Oculus

After a 10 year bid in a mental facility for killing his father, Tim Russell (Brenton Thwaites) reunites with his sister, Kaylie (Karen Gilliam). With a decade long promise to fulfill, Kaylie recreates the tragic events of their childhood for closure. An ancient, haunted mirror is the only thing in the way. The siblings find themselves trapped in their childhood home battling this ghostly mirror and the many spirits that it possesses.

Oculus’ storyline was beyond creepy and the repetition was that of a skipped record. Scenes were played over and over again, making the understanding of the movie even more complex. The highly anticipated horror film left me disappointed and confused. I fully comprehend the idea or concept of the frightful moments, it just took a long time to get there. And there were not as many scary moments compared to the gut-wrenching parts; the parts were you cringed from the nastiness and not from the actual terror.

The lack of diversity in the movie is almost laughable. The 10-person cast did not include not one person of color. Yes, I know we are normally the first character killed in your typical horror film, but Oculus could have expanded the racial representation. The doctor, the friend, somebody could have been of color.

WWE Studios, formerly WWF Films, has a hand in creating this bloodcurdling project. Although the wrestling based film company is fairly new, starting in 2002, the number of movies have increased since they started 12 years ago. WWE Studio is responsible for some greats flicks like The Scorpion King (2002) and The Call (2013). Hopefully, Oculus will give WWE Studios the same box office success despite its own horror.

Earlier in the year, WWE Studios announced the making of Jingle All The Way 2. I was filled with great excitement until I found out that no one from the orginal cast like Sinbad or Arnold Schwarzenegger is slated to be on the movies’ ballot. Childhood classics should be left alone when there are plans to make drastic changes. Don’t ruin my childhood with cheesy sequels. It did not work for Home Alone 3 (1997) or The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (1998), so just leave it be!

2 Stars: There’s a thin line between horror and gruesome. I blame the Saw movie series on the heigtened levels of dramatic ghastliness. Oculus was no different, creating difficult moments to watch in the movie. The elements of suspense and surprise, huge factors in any horrow movie, are minimal.