"Oculus"

 2013 * R * 1h 44m If you’re looking for a horror film that’s a bit different, you might enjoy this one. I liked the fact that there was little actual blood, violence, or swearing in it. But it did manage to scare me to pieces nonetheless.

At the heart of the story is a mirror, known as the Lasser Glass mirror. It’s 400-years old and some folks believe it’s responsible for countless mysterious deaths over the years. We meet Tim (Brenton Thwaites, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”), who’s just been released from a mental institution. He was accused of murder and had been institutionalized for the past 10 years. His sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan, “Avengers: Endgame”) takes him back to their childhood home, which was witness to the murder of their parents. She has the alleged haunted mirror delivered to their home and is out to prove there’s an entity living in the mirror that caused the deaths.

The film jumps back and forth from the present day to when they were children, and we see their parents’ lives descend into madness. It’s a bit confusing at times, but by the end of the movie, it all makes sense. I thought the acting was excellent, especially from Annalise Basso (“The Life of Chuck”) and Garrett Ryan (“Insidious: Chapter 3”), who played the younger versions of the siblings.

Streaming on Kanopy (free with your library card), Netflix, and Prime, and to rent on Apple TV, YouTube, Fandango, and Prime.

3 1/2 stars