script. Most of the lines felt uninspired and borderline cliché, although the actors truly did give it their all.

In the end, Oculus is a horror movie for the thinking person. It taps into mankind's real fear of insanity and provides scares that may not affect you immediately, but will stick with you afterward.

Story: 9.5.

Acting: 7.5.

Script: 6.

Visuals/Sound: 9.

Entertainment Value: 9.

MY RATING: 8.