Oculus

Oculus (2014) takes place around a mirror, and what the mirror does is not kill but distort perception. Ten years earlier a family brought it into their house. The father lost his mind, killed the mother and then himself; the son Tim shot the father and was committed. The daughter Kaylie has always insisted that what she saw was real. Tim is discharged as an adult, convinced he is well: it was trauma and there is an explanation. Kaylie has found the mirror and has a plan. She sets it up in a house, installs cameras, sets timers, prepares food and water, and intends to record proof that it is real. The idea is that the mirror alters what you see. Kaylie believes she is drinking water; she is holding a light bulb. She checks the camera, and the camera lies too. Gathering evidence is impossible because the instrument of evidence is also affected. The narrative runs in two periods at once: the childhood and the present. As it goes the two begin to intersect in the same room and which period you are in becomes unclear. Mike Flanagan directed, expanding his own short film. Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites star. The method is not sudden noise but distrust; the film prevents you from being sure what you are looking at. It was made cheaply and did well. It runs 104 minutes. Good for: psychological horror, clever construction, and Flanagan. Less good for: some scenes are graphic and the dual timeline can be tiring.