Movies
All the Fright Which Makes ‘Oculus’ a Horror Masterpiece
“I’ve met my demons, and they are many. I’ve seen the devil, and he is me.” -Alan Russell, Oculus.
Where to begin with my sweet Oculus? I have seen many horror movies, but this one ranks amongst my favorites (of course, if you’ve subscribed to the Horror Press Mailing List, you already knew that.)
Oculus came out in 2013 and was an early film of Mike Flanagan’s. Since then, he’s made quite the name for himself in horror with titles such as The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, Gerald’s Game, and Midnight Mass under his belt.
This lesser-known film tells the tale of a brother and sister who have reunited as adults, with the brother Tim (Brenton Thwaites) just being released from a mental institution for killing his father as a child and his sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan), determined to prove that a mirror, known as The Lasser Glass, is a supernatural force of evil that destroyed their family. The tale that unfolds sees the pair reliving the trauma the mirror afflicted upon them as children while trying not to be corrupted by its influence in the present day.
From start to finish, this film by Mike Flanagan is captivating, intense, and terrifying. The horrific concepts which emerge from the haunted mirror extend beyond otherworldly forces, as true-to-life traumas and slip with reality only scratch the surface.
The Lasser Glass
The idea of a haunted mirror is nothing new, yet still just as mysterious as ever. Although there is no scientific reason why a reflective surface could bring about evil tidings, the concept of a haunted mirror is as old as the objects themselves. There are endless superstitions revolving around mirrors, most of which see mirrors serving as gateways between worlds. Many have explored the intrigue surrounding these objects, and there have been various true stories of mirrors purported to be haunted. Therefore, looking at the film from its most basic horrific concept, a haunted mirror, is off to a great start.
HORROR FUN FACT: Look closely in The Haunting of Hill House, the Lasser Glass can be spotted there.
The Horrors of Everyday Life by Supernatural Means
As we learn more about the Russell family, we see the unraveling which happened, and the terrifying part was how relatable the problems began. A wife begins to suspect her husband is cheating after he becomes withdrawn and easily agitated. The Lasser Glass then intensified their marital issues through apparitions of a woman with glowing silver eyes. The mirror tinkered with their bonds’ insecurities to isolate and manipulate them further, to the point where even trying to call for help resulted in hallucinations that the call was taking place. The children become further isolated and are on the receiving end of the cracks in the family’s foundation.
These children grow up to suffer from childhood wounds, all because of the mirror’s evil. Its influence is subtle, and anyone in turmoil may wonder whether a real-life version of the Lasser Glass may be seeping negative energy into their lives.
A similar theme can be spotted in The Shining, which made Stephen King’s book great. The evils of the Overlook Hotel preyed upon Jack Torrance’s weaknesses, using its power to turn him against his family and into a monster. Alan Russell (Rory Cochrane) was absolutely Jack Torrencian in nature, and it’s far from the only line of influence drawn from Stephen King’s work to Mike Flanagan’s. But that’s a conversation for another day.
Slips with Reality
One of the scariest symptoms of the mirror’s influence was the disconnect with reality, where we would see multiple characters “zoning out” into space as their thoughts or memories took over the main running frame of their brain. One shot showed the mother vacuuming but finding herself frozen, staring into the mirror, but looking out into space. As someone who’s neurodivergent and prone to zoning out, it’s creepy to see in the film, especially when the reason is that losing your mind is to blame.
But that’s precisely where Oculus excels. The movie can combine these mundane parts of ordinary life into a tale of people being driven insane and doing horrendous things.
HORROR FUN FACT: Mike Flanagan’s wife, Kate Siegel, who has played in many other Mike Flanagan productions, has a small part in this film as the woman from the mirror.
Full Blown Insanity
One of the scariest notions of human existence is that our brains could disconnect from our bodies so much that we could do one thing but think we are doing something completely different. One story was particularly haunting as Kaylie gave the backstory behind those affected by the mirror. A mother locked her children in a cistern, killing them, and later claimed she thought she was tucking them in bed.
Twisting a person’s perception of reality is the core framework of how the Lasser glass operates and is undoubtedly the scariest part. It makes its victims the perpetrators of their own worst nightmares.
The Lasser glass knows how to mess with people by making them hear and see things that aren’t there, such as one cringe-inducing scene when Alan Russell begins taking off his fingernail, thinking he was removing a band-aid. It’s a terrifying concept because how do you beat that? From the moment Kaylie and Tim watched a recording of themselves moving cameras with no recollection of doing so, it was clear they were never going to win.
The Way Oculus Ends
Some people may not appreciate the ending of this film as it’s not a happy one. Some people don’t like being hit over the head with melancholy and tragedy and evil triumphing over good. However, I do.
As a last-ditch effort, Tim hits the failsafe kill switch Kaylie had installed in an attempt to destroy the mirror for good. However, as the Oculus tagline claims: You see what it wants you to see.
In this case, it was what it didn’t want you to see, as Tim didn’t see Kaylie standing in front of the mirror when he hit the kill switch. The device swiftly impaled her, killing Kaylie in the mirror’s place.
Then, we are left with Tim being dragged from the house by police, with cut shots to both the present and past versions of himself screaming, “It wasn’t me! It was the mirror!”
This ending highlights the continuous theme we see in every Mike Flanagan production. Mike Flanagan loves to play with time and constantly shows the past overlapping the present. I could go on, but I digress.
Why Oculus Is a Must-Watch Horror Film
The fact that Kaylie and Tim didn’t win makes sense. They were doomed from the start. The mirror is a centuries-old evil that would take much more than recording equipment and a haphazard failsafe to destroy. It could manipulate the childhood trauma it had inflicted on them from years before because it already knew them.
The sullen ending only solidified the formidability of the Lasser Glass as an opponent, making it all the more terrifying.
All in all, the way that the Lasser Glass was able to use its supernatural forces to manipulate the insecurities of its victims, to the point where they were so separated from reality that they were driven insane, makes for an incredible horror movie.
5/5 Stabs. Oculus is fantastic.
Watch Oculus for yourself as it is currently streaming on Pluto TV, Plex, Prime Video, VUDU, Redbox, and Apple Tv.
I think we can all agree that Arrow Video is one of the most impressive physical media distributors around. And I’m not just saying that because I regularly spend $200 plus at their Brooklyn Horror Film Festival table every year. But did you know they ALSO have an impressive slate of streaming content? If you’re like me and sad that Halloween is coming to an end, might I make a suggestion? In an age of useless slop being uploaded to streamers, why not give a few bucks to a streamer who actually cares about their content? To celebrate today’s holiest of holy days, let’s take a look at what Arrow Player has in store for us this November.
The Best Movies to Stream on Arrow Player This Month
Arrow Video Player will soon host a number of Shaw Brothers Studio films, leading up to their upcoming December restorations. Want some background on horror’s biggest properties? How about you check out some of their new documentaries? You can catch killer docs like Living with Chucky, Pennywise: The Story of It, Hollywood Dreams, and Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story. As well as We Kill for Love, a four-hour(!) dive into the rise of the direct-to-video erotic thriller. AND on top of all of that, you can check out their November curated seasons for The Final Frontier, Super Arrow!, and Alexandre O. Philippe Selects.
PLUS! November will also see the debut of ARROW AFTER DARK, a new monthly series bringing classic and unknown erotica to subscribers.
And if that wasn’t enough to sell you, check out their super-packed November release schedule!
November 3
- Unknown World
- Kin-Dza-Dza!
- Star Odyssey
- Killing At Outpost Zeta
- Phobe
- The Shape Of Things To Come
- Battle Of The Worlds
- Dark Side Of The Moon
November 7
- We Kill For Love
- History of Erotic Cinema
- Straight to VHS
- Inferno Rosso: Jose D’Amato On The Road The Excess
- Hollywood Dreams And Nightmares: The Robert England Story
- Pennywise: The Story Of It
November 14
- Fulci Talks
- Fulci Lives
- Fantasticozzi
- Robodoc
- 1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever
- Living With Chucky
November 21
- Super Inframan
- The Return Of Swamp Thing
- The Return Of Captain Invincible
- Strega
- Jallikattu
November 24
- Battle Wizard
- Demon Of The Lute
- Portrait In Crystal
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
November 28
- Blue Movie
- My Nights With Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie
- Frank & Ava
Seasons
- November 3
○ The Final Frontier
- November 12
○ Alexandre O. Philippe Selects (Hundreds of Beavers, Incubus, Keoma, Spider Baby, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage)
- November 21
○ Super Arrow
How Much Does Arrow Player Cost to Subscribe?
Arrow Video Player is one of my favorite streaming services out there. It caters to film lovers and not some obscure bottom line. Subscriptions are available for $6.99 monthly or $69.99 yearly. New subscribers can start a 30 day free trial. This is not an ad, but it might as well be. Arrow Video Player is one of the greatest hand-curated streamers out there. And it’s a nice little treat to help you get over the end of Halloween!
I was one of the few people lucky enough to catch the East Coast premiere of Abigail Before Beatrice at Brooklyn Horror Film Fest. This southern cult horror moment gives us a lot to talk about, and I decided to go right to the cool filmmaker herself. I caught up with Cassie Keet to talk about her new film, cults, and getting the perfect take even when the bowling alley has been overrun by small children. Read on for our spoiler-free discussion to help you prepare for this devastatingly sad film.
An Interview with Filmmaker Cassie Keet on Her Movie Abigail Before Beatrice
Horror Press: So, this is your second feature with cults being part of the problem. While Abigail Before Beatrice has a much different vibe than Scream Therapy, it’s safe to say you have thoughts about cults and cult mentality. What is it about the world of cults that draws you in as a filmmaker?
Cassie Keet: I’ve always been curious and sympathetic to people who are drawn into cults. They’re looking for something that’s missing in their life (Abigail Before Beatrice), or they’re born into a system that’s already been put into place for them (Scream Therapy). I’ve always found the members of the cult more interesting than the cult itself or even the leader. Who are these people? Who did they used to be? I know how easy it is to wake up one day and realize, “Oh shit, is this relationship toxic?” The catch is, sometimes that wakeup call doesn’t happen until years later. I think part of my sympathy for people in cults is a way of giving myself and the past relationships I participated in a little bit of grace.
HP: I think people are not as aware of how easily they can exhibit cult-like behavior. Trying to fit in is a slippery slope to becoming part of a pack and not thinking for yourself. However, people tend to look down on people in cults without looking at their own actions and realizing they are not so different. Why do you think there is this reflex to judge people who join cults instead of empathizing with whatever reasons made them feel like a cult was the only place they could find community?
CK: I think people want to believe that they’re different and would never “fall for” something like that. But there are cults everywhere. Cults of personality (looking at you, shitty YouTube manosphere dudes), MLMs (looking at you, girls I went to middle school with), cults of religion (looking at you, every religion). These are ways of thinking that are being weaponized against people by people acting in bad faith, who are the ones who are benefiting the most from your participation. I don’t want to sound callous – I love myself a fun YouTube or TikTok series. I tried to sell makeup in my early 20s, and I’m still a practicing reformed Methodist. It’s about how these things are used.
It’s easy to look at someone who has slipped down a slope and want to congratulate yourself for wearing the right shoes. But no one is “too smart” to be influenced by something that speaks directly to them on a deep, personal level. We’re all looking for something. Sometimes we find it in the wrong place.
HP: It’s hard to not love Beatrice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) in the first act. Then we get to start to get a fuller picture and discover she’s not quite who we thought she was. In your Q&A, you mentioned that you wanted to highlight that even logical people can find themselves in a cult. Can you discuss what went into crafting this character, whom we empathize with even when we are not on board with her thought process?
CK: I wrote Beatrice with the intention of challenging myself as a writer while also exploring some of my own past experiences. I wanted to approach some painful topics that were close to me from a compassionate, if somewhat ambivalent, lens. Beatrice is who she is. I recognize myself in her, and I recognize so many others who have experienced toxic or traumatic relationships. She’s a deeply flawed human because humans are deeply flawed. There’s the joke “I support women’s rights, and women’s wrongs,” and honestly, that applies to Beatrice. Well, maybe not all of her wrongs.
HP: One of the things I like about Abigail Before Beatrice is that it specifically explores how gender plays into cults. Grayson (Shayn Herndon) is clearly a predator, and these women put up with these abuses and his lies, in some small part, because society conditions women to put up with toxic male behaviors. Because there are so many cults getting documentaries or living in our collective consciousness, is Grayson based on someone(s) specifically?
CK: Grayson is a mixture of some cult leaders (Manson, Koresh, Jones), but mostly he was a personal creation. VERY personal. I asked myself, “Who is the type of guy that you would leave your life behind for?” Grayson was my answer. He approaches with a soft hand and a charming smile, tells you you’re special and that you belong somewhere special, and then whisks you away with a romantic kiss. After watching the scene where Grayson meets and seduces Beatrice, several people have said that they would have been tempted to go to the farm with him if he’d done the same. I know I would have.
HP: I think one of the saddest things about Beatrice is that she is clearly capable of living a full life outside of this cult. Yet, she can’t see that, so she mourns the sisterhood, abuse, and routine. As someone who went to grad school for theatre, I find that depressingly relatable and sad. However, many people have a hard time seeing themselves as competent individuals who deserve more. How many of our friends continue to settle in their relationships, jobs, etc.? Why do you think so many of us prefer the devil we know rather than seeing what else is out there?
CK: There’s a term called ‘familiar suffering.’ We choose the pain we’ve experienced in the past or are currently experiencing, because it’s a known quantity. We fear the unknown and the possibility that it contains worse suffering, so we stay where we are. It’s a coping mechanism. It’s built into our brains as a survival technique, even though it lessens our quality of life and leads to self-sabotage. You have to willingly break yourself out of it, but damn it’s hard. Combine that with an abusive environment or relationship that tells you what you have is the best you’ll ever get and that you’ll fail within a world that’s different, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
HP: Because everyone handles trauma differently, I love that Abigail (Riley Dandy) and Beatrice have two completely different journeys with the aftermath of their stint in a cult. Was there a draft where we got more time with the two of them? Or was the vision always to focus on Beatrice?
CK: When I was first conceptualizing the story, I originally wanted to split the narrative between the two of them to show them both in the present. The scene where they reunited at the coffee shop was the first scene I wrote. However, the more I wrote about Beatrice, the more I wanted to explore the specific story of someone who can’t move on because they can’t let go. If I had a million dollars, I would make mini-movies about all of the cult girls and their lives before and after. I just find it so fascinating.
HP: You have so many stories from filming this movie in intense heat and battling wildlife in Arkansas. I have been lucky to hear a few stories, but what is the one you find the funniest and can share with our readers at Horror Press?
CK: Oh god, there are so many. Every day was a hot, sweaty adventure. I will say that the day we filmed at the bowling alley was insane. They let us rent three lanes for free a month before shooting, mentioning off-handedly that they had rented out a few other lanes. When we started setting up our lights and gear, SEVERAL BUSSES OF CHILDREN arrived. Apparently, every other lane had been rented out to day camps. It was the loudest day of my life. Hundreds of screaming children ages 6-11 are sprinting around like maniacs.
Our amazing grip team built a privacy wall for the actors (and for sound, god bless), but at one point, some kid did the inchworm past it. The entire cast and crew stared at him. It felt like a mass hallucination. But, fun fact: we were able to get the shot of Will (Jordan Lane Shappell) bowling a strike and Beatrice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) hitting one pin in just one perfect take. When I called cut, we screamed louder than all of the kids!
HP: What is one thing you have been dying to talk about regarding this movie (non-spoilers obviously) and haven’t been able to?
CK: Olivia’s performance. Every single performance is incredible, but oh holy shit, Olivia just knocks it out of the park. I spent half of filming either staring in shock at the monitor or openly weeping between takes. She’s just beyond amazing. I am so in love with our cast – especially my supporting leads Riley Dandy, Shayn Herndon, Jordan Lane Shappell, and Molly Jackson. I couldn’t have made this movie without this cast.
HP: What are you working on next after you finish your festival run with Abigail Before Beatrice?
CK: I’ve got a couple of things in development right now, which is super exciting! A script I wrote in 2024, right before we went into production for ABB, made the Black List, so that’s with two production companies right now. Fingers crossed!
HP: What social media apps can people find you on, if you want your fans to find you?
CK: Find me on Insta! @kissmycassiek
Abigail Before Beatrice, is still touring festivals. Keep your eyes out for more updates and make sure you follow Cassie Keet to stay in the loop.
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