Dir. Mike Flanagan | Now Streaming On: Pluto | Rating: 4/5

I can remember the hype around this film’s release back in 2013 – at the time, Karen Gillian was still riding the high of the Doctor Who franchise. I’m not sure why I put off watching this for so long, but I’m so glad I finally did.⁠
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Oculus touches a rare and vulnerable nerve in horror audiences by tackling the topic of trauma and PTSD head on. As someone who grapples with my own history of trauma from my teen years, I found the rhetoric between Tim and Kaylie poignant and substantial. This is not the average messed up teen with dead parents trope – there is some real conversation to be had about how well this portrays the facets of post traumatic stress. ⁠
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From the first few moments of the film, we are hit with the tagline that speaks not only to this haunted mirror, but our lives post trauma – “You see what it wants you to see.” And isn’t that always the truth? We live our lives post trauma, spending time trying to decipher – did it really happened? was it really that bad? was it me all along? It’s hard not to relate to both Kaylie and Tim, as they straddle opposite ends of the spectrum of coping. ⁠
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This ending left me heartbroken and sick to my stomach, it will be one I won’t shake for some time. What Oculus lacks is diversity in its casting and voice. It also feels dated in a way, now a decade later. It really oozes that early 2010s era feel, which I feel never quite aged well. Overall, Oculus is not one to miss and get ready for it to hit you hard. ⁠
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Know Before You Watch: Features death, violence, gore, blood, animal death.