Mike Flanagan is a modern-day horror master and the man behind some of the scariest contemporary horror movies and series like Hush, The Haunting of Hill House, and Doctor Sleep. The filmmaker serves as showrunner, director, and editor of many of his works, and has been a leading voice in the genre.
Flanagan was already one movie old when he made his breakthrough film Oculus. It starred Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, and Katee Sackhoff in lead roles. Flanagan’s wife and frequent collaborator Kate Siegel also contributed in a supporting role. Sackhoff revealed that though she loved the part, she had a panic attack while on the set of Oculus.
Katee Sackhoff felt overwhelmed by the intensity of her role in Mike Flanagan’s Oculus
If there is one thing that Mike Flanagan excels in and stands out among other horror filmmakers of his generation, it is the focus he gives to the scares, being as psychological as they are supernatural. His protagonists are troubled and traumatized, often trying to find answers and solace in the past, where all the demons lie.
He perfected this in The Haunting series and explored it deeply in Doctor Sleep. This theme of ‘haunting-past’ was prevalent in his breakthrough film Oculus, also. Starring Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, and Katee Sackhoff, the movie explores Gillan and Thwaites trying to secure proof of Thwaites’ innocence in their parents’ deaths, which they attribute to a haunted mirror. The film was a success and even got a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff played the mother, Marie, in the movie, and she has several moments of absolute craziness. The physical performance is quite heavy, and Sackhoff actually admitted to having felt overwhelmed with the new avenue her career was taking and what the part demanded. She told Kate Siegel on The Sackhoff Show,
I had a panic attack one night on Oculus. So bad they drove me to the emergency room… Because I was so insecure in sort of like stepping into that role. It was one of the first… She wasn’t the lead of the movie, but she was one of the leads of the movie. And I was scared. I was scared, especially when we started playing Marie in her primal place.
Haunted by the mirror’s supernatural powers, Sackhoff’s Marie goes feral on her family, tries to kill the children multiple times, and ends up dying at the hands of her husband, who is haunted by the mirror, too.
Katee Sackhoff said Mike Flanagan was supportive and thanked the transport crew for saving her
Katee Sackhoff was a pretty popular star by the time she did Oculus. She was known for her role as Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica and Law and Order, and she had already done a horror movie before. However, the part in Mike Flanagan’s breakthrough movie seemed to be a bit too overwhelming while filming, as she had to get into a dark space.
The actress mentioned that she felt claustrophobic in her trailer after filming one day, and began to have a panic attack as she saw the prosthetics on her face. She said that Mike Flanagan was supportive, but she felt extremely overwhelmed by the experience. However, one of the crew members came to her rescue.
I went back to the hotel that night when we were wrapped out and done, and at the hotel I had a panic attack and transport picked me up and drove me to the emergency room… He was wonderful, though. The guy didn’t leave me; he stayed with me the entire time.
The character of Marie is quite intense in the movie as she tries to kill her children multiple times, as she is haunted by the supernatural forces of the haunted mirror. No wonder Katee Stackhoff felt overwhelmed the day she filmed the scene of her attempting to kill the children.
Oculus is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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