Amazon Prime streaming underrated horror film that ‘grabs you by the throat’
The film chilled viewers to their core upon its release.
Before finding success with his smash hit Netflix horror shows and his terrifying big-screen hits, Mike Flanagan released the ‘underrated’ chiller Oculus.
Released in 2013, Oculus is told through two inter-woven timelines in which siblings Kaylie (Karen Gillan/Annalise Basso) and Tim (Brenton Thwaites/Garrett Ryan) confront a supernatural force that tore their family apart years earlier.
They are convinced an antique mirror is the source of the misfortune and deaths their family has faced for decades, with Tim reconnecting with Kaylie after a stay in a mental institution to discuss the traumatic events of their childhood.
The ‘visceral’ film has finally arrived on Amazon Prime Video to stream from the comfort of your own home – if you dare.
Oculus premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, receiving a theatrical release shortly after.
It garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews, currently sitting at a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘With an emphasis on dread over gore and an ending that leaves the door wide open for sequels, Oculus could be just the first spine-tingling chapter in a new franchise for discerning horror fans.’
The supernatural horror film starring Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites is set across two timelines telling the story of one family’s trauma (Picture: John Estes/THA/REX/Shutterstock)In their review, Sci-Fi Now said: ‘By rooting its clever narrative structure in a tragic story, Mike has created a horror that pulls on the heartstrings as often as it grabs you by the throat… Nail-biting, mind-bending, and very, very scary, Oculus is a must-see.’
Los Angeles Times wrote: ‘Less concerned with fake shocks and show-me violence than the grimly calibrated rotting of personalities, Oculus is one of the more intelligently nasty horror films in recent memory.’
Washington Post compared it to another ground-breaking horror film, adding ‘Oculus director Mike Flanagan has crafted a satisfyingly old-fashioned ghost story that, in its evocation of shivery dread, is the most unnerving poltergeist picture since The Conjuring.’
IndieWire commented: ‘Director Mike Flanagan turns the fragile nature of consciousness into a better fear tactic than any visceral shocks could possibly achieve.’
Meanwhile, film expert Mark Kermode said in his Observer review: ‘This unpretentiously efficient affair handles its dual-narrative past/present intercuts with aplomb and keeps a couple of nicely nasty tricks up its sleeve.’
Oculus boasts a strong Rotten Tomatoes score with viewers praising its themes and chilling delivery (Picture: John Estes/THA/REX/Shutterstock)Oculus was the second feature film from revered horror director Flanagan, following his 2011 debut Absentia.
He has since gone on to direct Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and Stephen King adaptations of Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep.
Flanagan is set to release The Life of Chuck, based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, on August 22 starring Tom Hiddleston, Matthew Lillard, Mark Hamill, and Oculus star Gillan.
On Netflix, he was the creator of the award-winning horror series The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
The director is also attached to an upcoming remake of Stephen King’s Carrie as well as his take on The Exorcist in a sequel to David Gordon Green’s 2023 film The Exorcist: Believer.
Oculus is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.
Where to stream more Mike Flanagan films Absentia (2011) – Plex Hush (2016) – Shuder via Amazon Prime Video and Plex Before I Wake (2016) – Netflix Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) – NowTV and Sky Gerald’s Game (2017) – Netflix Doctor Sleep (2019) – Available to rent from Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and the Sky Store The Life of Chuck (2025) – In UK cinemas from August 22Got a story?
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