Oculus (film)

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Movie
German title Oculus
Original title Oculus
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2013
length 103 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Mike Flanagan
script Mike Flanagan,
Jeff Howard
production Marc D. Evans ,
Travor Macy
music The Newton Brothers
camera Michael Fimognari
cut Mike Flanagan
occupation

Oculus is an American horror film by Mike Flanagan from the year 2013 , which in his short film Oculus: Chapter 3 - The Man with the plan is based. The film premiered on September 5, 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival .

action

Tim Russel is released from a psychiatric institution in which he is because of incidents that were initially not explained in more detail. He is picked up by his older sister, Kaylie, who works in an auction house . The auction house has sold an antique mirror that Kaylie is bringing to the family's old home under false pretenses. She reminds Tim of the promise they made as children and asks him to meet her in the old house.

From here on, the film is told in two time levels, which are interwoven and sometimes even interact with each other: First, the events in the childhood of the two and once in the present as adults. In the past, the Russel family moved into a new property. The father Alan bought an antique mirror for his office and hangs it up in his office. In the further course of the strange events accumulate: The mother Marie has more and more visions of the decay of her body, Alan stays more and more in his office and has contact with a mysterious woman there, all the plants in the house wither and the family dog ​​disappears at once without a trace after he was locked in the office.

Marie suddenly becomes aggressive towards her children and is locked up and chained in the bedroom by Alan. The father neglects his children and ignores their requests for medical help for the mother. All attempts by the children to get help from outside fail. Eventually Alan releases his wife, who immediately starts to be aggressive towards her children again. Just before Marie can strangle Kaylie, she is shot by Alan. The children hide from their father and are hunted by the mysterious woman. An attempt by the children to destroy the mirror fails. Alan finally turns his children into the office and tries to shoot Kaylie, but is prevented from doing so by Tim, who turns the gun on his father. Alan pulls the trigger for his son and dies. Tim is then taken to the mental institution by the police.

In the present, Tim is now convinced that he only imagined the events of childhood. However, his sister tries to prove on video through an ingenious plan that the mirror is cursed. She has since found out that all previous owners of the mirror have died violent deaths. Kaylie lets Tim know about her plan, but Tim is initially skeptical and tries to convince Kaylie that the events of childhood did not take place like this. But when the plants set up as an indicator wither and the two also begin to show strange behavior, Tim becomes skeptical. Tim and Kaylie have more and more hallucinations and Kaylie accidentally kills her fiancé in the process. All attempts to get help fail again.

The past and present become more and more intertwined, and finally Tim tries to destroy the mirror with an emergency mechanism installed by Kaylie, but in the process inadvertently kills his sister. Tim is again taken away by the police for killing his sister and claims, as in childhood, that the mirror committed the crimes.

production

Mike Flanagan had previously made the short film Oculus: Chapter 3 - The Man with the Plan , which should be made as a feature film due to positive reviews . Various film studios initially wanted to produce a found footage film , but Flanagan refused. Eventually, Intrepid Pictures agreed to produce a film outside of found footage. Filming took place in Alabama in October 2012 , and the film finally premiered on September 5, 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival .

reception

Christoph Petersen Screenrush .com takes Oculus as "a [s] Although ambitious [n], but unfortunately not very exciting [n] mirror shocker". On Rotten Tomatoes , the film received a 73% rating.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Certificate of Release for Oculus . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , October 2014 (PDF; test number: 147 399 V).
  2. Don Kaye: Interview: Oculus director Mike Flanagan. denofgeek.com, April 14, 2014, accessed March 8, 2018 .
  3. ^ Criticism on filmstarts.de