MovieChat Forums > Oculus (2014) Discussion > Just leave the house and let the timer g...

Just leave the house and let the timer go off...

posted 10 years ago by DareToXcape
48 replies | jump to latest

Spoilers...

It should have been evident to them once they made the cameras face each other, the extent of the mirrors power in controlling them.

That should have made them deduce that their plan was not going to work as long as they were in the circle of influence, as the mirror could easily from that time onwards do what it did at the end.

So why didnt they just leave the building at that time and wait for the timer to go off. Thats all they needed to do as it was clear they were still themselves.

I mean the mirror even showed them how it would protect itself by making them stand infront of it, and they still couldnt figure it out.

Were it not for that the movie had potential.

[–] FairlyAnonymous 10 years ago

Several things to remember:

She wanted full evidence that it was controlling them. Them making the cameras face each other on camera could be a "hoax".

The other thing is that she did not anticipate for the mirror's radius to get much bigger. So once it did get bigger they were already kind of stuck within its presence. Also by the time they ran outside she had already murdered her husband. This means she needed to absolutely prove what the mirror was doing was true.

Basically the more the mirror manipulated them, the more that was on the line for her.

[–] vrdoljak_666 10 years ago

She never murdered her boyfriend. It was a hallucination.

[–] king_of_bob 9 years ago

No, it wasn't. She actually killed him.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

[–] kiwifilms-inc 10 years ago

They literally try that in the movie, but then they look inside and saw themselves in front of the blade, so they don't know if they are imagining being outside or imagining them inside.

[–] cobbler88 10 years ago

At which point all they had to do was look through the smartphone's camera to see if they were actually in the house standing before the mirror. They established that they could use technology to "debunk" what they thought they were seeing during the turning-the-cameras scene. They just kinda forgot, apparently.

[–] JaggySnake 10 years ago

The mirror can still manipulate what you are seeing on a smartphone. Or if you are even looking at a smartphone at all.

[–] volkstraum 10 years ago

The mirror can still manipulate what you are seeing on a smartphone. Or if you are even looking at a smartphone at all.

That's why the movie falls apart. By its own rules, we can't discern what is real and what is imaginary.

"I can't help but notice that there are skulls all over everything. Are we the baddies?"

[–] foxyrabbit 10 years ago

in the scene where she kills her fiance, she looked through her phone at the clay pot pieces and they weren't there, leading her to think that the pieces weren't real. so can't trust phone camera.

[–] king_of_bob 9 years ago

No. The pot was there. The plate was not. You're mixing up shots.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

[–] foxyrabbit 9 years ago

when she looked at the pot pieces with her phone, her phone displayed a clean floor, leading her to think that the pot pieces weren't real.

[–] king_of_bob 9 years ago

That's why the movie falls apart. By its own rules, we can't discern what is real and what is imaginary.

False. The camera thing was for the audience, not the characters.

If they could somehow see the truth simply by looking through a camera there would be no movie. They could just walk around the whole time with cameras in front of their faces.

The camera work around was for the audience, so that we knew certain things were factual and not Kaylee and Tom's altered perception.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

[–] wakedemons3 10 years ago

That doesn't make sense. By the time the mirror made them rearrange the room, it was already far too late.

Are you not entertained?!

[–] skywalker45-180-963132 10 years ago

Yeah I'm with you on this one. I was like, "Hey just get the hell out of there and let the anchor destroy the mirror!" Why was it so important to prove the mirror's supernatural powers? Sadly, after the mirror had goaded them into changing the cameras around and they couldn't remember doing it I knew the movie would end badly. How do you fight something that causes such power hallucinations and delusions? Not to mention makes you question things that happened in the past. I liked the movie overall but I knew it was done as I said above. Could have taken care of things early, but no. I see the possibility of a sequel.

[–] jm287201 10 years ago

It seemed to me that their reality was twisted at that point and they weren't sure if they were *actually* outside or if that was in their minds and they were really standing in front of the mirror.

[–] tinysnapdragon123 10 years ago

Yeah, to destroy the mirror by just letting the timer go off was the best plan. There wasn't anything the mirror could do to defends itself from that scenario since the trap was in place when the mirror arrived in the room.

But, since the sister was determined to find "proof" I think the next best thing was to have the timer/anchor controlled from outside the house/sphere of influence. The brother could have monitored the cameras remotely and dropped the anchor as soon as there was "proof" on camera and at a moment his sister wasn't standing in the front of mirror.

Once it was clear to them that you have no way of telling what is real and what isn't that you can't fight the mirror up close.

It wasn't clear to me why Kaylie was so worried about eating on the hour and not worried about being tethered to someone or something outside the mirror's reach.

[–] king_of_bob 9 years ago

Yeah, to destroy the mirror by just letting the timer go off was the best plan.

No, it really isn't. Having someone sitting in a remote location with a button that could release the anchor would have been a much better plan. Putting the reset device within the mirrors area of influence was the stupidest thing she could have done. But to be fair, she didn't know just how strong the mirrors influence was.

There wasn't anything the mirror could do to defends itself from that scenario since the trap was in place when the mirror arrived in the room.

Wrong. It could have exerted it's influence over whomever brought it into the room and make them reset the device infinitely.

Once it was clear to them that you have no way of telling what is real and what isn't that you can't fight the mirror up close.

You also cannot get away from it if it doesn't want you to. Like how it had one lady lay in a tub of water until she died of dehydration.

The brother could have monitored the cameras remotely and dropped the anchor as soon as there was "proof" on camera and at a moment his sister wasn't standing in the front of mirror.

Except there was never a chance for them to catch any proof on camera. Since it doesn't physically manifest anything and only influences perception. The cameras would just show Kaylee in the house.

It wasn't clear to me why Kaylie was so worried about eating on the hour and not worried about being tethered to someone or something outside the mirror's reach.

You mean like her fiance who she requested call every hour on the hour? She was worried about eating and drinking because the human will is diminished by dehydration and hunger. She was hoping to remain focused. The problem is that the mirror was far more powerful than she was prepared for.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

[–] tinysnapdragon123 9 years ago

I disagree with your counterpoints 1 and 2, but I think our logic lands us in the same place. Whether the anchor went off by timer or by a person at remote location the risk is the same...someone has to place the mirror in the path of the anchor and then get out. Either way, the best plan was to set the trap and leave ASAP. It seemed the mirror needed some time to build strength, so ideally that would leave you enough time to set the trap and get out.

You are right she was connected to her boyfriend, but not to the extent I meant by "tethered." I think you would need someone far away who knew exactly what was going on (the boyfriend knew nothing)and could meaningfully keep tabs on the situation.

As for "proof" didn't the mirror drain the plants and few other whacky things? I largely agree with you though that proof was a foolish goal and that she was foolish to pursue it....but if she was dead set on that foolish path, doing so with a remote monitor I think was the best way.

[–] azureebluedaisy 10 years ago

She did kill him. Not on purpose, but he really was there. He was captured on the phone's camera and he was one ofor the captured souls at the end. That was pretty obvious.

[–] crissttigaldames 8 years ago

Was he really captured on the phone's camera, or the mirror made them see that?. Was he really there with the other "captured souls" at the end, or was it an allucination too?. In fact, was there anyone there?.

[–] king_of_bob 9 years ago

They can't. Since they're under the influence of the mirror. We see them try to leave the house earlier only to discover they weren't actually outside of the house\outside of the mirrors influence.

They can try to leave the house, but they couldn't have trusted that they would actually have left because their perception was being influenced by the mirror.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

[–] peterbetts 9 years ago

The best approach would have been to

A) hire a long range sniper to shoot the mirror from a distance (if you know where it's going to be) or

B) use a drone (they have a range of a couple hundred feet) and fly it at the mirror full speed (smashing it on impact).

either of these options would have meant the destruction of the mirror

[–] king_of_bob 9 years ago

The best approach, and the only one that would likely work, would have been to smash it in the auction house before she pulled the sheet off of it. From the moment she pulls it off, the mirror is affecting her.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/