Mike Flanagan’s 2013 Hidden Gem That Launched the Era of Elevated Horror Is Streaming for Free
Mike Flanagan has completely elevated the horror genre by replacing cheap jump scares with style, substance, and quality stories. While the filmmaker is currently synonymous with hit Stephen King adaptations or his work with the limited Netflix series like The Haunting of Hill House, he has been in the horror genre for a long time.
His first feature film was Absentia, which is one of the scariest recent creature features. Immediately after, he delved into supernatural horror with 2013’s Oculus. The film starred Karen Gillan in the leading role, and it’s available now to stream for free on Tubi.
The horror film takes place in two different timelines and follows siblings Tim and Kaylie. In the present time, the adult siblings are struggling to rebuild their relationship, haunted by the violent demise of their parents 11 years earlier, as the duo is convinced that their antique mirror is behind the tragedy.
The seemingly harmless antique mirror contains 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.
Flanagan directed, edited, and co-wrote the script with Jeff Howard. It’s based on his 2006 short film, Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan. The horror stars Gillan as adult Kaylie Russell, with Annalise Basso playing the younger version. Brenton Thwaites plays adult Tim, with Garrett Ryan playing the younger version. Oculus also features Flanagan’s longtime collaborator and real-life partner Kate Siegel, as well as James Lafferty, Katee Sackhoff, and Rory Cochrane.
Oculus was a massive critical and commercial success. Produced on a $5 million budget, it ended its run with $44 million. It features a Certified Fresh 75% approval from the critics, but only 54% from the audience.
Mike Flanagan Teased More Stories Set in the Oculus Universe
John Estes/©Relativity Media/courtesy Everett Collection
Mike Flanagan teased that he had considered making a sequel to Oculus. In 2024, he shared he has “a lot of stories” set in the universe. However, the filmmaker notes that the rights of the film stand in the way of a possible continuation. “We’d have to untangle who owns Oculus 2. I think that would be the thing. I don’t know what the rights situation is for that.”
“All to say, though, there were always a lot of stories with that I’d love to tell,” Flanagan continued. “Working with Karen [Gillan] is always phenomenal. I’m so glad I got to do it again, although I don’t know how to bring her back into the Oculus world without bringing her back from the dead. But Annalise Basso, also in this, is from Oculus. It’s very cool.”
However, there are no definite plans for any new Oculus story. He did, however, reunite with both Gillan and Basso on The Life of Chuck, which officially hit theaters this year.
Oculus is streaming on Tubi.
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
