Within the realm of horror, many things have been depicted as being haunted or possessed. From dolls, to houses, to even people, something wicked usually takes over and enters the living realm. Sometimes though, the more simplified the item, the more ominous it may seem. An example of this is HAL-9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 – A Space Odyssey (1968). While not haunted in any way, the straightforward design of the character led to some unnerving scenes within the movie. The same could be said for this feature where the main focus is on a mirror, which doesn’t even have an individual face to boot. While having lead other films prior to this one, director Mike Flanagan would make himself more known with this release. He would also later go on to direct Hush (2016).
Despite the title not sounding like it’s at all related, the story is about Tim and Kaylie Russell (Brenton Thwaites & Karen Gillan), a brother and sister who went through a traumatic experience together after the family acquired a strange mirror. Both of their parents (Katee Sackhoff & Rory Cochrane) lost their minds and in self-defense Tim shot his father. Several years later after being deemed sane, Tim reunites with Kaylie only to learn he made a promise to her that they would find the mirror and destroy it. Written by Mike Flanagan as well as Jeff Howard, a frequent co-writer of Flanagan’s work, this supernatural horror film has plenty of things to contemplate over. One of the most intriguing aspects about this story is just learning about the history of the mirror and again, it’s design.
Even though no specific reason is given as to how the mirror became possessed, being explained the background of the mirror is enough captivation. Adding to that, when seeing how this object has affected Tim and Kaylie is all the more tragic. There’s also the dynamic between the two siblings – one coming out of rehab, while the other plotting revenge. Two different perspectives on the events that occurred back in their childhood. What truly happened as to what one was told happened; reality vs logic. Meanwhile the mirror stands idly by, watching and waiting to claim its next victim. What doesn’t work in the films favor is how the character threads overlap. As time progresses, events almost seem liked reflected images of the past, which makes sense with the whole mirror thing going on. However, this raises further questions when it comes to the mirror itself. Is it omniscient; because it’s almost too precise.
Acting is done proficiently within the running time. While the cast is small, viewers can easily recognize most of the actors from other films. Karen Gillan at the time was new, but would shortly star in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Brenton Thwaites started out similarly with this feature and would then get involved with Maleficent (2014) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). Katee Sackhoff is no stranger to horror films having been in Halloween: Resurrection (2002), White Noise 2: The Light (2007) and The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013). Rory Cochrane is also well known in films like Dazed and Confused (1993), Argo (2012) and Black Mass (2015). As for the kids, Annalise Basso and Garrett Ryan both are just starting out but show promise in their capabilities.
For visuals, it’s impressive how well the production was able to work around the fact that a mirror can expose tricks used in filmmaking. Michael Fimognari is credited as cinematographer and it looks good. The long standing shots of the dark mirror allows for much dread to be felt. The music was also a decent effort from The Newton Brothers. While synthesis and electronic pulses aren’t normally the most engaging of score material, the composer duo managed to make such an album with said techniques that actually work to the film’s credit. The thumping bass line is the motif for the mirror and there are rarely any stings with in the tracks provided. It still would be nice for them to create more themes for their new works in the future. The album itself does contain over an hour of material and an overall theme for the franchise. It’s worth a listen.
There is some vagueness in how the antagonist to the feature is able to manipulate things, alluding to the fact of it’s true power. Besides this though, the performances really sell the idea along with the eerie music and a foreboding prop design.
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