Mirrors (2008)

An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.

Director:

Alexandre Aja

Writers:

Alexandre Aja (screenplay), Grégory Levasseur (screenplay) (as Gregory Levasseur)

Stars:

Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Ben Carson
Paula Patton	...	Amy Carson
Cameron Boyce	...	Michael Carson
Arika Gluck	...	Daisy Carson (as Erica Gluck)
Amy Smart	...	Angela Carson
Mary Beth Peil	...	Anna Esseker
John Shrapnel	...	Lorenzo Sapelli
Jason Flemyng	...	Larry Byrne
Tim Ahern	...	Dr. Morris
Julian Glover	...	Robert Esseker
Josh Cole	...	Gary Lewis
Ezra Buzzington	...	Terrence Berry
Aida Doina	...	Rosa (as Doina Aida Stan)
Ioana Abur	...	Front Desk Sister
Darren Kent	...	Jimmy Esseker

Storyline

In New York, the former NYPD detective Ben Carson is hired to work as night watch of the remains of the Mayflower Department Store that was partially destroyed by fire many years ago. Ben became alcoholic and was retired from the police force after killing a man in a shooting. His marriage was also destroyed and now he is living in the apartment of his younger sister Angie. However he has not been drinking for three months and sees the employment as a chance to rebuild his life. When he goes to the rounds in his first night, he finds that the mirrors are impeccably clean and his colleague explains that the former night watch was obsessed with the mirrors. After a couple of nights, Ben sees weird images in the mirrors, but due to the lack of credibility of his past, his ex-wife Amy believes he has hallucinations as a side effect of his medication. When Angie is found brutally murdered in her bathtub, Ben discovers that there is an evil force in the mirror that is chasing him and ...

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Plot Keywords:

psychiatric hospital | supernatural horror | remake | blond hair | woman ripping her mouth open | 

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Taglines:

... gnulegeipS redej retnih treual neuarG saD (German, backwards: The evil lurks behind every reflection ...)

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally scripted as a straightforward remake of the 2003 South Korean horror film Into the Mirror (2003). However, once Alexandre Aja was brought on board and read the script, he was dissatisfied with the particulars of the original film's story. He decided to retain the original film's basic idea involving mirrors, and to incorporate a few of its scenes, but change the story dramatically.

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Goofs

(at around 51 mins) The second time Ben fires his sidearm into the mirror, he fires 6 shots and leaves 2 bullet holes. Considering how slowly the mirror originally 'healed' itself, it is unlikely that four of the holes had sealed over in the brief period between firing and when we see them.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gary Lewis: [after opening window and seeing that it doesn't lead anywhere] Oh fuck!

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Crazy Credits

The opening logos are backwards

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Alternate Versions

UK theatrical version was cut by distributor Fox to secure a more commercial '15' rating. The edits included the removal of a blood splash in the opening throat slashing, shots of a burned and partially naked woman screaming, shots of a woman's jaw being torn apart, and close-ups of a neck being cut with scissors. The DVD was upgraded to an '18' certificate and features the full uncut print.

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Connections

Referenced in 31 Days of Horror: Mirrors (2008) (2018)

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Soundtracks

Happy Valentine's Day
Written by Michael Clark Gurley and Davis Le Duke
Performed by Billy Boy on Poison
Courtesy of Ironworks Music

User Reviews

When a reflections does not reflect reality one can expect fatalities

As a remake of a Korean film of 2003 this film tells the tale of a guy that picks up a job as a night-watchman in what is left over of a burned down department store. What starts as a somewhat dull somewhat creepy job quickly turns into a living nightmare.

There have been at least a dozen horror films where the evil lived on the other side of the mirror - nothing new here. Most of them share the same build up as this one: get to know the victim(s), get to know the evil(s), see them getting maimed/slaughtered/eaten one by one - nothing new here. In effect, this film is like nothing new all over and it would be a standard run of the mill one if it weren't for the fact that most of the settings used are worked out pretty nicely and that the ending isn't the normal sloppy one.

I haven't seen the original but I am interested into seeing it now that I have seen this one. It might be even better.

7 out of 10 mirrors on the wall

Details

Official Sites:

Twentieth Century Fox [United States]

Country:

USA Romania Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Into the Mirror

Filming Locations:

Romania

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,161,074, 17 August 2008

Gross USA:

$30,691,439

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$78,094,714

Company Credits

Production Co:

Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Luna Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 112 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1