Anyone who knows my taste in movies knows that I have very little enjoyment with modern horror films. Frankly, they bore me. We watch jump scare after silly jump scare, poorly explained plot points litter a lack luster script, and actors and actresses are forced to die in sexual or gore porn ways. Don't get me wrong - none of these tropes are necessarily bad, or not entertaining. But just like any other trope, they get lazy and tired. Oculus looked no different.
Fortunately, it was. Oculus isn't a traditionally scary film. In fact, there wasn't any thing in it that made me jump or even really feel fear. But it made me feel creeped out. The film took some tropes of horror and turned them around. Instead of boring plot points to reveal forced emotional content about the spirits, it spends all of its time trying to simply find out what this evil mirror is, with no success. Instead of sexual related deaths that can only exploit the dead girls boobs in so many ways, it uses an admittedly sexy red head to be a strong voice of reason and knowledge, and uses very little death to emphasize the tragedy and brutality of the deaths at hand.
I also have to appreciate the lack of religion. In so many supernatural horror films, the immediate interpretation of spirits or supernatural is some form of christian demon. But here, the question pursued in the film what the mirror is. At no point is religious speculation brought into the picture. Even though it's flawed in its approach, the characters attempt to use the scientific method and experimentation to figure out what this thing is. It's really refreshing to see a plot line that leaves supernatural occurrences as just that - supernatural.
In addition, the movie treats women in a far more respectable light. In most horror, the girl is a big boobed dumby who can't do anything for herself. Admittedly, the girl is super hot. Fine. But her character is intelligent, devoted, and uncompromising. She has a lot of personality, and her sex appeal is quickly pushed to the side to develop her actual character. Her brother is another good character, somehow blending the line between ignorance and close-mindedness to a believable mix. The backstory is admittedly occupied by generic parent abuse stories, but this is to explain the characters motivations rather than this entity. So to me, it was a different style, and it worked fine.
Oculus is far from perfect. It could have been a lot scarier, and it could have been a lot more catering to the modern horror fan base. But for me, there was a lot to respect in this new interpretation of horror. I loved the lack of jump scares, instead focusing on creepiness and elongated imagery to bring about feelings of unease and fear. I loved the treatment of women, letting our female character be the strong and smart one, protecting her brother from harm. And it was great to finally see a supernatural plot line focus around a non-religious interpretation. It was a good watch, and while I can't recommend it to average horror fans, I do think there is a lot to take away from this film.
Rank - 3.5/5
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