Oculus

That is the spookiest movie I have seen in a very long time.  I literally just finished it, and, hyped up on energy drinks and alone in my big, creaky house, I'm frankly just writing this review to distract myself from how freaked out and paranoid I feel right now.

It's that good.

The movie begins (after the obligatory jumpy intro) with a psychiatric patient named Tim.  He is congratulated on overcoming his psychosis and is released, finally, at the age of 21.  He is genuine and stable, and gets a vague warning from his doctor that while reconnecting with his sister is important, managing his recovery is more important.

At first this seems odd.  Initially, Kaylie is presented as very put together.  She has a kind fiance who works with her in the art trade.  She is supportive of her younger brother when he gets back, helping him set up an apartment and offering her guest room.  Soon, however, it comes out.  She has found something.  A mirror from their childhood that she plans to "kill".  She invites her very skeptical brother to her strange mirror intervention.

 

Tim reluctantly agrees to help her transport the mirror to their childhood home, then stays in an attempt to convince his sister that this is psychosis for which she has not gotten treatment.  Kaylie begins talking to the cameras (note, this is NOT a found footage film, but the characters employ the use of cameras).  She claims that more than 45 people have been killed by the mirror.  Tim tries to reason with her, pointing out that she only has a dozen actual cases to show the cameras.  He pleads with her, trying to save her from the paranoia and delusions he himself faced.

Throughout the film, we see flashbacks of their lives as children, living with their parents.  Their father killed their mother and Tim killed their father to save Kaylie (which landed him in a psychiatric unit).  This is some of the most chilling footage of the film.  Both children have a slightly different version of events they remember, but both are absolutely horrifying.

Because they may have just been from a horrifyingly abusive home.  After their parents deaths, maybe they concocted a supernatural story around the events in order to protect themselves, mentally, from what a monster their father was.

The supernatural parts of the film are so scary because there's always the possibility that they're just an illusion (or a delusion).  Every time something truly horrible happens, the characters flash back to themselves as frightened children who don't understand the horror that is happening around them.

In terms of feminist content, this film did okay.  The two major women in the film (the mother and the main character, Kaylie) are the phenomenal actresses Katee Sackoff and Karen Gillian, and are relatively complex characters.  Kaylie, the main character, is strong, self-assured and protective of her little brother (who is more sensitive), which is a breath of fresh air.

 
The movie fails entirely on depictions of people of color.  It is somewhat unsensitive to people with mental illness.  The main characters, if they are indeed ill (instead of haunted, the more likely option) are depicted as having violent tendencies.  This is a long-running issue in media (esp horror).  In real life, people with mental illnesses are not more likely than the general public to become violent.  However, even if the characters are ill, they are treated with a certain respect and empathy.  The viewer feels as though if they had been put through what these people were put through they would behave in much the same way.  Cycles of abusive violence do exist.

Overall I give it a 5/5 for spooky factor.  I just jumped hard enough I almost knocked my laptop out of my lap because my AC kicked on (thermostat is set to 78, it's after 10pm, welcome to Texas).  Representation of women I give a 4/5.  POC, disability & mental illness factors get a 0/5, like so many horror films.  But if you want a good, solid scare that doesn't depend on gore but depends on tension, this is the movie of the decade.

Film trigger warnings for: domestic violence, mistreatment of people with mental illness, abuses in the foster care system