Mike Flanagan’s Underrated Original Horror Film (That He Stole From Stephen King) Is Streaming Free
Modern horror mastermind Mike Flanagan has made some truly terrifying hits, cementing himself as one of the genre filmmakers to watch. And rewatch. Now, the director’s most loyal followers and horror connoisseurs can stream one of his best movies without having to pay a dime.
Oculus was released back in 2013 and stars MCU star Karen Gillan alongside Annalise Basso (The Life of Chuck, Snowpiercer), Brenton Thwaites (Titans, Gods of Egypt), Rory Cochrane (Empire Records, Argo), and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica, The Mandalorian). It follows two siblings, Kaylie and Tim Russell, who reunite ten years after their parents’ grisly murders, to try and prove something supernatural was responsible for their deaths. Per the official synopsis:
Haunted by the violent demise of their parents 10 years earlier, adult siblings Kaylie (Karen Gillan) and Tim (Brenton Thwaites) are now struggling to rebuild their relationship. Kaylie suspects that their antique mirror, known as the Lasser Glass, is behind the tragedy. The seemingly harmless reflections contain a malevolent, supernatural force that infects the mind of anyone who gazes into it. As Kaylie gets closer to the truth, the siblings become caught in the mirror’s evil spell.
One of Flanagan’s first feature films, Oculus had a great reception by audiences and critics. It grossed $44 million from a $5 million budget, and today, it sits at 75% on the critics’ score at Rotten Tomatoes. Though the audience score is significantly lower, at 54%, fans of the director hail it as one of his best original films. Flanagan now prefers to adapt Stephen King (and admitted to ripping off the seminal horror author for this one too), but Oculus proves his vision of original horror storytelling – one that doesn’t go light on the scares. Oculus has now been added to Tubi‘s free streaming library, and all viewers have to do is stick around during the occasional ads.
‘Oculus’ Is Early Proof of Flanagan’s Prowess in the World of Supernatural Horror
Karen Gillan in OculusRelativity Media
Oculus is not Mike Flanagan’s official debut as director, as 2011’s indie horror gem Absentia takes that title. Nevertheless, it was the director’s first project starring well-known actors. Backed by Blumhouse Productions, the film had a reach like no other Flanagan project had before. It was after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival that Oculus had a wide release in the U.S., resulting in an impressive box office performance.
What stands out the most about the movie is that it doesn’t feel like a movie that follows a studio’s guidelines. It’s unrelenting, elegantly scary, and unashamedly clever. It doesn’t sacrifice plot for the sake of cheap scares, and takes its time to solve its central mystery – something necessary given the complexity of the dual-storyline narrative. If nothing else, you can tell while watching that it’s a storyteller’s purest version of the story they want to tell.
While he has moved on to major productions, becoming Stephen King’s protégé in terms of adapting the seminal author’s work in the process, Oculus is proof of what he can do when given creative liberties, with the movie standing out as one of the best original horror films of the 21st century.
Release Date
September 8, 2013
Runtime
104 minutes
Writers
Jeff Howard
Producers
D. Scott Lumpkin, Jason Blum, Michael Ilitch Jr., Michael J. Luisi, Peter Schlessel, Trevor Macy, Tucker Tooley, Marc D. Evans, Ryan Kavanaugh, Dale Armin Johnson, Julie B. May, Glenn Murray
