Espelhos do Medo

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

Maybe it's because I only heard bad things about this film. Practically every review said "disappointing," "skip it," etc.

So I got the DVD not really knowing what to think. I really liked Haute Tension and I like Kiefer Sutherland. Though the trailer made this look like Jack Bauer and Kim stop a mirror terrorist attack.

But once the opening credits started (with that great pre-credit scene), I was hooked.

Never once was I bored, and there were quite a few times I jumped out of my seat.

Maybe others figured out what the plot was all about, but it took me by surprise.

I found the film eerie, suspenseful, scary and well directed and acted.

And that house! not since Event Horizon have I see a production design so impressive! It was like another actor in the film. The people behind that work deserves an Academy Award, in my opinion.

I also loved the ending. Very un-Hollywood and while in retrospect it probably didn't make a lot of sense, somehow it 'felt' right to me.

All in all, I found this a refreshing take on a horror film... and considering the villain was a piece of glass, It think everyone did a great job.

Not sure why others didn't like it as much as I did, but all I can say I found it a very satisfying experience, and will probably watch it again one day.

A former policeman and nowadays alcoholic named Ben Carson (Kiefer Sutherland) who inadvertently brought the death during a face off with an outlaw, has quit the police force . Now heads up security at Mayflower Department Store that was destroyed by deadly fire in which deceased 23 dead and 78 wounds, he's an employee of the security company who finds alone with the scorched mannequins . Having been caught up in the situation at the department store he watch stuff reflected in glass. Then the spirits trapped behind the mirrors flee and attack his sister (Amy Smart), wife (Paula Patton) and sons. Ben comes across his former partner (Jason Flemyng) who now heads the investigation into the recent murders to chase the criminal. The presence of the weird events and the eerie situations causes Ben to relive the horrendous memories which he has since tried to forget. Meanwhile, Carson is hurrying to solve the recent string of killings . As he discovers how a mysterious nun , once-possessed named Anna Esseker is also found lingering about the crime scenes and she tells him about an asylum where seriously ill patients were subjected to mirror-based shock treatment. Without wishing it, Carson is drawn farther and farther into the deep mystery surrounding the astonishing deaths.

Alexandre's Aja remake of a Korean movie titled ¨Into the mirror¨ is made in American style. It packs,tension,suspense,chills,horror and lot of blood and gore including slitting the throat,attempted rage, slicing ,stabbing, all courtesy of Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger. They create a creepy make-up of horrible and bloody images. The gutsy murders are gruesomely executed and equally as graphic as the original movie.The film is constituted by a well done terror set pieces with creepy and spooky atmosphere.The mirrors's reflections appearance deliver the goods with hair raising chills and full scares.The story is borrowing from the original Korean film , taking and ripping off numerous scenes. Thrilling musical score by Javier Navarrete including a leitmotif based on a Spanih classical music and appropriate cinematography by cameraman Maxime Alexandre. The motion picture is skillfully directed by Alexandre Aja, though with no originality because it is a simple reworking . Aja is an expert on terror genre as proved in the new version of ¨The Hill have eyes¨ and ¨Switchblade romance¨ also titled ¨High tension¨ and in post-production realizing ¨Piraña 3D¨. .The film isn't apt for little boys,neither squeamish.

I hadn't seen this in several years and I do remember some of the graphic violence was pretty crazy, but my that bathtub scene. It was pretty well done, I just thought it was a little too drawn out. I feel like Keifer as usual does great with his role, but overacting especially towards the end was a bit eh. Oh and I actually thought they did pretty good tying up the ending. A lot of people complain the last part ruined the film or wasn't good, but it surprised me as I thought it would be much worse. I say it's worth checking out if you haven't. It wasn't groundbreaking or anything but managed to keep me focused for a few hours. I give it a 6. I liked it better than Aja's High Tension. Now to me that was a bad ending.

A man and his family are terrorised by a supernatural force that is using mirrors as a way access their home.

I welcome Kiefer Sutherland with open arms as he's in the land of TV far too often. Although he seems to lack the great range of his father Donald, he is a great underrated actor. Mirrors gives Kiefer plenty to play with, but as with so many Asian horror remakes that have been spat-out recently and while Mirrors is one of the better re-workings, the story twist is something we've seen too many times.

No stranger to remakes director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes re-do and 2010's Piranha 3-D) takes the viewer though paint by numbers stuff as Ben Carson (Kiefer), a former undercover detective, is forced to take a night time security job at a department store that was gutted by a fire. However, there is an evil lurking in the mirrors, an entity he must stop to save his family.

Lately, I wish all the PC's in the world were stolen so I wouldn't have to see another dodgy effect detract from an actor's performance. While some effects are modest it's the bad CGI that spoils some moments of scariness. When practical effects are used there's one moment that would stop you ever looking into a mirror and taking a bath again.

Jason Flemyng shows up for a brief moment but seems to take his pay cheque and disappear as fast as some of the eerie atmosphere. Between Paula Patton and Amy Smarts (almost a cameo appearance) the acting is above average right down to the child actors who are at no time annoying.

Overall, Kiefer leaves his mark and it may not be the most original horror but at times it is certainly is creepy, not since Poltergeist and Poltergeist 3 have mirrors been so chilling.