Ben guards a partly-destroyed property by night but begins to see strange images in its impeccable mirrors. After his sister is killed, he is convinced that evil forces are out to get him.Ben guards a partly-destroyed property by night but begins to see strange images in its impeccable mirrors. After his sister is killed, he is convinced that evil forces are out to get him.Ben guards a partly-destroyed property by night but begins to see strange images in its impeccable mirrors. After his sister is killed, he is convinced that evil forces are out to get him.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 2 nominations total
Arika Gluck
- Daisy Carson
- (as Erica Gluck)
Aida Doina
- Rosa
- (as Doina Aida Stan)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
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.
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.
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.
Another over-the-top American horror movie based on an Asian horror movie. Kiefer is alright but the other actors are pretty bad and the dialog is quite poor. Only the first third of "Mirrors" is any good. It's downhill after that as Kiefer tries to unravel the mystery of the mirrors. Instead of genuine creepiness, things jump out at every moment. And then there's the over-the-top finale which is unnecessary and awful.
I like the idea of abandoned places as the setting in horror movies. I watched the horror film "Session 9" after this and it was quite a bit better. The director knew what the director of "Mirrors" didn't know. Setting is crucially important in horror movies. "Mirrors" used the abandoned department store in its first third and then abandoned it for more scares outside. The film should have taken advantage of this setting and used it more. The film does backtrack to the abandoned store at the end of the film, but by then all mystery and suspense is gone from the place.
I like the idea of abandoned places as the setting in horror movies. I watched the horror film "Session 9" after this and it was quite a bit better. The director knew what the director of "Mirrors" didn't know. Setting is crucially important in horror movies. "Mirrors" used the abandoned department store in its first third and then abandoned it for more scares outside. The film should have taken advantage of this setting and used it more. The film does backtrack to the abandoned store at the end of the film, but by then all mystery and suspense is gone from the place.
This movie is certainly not the best horror movie I have seen but out of horror movies that come out now of days it is one of the better ones. The death scenes were a little over the top and gory but at least the movie didn't really on mostly gore that a lot of horror movies these days do. Keifer Suterland was pretty good and there were a few jump scares. I like it that they added a little bit of mystery to it. I give this movie a B for effort. It did seem a little long though, they could have made it at least a little bit shorter. They had some cool special effects like when the mirror got shot and the holes repaired themselves. Overall it was not that bad of a movie.
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.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaShot in Romania, most of it was filmed in Nicolae Ceausescu's unfinished Academy of Sciences building in Bucharest.
- 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.
- Quotes
Ben Carson: [muttering to himself while in the Mayflower store] Fuck this place.
- Crazy creditsAfter the end of the credits, the title appears, but backwards.
- Alternate versionsUK 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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Winnie the Pooh Meets the Toxic Avenger (2013)
- SoundtracksHappy Valentine's Day
Written by Michael Clark Gurley and Davis Le Duke
Performed by Billy Boy on Poison
Courtesy of Ironworks Music
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Espejos siniestros
- Filming locations
- Academy of Sciences, Bucharest, Romania(Mayflower Department Store)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $35,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $30,691,439
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,161,074
- Aug 17, 2008
- Gross worldwide
- $78,094,714
- Runtime
- 1h 50m(110 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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