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:

mirror | psychiatric hospital | supernatural horror | remake | blond hair | 

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Taglines:

There Is Evil........On The Other Side

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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

In the bar scene, make-up artist Greg Nicotero can be seen as an extra playing pool. He was also in the make-up department for the film.

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Goofs

(at around 25 mins) Near the beginning, Ben puts his left hand on the mirror. Suddenly, a large bloody gash is across his palm. When gets up, the blood and slash is gone. He catches on imaginary fire, it goes out, and his hand is still okay. When he gets home, his hand is bloody and cut again.

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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

After the end of the credits, the title appears, but 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

Followed by Mirrors 2 (2010)

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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

Boo!

These days, at over $10 per movie ticket, the question I most ask when I go to these review boards is...was it worth it? The answer to that question depends upon how effectively the movie brings its genre across to the audience...the interesting plots, the action sequences, the drama. Yes, perhaps I've seen the movie's take on these things before, but to me the movie's worth is defined by the movies own merits, not necessarily the merits of what preceded it...

We have I think all seen variants of what Mirrors is about, yet I still recommend it. I found it to be atmospheric and suspenseful (with some gore, one effect in particular will probably make your jaw twitch for the remainder of the movie), although the suspense wears off once certain things are revealed about 3/4 of the way through the movie. The atmosphere remains intact however, and the ending of the movie delivers an unexpected twist that brings the movie full circle. While I'm not likely to see it a second time, I found a single viewing to be a worthy investment of my time and my $10.50....

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:

New Regency Productions, New Regency Productions, Luna Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 112 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1