Up-and-coming actor Brenton Thwaites stars in “Oculus,” which premiered in theaters April 11.
These days, most of the horror films are predictable and not frightening. Some may be filled with gore, like “Evil Dead” or have things that jump out at every unexpected moment, like “Paranormal Activity.”
Fortunately, 2014 may be the year that horror films get a little bit of their spook back.
The trailer for the film “Oculus” piqued significant interest for its plot and the cast.
Karen Gillan, Scottish actress from the popular BBCA show “Doctor Who,” plays the role of Kaylie Russell while Brenton Thwaites plays the role of Tim Russell.
Unfortunately for Karen, the doctor didn’t swoop down in the Tardis to help out his companion with this scary situation.
Kaylie and Tim are siblings who, to our liking, live in a house with some antique items such as a creepy mirror that should have been thrown out.
Tim also just got released from a mental institution because he was blamed for being a part of a tragic incident when he was a child.
Mental institutions and antique mirrors are great items to add when building a horror plot.
“Oculus” takes place between two time frames, the present day and when the siblings were children. Basically, the film is made up of scenes of the present as well as flashbacks.
Some films do not manage to keep their appeal depending on the child actors chosen to play lead roles.
Although they are not well known, Annalise Basso and Garrett Ryan play the younger versions of the siblings who see dead people.
As far as acting goes for the film, the young stars shine bright and almost out perform their older counterparts.
“Oculus” is a long film and it tends to stay pretty dark since most of the scenes occur over the course of the night.
The main plot of the story involves the mirror. Some critics may whine because mirrors are often used when scary things need to happen. Although that may be true, it goes over in a great way when done correctly.
Luckily, it was in this film. Even if they were trying to accuse and place the blame of a crime on a mirror, it still worked.
Even without the doctor and the typical cheesy horror movie plot, “Oculus” managed to be a well-directed and put-together horror film that is worth seeing.
Story by Katrina Yarbrough, Contributing writer