Tag Archives: Karen Gillan

Saturday is Horror Day #138 – Oculus

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Oculus

Kaylie Russell (Karen Gillan) has an obsession  – she is determined to prove that it wasn’t her father who killed her and her brother Tim’s (Brenton Thwaites) mother, but rather supernatural forces. First she obtains the mirror once owned by her parents, at a dear price. Then she picks up her brother on his release from the mental institution where he has been incarcerated since he was a teen for the murder of his family. She needs his help and wants to prove everything to Tim as well.

Kaylie has everything set up, including multiple cameras and alarms, and even a fail-safe plan with a kill switch should everything else prove fruitless. Tim is skeptical but can’t convince his sister that she is wrong, helpless to stop her as they both recall the events that led them to this point.

Oculus flips back and forth from the past to the present, which is a little confusing at first as both Kaylie and her mom have red hair. In the past, we watch as the family unit disintegrates,  including the father’s own obsession with the mirror, the mother’s fears that he is losing him to another woman, and the helplessness of the children to do anything. Kaylie is trying to induce the mirror to kill again, and she wants to get it on video.

Oculus is certainly not a bad film, and its director, Mike Flanagan, no stranger to the genre, having also directed such films as Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Ouija: Origin of Evil. I like Karen Gillan and have ever since she played Amy Pond. But I found her character offputting her, almost like she was sleepwalking through everything. Not sure if that was intentional or not, but I couldn’t like anyone in this film and that becomes problematic when you have no one to root for.

Perhaps I couldn’t get behind the idea of the mirror itself as an evil entity – or was it something inside the mirror? Was the movie creepy? That it was. Did it hold my interest? Not really. I know there are a lot of favorable reviews, so it comes down to a matter of individual taste. And that, after all, is what reviews are about. I just couldn’t really get into it, and thought it availed itself of rather common tropes. But decide for yourself. As for me, I’ll give this film 3 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #129 – Outcast

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Outcast

Mary (Kate Dickie) is determined to protect her son Fergal (Niall Bruton) at any cost. Constantly on the run, they end up in a run-down tenement where hopefully they will be safe. But she warns him that he must listen to her and avoid other people, especially girls.

Petronella (Hanna Stanbridge) lives with her drunken mother and her special needs brother Tomatsk (Josh

Whitelaw). There isn’t much to do other than watch out for her brother and hang out with her friend Ally (Karen Gillan). She can’t help but notice Fergal, her new neighbor, and she’s drawn to him.

Cathal (James Nesbitt) is a magic user on a mission, but to succeed he needs permission from Laird (James Cosmo). Cathal seeks a certain power, and to do that he must confront another magic user, who is equally determined not to be found. Liam (Ciaran McMenamin) is helping him achieve his goal, but Cathal grows impatient and doesn’t want to listen or do what he is told.

Also, there is a beast that is striking havoc in the neighborhood, luring and killing unsuspecting victims. Can it be stopped?

I wasn’t sure what to make of this at first, as it seems a little slow at first and a little disjointed. Frankly, I got it because of James Nesbitt. But as the story progresses, little by little it begins to make sense as we watch the plot unfold and you find yourself wondering how is this going to work out? And how does everything fit together? It’s an interesting urban legend sort of story, with magic and beasts and horror, worth watching. I’ll give this film 4 Stars.