Oculus: Chapter 3 - The Man with the Plan (2006)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Mike Flanagan

Writers:

Mike Flanagan (writer)
Jeff Seidman (writer)

Genre:

Short | Horror

Tagline:

No one knows who created it. No one knows what possesses it. But Tim Russel knows what it can do... and he's going to prove it.

Plot:

22 years ago, Tim's father committed an act of unspeakable violence, leaving him orphaned. But Tim believed his father was innocent - and that the antique mirror that hung in his father's office had more to do with what happened. Now grown, he's tracked the mirror's horrifying history and is determined to prove and document its abilities. But what he sees and hears in that room could cost him his sanity - or his life.

Awards:

9 wins

Cast

Scott Graham	...	Tim Russel
Matthew Reynolds	...	Alan Russel
Joe Wicker	...	Delivery Man
Brandyn Feldman	...	Delivery Man
Dave Levine	...	Steve (voice)

Also Known As:

Oculus: The Man with the Plan (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

32 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Filming Locations:

Venice Beach, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Back 2 One Productions

Trivia:

The mirror itself is actually available on line for sale, and is part of the "Howard Elliot" collection. Its frame is actually made of hard plastic.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Boom mic and operator visible in Scott Graham's glasses during the entire "history" section of the film.

Quotes:

Tim Russel: I have met my demons and they are many... I have seen the devil and he is me.

Movie Connections:

References Ju-on (2000) (V)

Fantastic and Frightening Short Film

THIS is what real inventive indie film-making is all about! Thanks to my connection to the horror review site KILLER REVIEWS.com (I'm a staff writer there), I had the privilege of finally seeing this. I'm still amazed at how much of it was based solely on building a sense of ever-increasing dread without so much as seeing a single limb hacked off and barely any blood at all!

Director Mike Flanagan reinforces the theory that still stands the test of time: it's not what you can see that really scares you, but what you CAN'T. Kudos as well to Scott Graham for a tremendous performance as a young man trying to solve the mystery of his parents' deaths and the connection the antique mirror (the focus of the story) has to what happened. No spoilers here, folks: if you haven't seen this yet at a local festival, hopefully you'll get the chance if this becomes part of a horror shorts collection in the future.

Mike Flanagan is definitely a director to watch, and Scott Graham is well on his way to following in the footsteps of great genre actors such as Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Campbell.

Outstanding first effort, and I hope to see MUCH more...