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Oculus (15)

Horror

A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon.


The critical consensus

Gillan invests her character with energy but the film struggles to generate enough shocks and twists to sustain its length.

***(*)(*)Siobhan Synnot, The Scotsman, 08/06/2014

It’s compelling to watch, even if the gruesome finale (involving a very sharp-looking pendulum-blade) can be seen a mile off. That aside, Oculus is still a good little midnight movie.

***(*)(*)James Mottram, The List, 04/06/2014

A good, small-scale horror movie with unusually interesting roles for cult TV stars Gillan and Sackhoff — who both get more to do than play scared and run screaming. Flanagan is a director to watch.

****(*)Kim Newman, Empire Online, 09/06/2014

A heartbreaking exercise in creeping dread that’ll leave you feeling slightly nervous around mirrors for days (or longer…) afterwards.

****(*)Sarah Dobbs, Total Film, 09/06/2014

Director Mike Flanagan is one to keep an eye on.

****(*)Martyn Conterio, Little White Lies, 12/06/2014

Very silly but really quite effective.

***(*)(*)Chris Fyvie, The Skinny, 12/06/2014

The plot creaks but that doesn't make its shock tactics any the less chilling.

***(*)(*)Geoffrey MacNab, The Independent, 12/06/2014

This modest shocker messes with your head to the point of surrender. I can’t have been the only one who left the cinema still confused as to exactly what had just happened.

***(*)(*)Allan Hunter, Daily Express, 13/06/2014

Mike Flanagan's feature-length expansion of his festival-favourite short makes the unfashionable decision to rely on a twisty script rather than loud noises to deliver its creepy thrills.

***(*)(*)Mark Kermode, The Observer, 15/06/2014

Where and when?

General release. Check local listings for show times.

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