Oculus

A young man (Brenton Thwaites) is released after 11 years in a mental institution after the violent deaths of his parents (Rory Cochrane, Katee Sackhoff)—but his sister (Karen Gillan) is determined to prove the murders were the work of an evil force residing in an antique mirror. Directed by Mike Flanagan and written by Flanagan and Jeff Howard (from a 32-minute short by Flanagan and Jeff Seidman), the movie is utterly run-of-the-mill. There are the usual plot holes of a no-rules, would-be supernatural thriller, the typical booga-booga scare music, the customary overwrought acting, the standard Rube Goldberg death traps—and, of course, the obligatory ending with the door left wide open for indefinite sequels. All that's missing is suspense.