Dark Mirror (2007) User Reviews

Interesting Mythology and Back-Story but Falls Flat

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 5/10 · 6 September 2019]

This was a film that I'm not entirely sure how I got turned on to. It has been on my Netflix for years and it finally came up to be sent to me in the mail. It is an IFC film, so I was intrigued by that. I do like to come into films blind, so there's that. The synopsis is a photographer moves her family in a strange old house, where she discovers an alternate reality reflected in the glass...a dark reality that is closing in on her.

We start this off with Deborah Martin (Lisa Vidal) waking up in bed next to son Ian (Joshua Pelegrin). There is blood on the boy as well on herself and we see that she has a knife sticking out of her side. It then shifts back into the past to show us what got us here.

The film informs us this all starts 3 months prior. Deborah and her husband Jim (David Chisum) are trying to find a house to buy. Deborah is being very picky. They arrive at the next one and through some comments; we learn that she is a photographer who hasn't found her groove to get back working since Ian was born. She has been a stay at home mom this whole time and she doesn't seem to be all that happy about it. Inside the house, Ian starts to tear away paper from a window and he's scolded for it. This draws Deborah's attention and she tears the rest of it away to pretty intricate windows that are refracting the light in a beautiful way. She wants this house even though it is a bit overpriced for the size.

They move in and start their new lives. The realtor told them that a painter used to live there. There seems to be more to the story than she knows and Deborah looks into it. Strange things happen though when she takes a picture in the mirror of one bathroom. There's a mirror in front and behind her which causes the flash to reflect back and forth. It does something odd though. It takes a picture of a different bathroom as if reflected from that mirror. It takes a dark turn when anyone Deborah takes a picture of goes missing. Her mother, Grace (Lupe Ontiveros), comes to help her. Deborah gets a bit stir crazy as she tries to figure out if there's something supernatural in her house. She also becomes suspicious of her husband's work schedule and of the young actress Tammy (Christine Lakin) next door.

Now I wanted to go a little bit vaguer here with my recap as there's not actually a lot to the story. I think now after watching it, one of the things that sucked me in to give it a chance is the idea of mirrors and possible other worlds behind them. That is a terrifying concept to me, as seeing someone behind me or my reflection move independently is scary. The film actually introduces there's a door that only appears in the mirror. This is something I thought was interesting, but it doesn't go anywhere unfortunately. I did want that to be explored more.

We also get an interesting idea here that the windows of the house can hold in spirits. They are three dimensional and I liked the introduction of this lore here. It is thought that it can either hold in or keep out spirits as they would get trapped. I really like to see mythology like this, especially since it is something I've never heard about before.

The major aspect of the story is whether or not there's an evil spirit here or is Deborah losing her mind. I like this when it is done correctly, but it is something that used quite a bit. I like that she is a housewife that has been home for an extended time and she is struggling with it. It is believable and could cause her to descend into madness. We are also introduced that there's an aspect that the painter had things happen after they were painted. This is transferred to Deborah's camera, or is it? I won't spoil what happens here, but I did like what they decided to do.

From here I should move to the pacing of the film, which I have to say falls a bit flat. I think that the movie is boring unfortunately. There is some back-story and mythology to play with, but the film kind of just meanders. It decides to go the route where Deborah blacks out and doesn't remember long stretches. We are given flashes of what happened, but I think that is a misstep of where they should have actually gone with this. I do like what is revealed at the end, it is a bit ambiguous, but they didn't completely go the way where it fall into that tired troupe I was talking about earlier.

To go next to the acting, I think for the most part falls flat as well. Vidal I did think was good. She is quite attractive for an older lady and I like the mood swings that she has. It really feels like someone descending into madness where one minute she seems to be getting on track and then next she's slipping again when something happens. A lot of this is done with facial expressions which I like as well. Chisum was just kind of there. It seems like an uninspired performance. Pelegrin wasn't great, but as a child I'll let him slide. Lakin was good looking as well, but it's a shallow character without any development. The rest of the cast is fine, but no one really stands out.

I'll cover next the effects of the film. There are a few practical ones like the blood and some of the wounds. I would say these are fine. They looked pretty real, but the problem is they decided to go more CGI. These computer effects weren't good unfortunately. We get bad green screen sky to show the weather, there are some flashes of light that don't look real and people getting sucked into things that didn't work either. The film is shot well, but they should have gone more practical with the effects as the CGI looks cheap.

Now with that said, this film has an interesting concept with the back-story and the mythology introduced, but it really didn't go where I wanted it to. I know some of this probably comes from the lack of budget to make the effects look good, but that becomes an issue with the story then if you can't execute. It is boring I think because of what they focus on as well. The acting just seems uninspired aside from Vidal. The practical effects are good, but they went heavy with the CGI and it doesn't hold up. The soundtrack didn't really stand out to me or hurt it as well. I would say this film is sub-par, but I'll some credit to the positive things I said above. I wouldn't really recommend this though as it doesn't really do anything that makes it needed to be seen.

Run of the mill horror film

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 10 December 2009]

Woman moves into a new house and takes a photo in a mirror with a mirror behind her and unleashes a doppelganger from a mirror world. Or something. Unremarkable thriller hits all of the right notes for a story like this but doesn't add anything new to the sub-genre of horror film involving mirrors or alternate worlds. If you've seen any number of similar films you'll know what to expect. In all honesty its not a bad film, its just not a particularly remarkable one. I was kind of hoping for something special because the film was released by IFC Films which tends to release films that have some form of something that's different. This is simply a well done, but run of the mill horror film

Good enough to watch if you're bored one day.

[etherman23 · 5/10 · 29 October 2010]

I stumbled upon this movie thinking it was a new TV show in the genre of the Twilight Zone or Tales from the Dark Side. It has the production value of a TV show but it soon became apparent that it was a movie that I'd just never heard of before.

It started out promising enough (though clichéd) with a family moving in to a new house, which happens to be haunted. Strange things start happening to the wife involving mirrors. Pretty soon the writers find themselves tripping over the plot twists and story lines. The husband's complete lack of concern over the safety of his family, even as he suspects that his wife is a sociopath, makes no sense. The wife struggles with trying to figure out if the house is haunted or if she's crazy. A struggle shared by the writers, I might add. Much like Pirates of the Caribbean 2, the writers threw together a bunch of random story lines and never got them to gel together or make any sense.

I will say that the movie was interesting enough to keep me watching, but the ending was disappointing because it never tied the story lines together.

One of the worst thought out horror movies of all time.(SPOILERS)

[mspinelli91 · 3/10 · 2 August 2009]

I started with High Expectations for this film. It started with a good premise, family moves into haunted house, tried and true. Then it threw in a mother/photographer who's subjects always die. Then it threw in a mysterious door that only appears in their bathroom Mirror. Then it threw in magical Chinese glass that holds evil spirits. Then it adds a dead grandmother to the mix, who is talking to the protagonist as if she is alive. The husband then tells us that she's been speaking to her dead mother... but then in the end... She's not crazy..... Does this sound like 5 different movies in one to anyone? There is no way that a movie with this many plots could ever wrap up in a short 90 minute period. I felt legitimately bad for the actors who were all pretty good. However they were given the unfortunate hand of having to act in a movie where they had little room to act, due to the high demands of an ever changing plot. I was extremely disappointed with this movie.

So overall... Bad Plot(s), Good Actors, too much info, not enough explanation = TERRIBLE movie

A Complete Mess with Fake Reviews

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 1 June 2010]

The housewife and aspirant photographer Deborah Martin (Lisa Vidal) fells a strange sort of attraction by a house and convinces her husband Jim (David Chisum) to buy it. They move from Seattle with their son Ian (Joshua Pelegrin) and Deborah takes a photo of a mirror in the bathroom. Along the days, she discovers that her neighbor is snooping her family and a stranger is stalking her. She researches and finds that the house belonged to a painter that might have killed his wife. Sooner she realizes that an alternate world is affecting her life and the glasses of the house are protecting her family.

The above summary sounds crazy, incoherent or inconsistent? So congratulations to me since I have succeeded in describing the complete mess that this story is. "Dark Mirror" is an awful horror movie despite a couple of good reviews in IMDb (but at least two visibly fake from Users with only one review and giving a ten to this crap). My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Reflexo do Mal" ("Reflex of the Evil")

Mirror mirror on the wall, is there a plot at all?

[sebpopcorn · 10 November 2009]

Another reviewer praises this movie as being 'Polanski scary' but I'm not seeing the connection between a convicted paedophile and this leaden paced dud.

The plot seems interesting enough to start with, a sour faced woman and her family move into a house which has some funny business going on with the mirrors. This goes absolutely nowhere though and the twists are only surprising in the sense that there's no lead up to them so when they're dropped into the story it has minimal impact. The film has a go at a few different ideas but doesn't really get stuck into a good ghost story, nor is it really a satisfying thriller.

The best I can say is that it at least shows you the ending at the start saving you from having to watch the whole thing. I stuck on until the end hoping for something to make it all worthwhile but there really is nothing. I like slow spooky movies but this is just slow and badly put together with mediocre acting from all involved especially "grandma exposition" who pops up a few times to try to get the plot moving.

It's all done with mirrors

[bobvend · 3/10 · 4 October 2010]

This third-rate rip-off of The Shining (and about two dozen other horror thrillers) trucks out every conceivable cliché one can imagine. As far as the story about insufferable yuppies moving into a house in which strange goings-on are going on, we've seen this all before...and done much better than this derivative turkey. Too bad. This is actually an interesting premise but it's all handled so poorly with little imagination or originality. The characters are so cardboard and annoying- especially the I'm-too-sexy-for-myself neighbor- one almost hopes they get clocked! Just when we think the film is about to partially redeem itself with a satisfying conclusion, it's a let-down. Don't waste your time.

Decent enough but still somewhat flawed

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 7/10 · 7 May 2015]

After moving into a new house, a woman and her family are confronted with a series of bizarre and increasingly more frightening visions that she finds is connected to a long-forgotten mystery involving the previous residents of the house.

This was quite a decent if troubling effort. One of its' better tactics is the use of photographs for the mirror which amounts to some of the better scenes in here. Among the better ones is the first attempt as the flashing light distorts the husbands face into a demonic figure while a second figure is seen in the mirror, the same distortion attempts plague the second photographs while the final attempt manages to feature plenty of utterly creepy images on everyone in the photographs before throwing a rather impressive freak-out that comes out of nowhere for a pretty exciting scene. Other big scenes are based highly on the tactic of throwing frightening visuals around at the most unexpected times which includes scenes as the sequence with the old woman across the hall which gets quite frantic with the house search with all the blood found throughout while also focusing on those reality distortion that have been utilized throughout here as well as numerous scenes of rattling windows and shimmering light which is the best part going for the film. The other big positive here is the rather enjoyable back-story which is pretty creepy in its own right before getting to the gradual investigation with the notebook and the water-style filtering on the scene for a truly enjoyable set-piece for the scenes which is enough to help this one out against its damaging flaws. The film's biggest factor against it is the rather toned-down feeling that flows throughout here. The bore and brutality from the kills are so down-played from what their initially could've been considering the actions within which is all based on the toned-down feeling exhibited by the rest of the film. The main part of the storyline here furthers that toned down feeling as it feels more in line with typical Lifetime Channel fare by introducing such topics as her actively questioning whether or not she's insane by imaging everything around her or actually happening which is a common staple in such films. Likewise, this includes the themes of the middle section where she begins investigating the source of the flashing victims throughout, which goes along with the other flaws on display to hold this one down.

Rated R: Violence and Language.

Unbelievably dreadful ...

[spottedowl · 1/10 · 9 January 2011]

This disaster of a movie has nothing to recommend. While the actors try hard enough there is little they can do with such a nonsensical script. The plot – what plot? After looking at 14 other houses the female lead is attracted to this one which seems to give her an orgasm just looking around it. From there it's all downhill. For anyone with an IQ of seven or less this will probably be an attractive thing to watch, else wise it is a turkey.

The direction is poor, the photography is appalling and thumps and gurgles that are substituted for 'music' really turn this shocker into an ordeal to sit through, torture at the top end of the scale. Miss this if you can ...

Reasonable horror fare with strange surprises rather than nervous friction

[robertemerald · 7/10 · 20 July 2019]

Dark Mirror isn't a particularly scary film, but it does have some note-worthy features. There are some good light effects, simple but done well. There are other effects done well too. Also, the transformation of a decidedly unspooky semi-modern bungalow in an ordinary suburb into something spooky is done well with a good soundscape, some above average cinematography and great use of light and dark. This is a great movie for dark things just glimpsed hanging about around corners or fleetingly seen through a prism. And it gets moving really early on, so there is no half hour of establishing normality with only vague hints at danger. However, there are problems as well. At high emotional points some of the performances are over-the-top and thus a little unconvincing, as if the actors couldn't quite handle the reality shifts, or perhaps the writers and Director were unclear how normal people would genuinely react. It's true that most of the twists and turns are not particularly original, but then what are in most horror films? And the mix is original enough that you are unlikely to see what's coming. Dark Mirror is serviceable horror, but more could have been done with the trapped spirit theme. The woman trapped in suburbia theme was one that interested me, and was done quite well. It has both charms and limitations.

Mirror Image

[sol1218 · 5/10 · 30 January 2012]

****SPOILERS*** What's obviously an updated re-make of the 1946 thriller "The Dark Mirror" with Olivia De Havilland & Lew Aryes the film "Dark Mirror" has to do with housewife and part time professional photographer Deb Martin, Lisa Vidal, who becomes so obsessed with a mirror in her new home that it drives her over the edge or deep end by the time the movie is over. The mirror somehow interacts with Ded's camera after she casually took a photo of it. It's then that everyone she photographs ends up disappearing off the face the earth!

Things get really weird when Deb's mom Grace, Lupe Ontiveros, shows up unexpectedly at the house with all these crazy stories of it being possessed by the ghost of it's previous owner an artist who also together with his wife dropped completely out of sight. It's then that Dob's workaholic husband Jim, David Chisum,starts to worry about her in that she may have a few screws loose upstairs: It turns out that Deb's mom Grace has been dead for the last five years!

We get to see Ded slowly lose it when everyone she photographs starts to get edited out of the movie. As if they were somehow swallowed up in an other plane of existence. Even the police are puzzled in what's going on with all those that disappeared leave a number of clues, like blood trails, to them being brutally murdered without their dead and mutilated bodies to confirm it!

***SPOILERS*** It's in the last 15 minutes that we the audience as well as Deb finally get some kind of handle to what exactly is going on in the film. And it's Deb herself who's the key to it without her really knowing about it! That's until it's too late for her as well as Jim who let the whole thing, his wife Deb's mental breakdown, go on too far to the point that he became a victim of it.

A Polanski kind of scary...

[JA_Pittman · 10/10 · 23 September 2009]

Dark Mirror is one best horror flicks of 2009! It's scary but not the usual, banal 'blood and gore' scary - it's a Polanski kind of scary, a thinking person's horror film. The performances are fantastic and Lisa Vidal is mesmerizing. The scene in the bathroom where she's trying to convince her husband something is wrong with the house is absolutely brilliant - the kind of scene that is truly unforgettable, in that wonderfully unsettling way. Curious to see what this director does next because his talent really shines through despite the limitations of a presumably small budget. I think horror fans will definitely dig this flick - but I also think anyone who likes creative and intelligent film-making will appreciate it as well.

An enjoyable if slightly predictable story

[gluonpaul · 6/10 · 26 December 2018]

This movie feels like a made for tv movie and perhaps it was originally I am not sure.

The camera has that soft feel for a lot of the time and the script felt like a toned down made for tv type of movie too. That said the acting wasnt bad, the general story wasnt bad and overall while not what I would call scary at all it does a good job telling the story it wants to tell.

The ending was supposed to be a twist but I doubt you will be all that surprised. That said though it wasnt a bad ending to the movie even if you do see it coming in broad terms. Worth a watch but I wouldnt seek it out.

Dr. Drew says... 4 out of 10

[Dr_Drew_Says · 4/10 · 12 February 2014]

Dark Mirror (2007): The Good, the Bad and the Reflective

Synopsis: A husband and wife, along with their young son, move into a new house that has a dark past. An old secret that lingers in the glass and mirrors of the house must be revealed before it is too late.

The Good: The story is a somewhat intriguing one, even if it is clumsily executed. The idea is that "entities" can get trapped within glass or mirrors. Okay, that's kind of a cool idea. Not completely original, but yeah... we can work with that. The additional concept added is that of the protagonist, being a fledgling photographer, inadvertently captures the entity in her camera lens when she (rather inexplicably) takes a photo of her bathroom mirror. (Not sure I ever figured out why she was taking a picture of her bathroom mirror.... high def selfie?) Despite the fact that the story dissolves from here for me, the concept is quite interesting. The woman realizes, all too late, that if she takes a photo of someone, they wind up dead. Somehow the flash releases(?) the entity and they die. A lot could have been done with this idea, but the director's script and execution burdens the movie's progress of the idea. Sadly, you are left with a good concept and nothing more.

The Bad: The movie is a slow burner, which can be good if the film is moving forward with solid character development. That, unfortunately, doesn't happen. The protagonist wife sees all the creepy stuff in the mirrors, while the husband is painted as the nauseatingly typical "it's all in your mind" horror stereotype. Even when shown things that cannot be explained and the Average Joe husband would say, "Wow, that is some abnormal junk right there", he shrugs it off and allows for the wife to become further "in this by herself". It's a tired device for allowing more of the overly used "OMG... I just saw a dark figure in the window" tricks. Used over and over in the movie for cheap "scares" that don't work, it exhausts the movie far too early and you are left caring little for the ending... you just want it to end. And it's too bad, because the ending is somewhat clever. The problem is that it takes far too long to set up the reasoning for all the happenings. See, the true story is that the house was owned by an artist who was passing his wife's paintings as his own and their deaths are the source of the evil entity. Nice little plot, however, they spend far too long on the protagonist figuring this all out that it ultimately loses any effect it may have had on the viewer. Kind of a shame. For me, this movie got bogged down by trying to do too much and even with so much to do, still found a way to be boring. That is a script issue and the reason it gets a "4" from me.

The Reflective: The word "reflective" is a bit of an oxymoron in the context of this movie, because while the film centers around reflections and windows and mirrors, the director never reflected on how boring and obtrusive his script was turning out. The tone of the whole movie just felt too much like something made for the Lifetime channel. The pacing was horrible and just when something interesting would happen, the director would slow it right back down. The problem has less to do with the idea (which should drive the movie) and more do with the direction, flow and execution of the idea. There was real promise at some point when this idea was being fleshed out, but the director ruined it by trying to turn this into something too cerebral for its own good. The result is a movie I'd obviously never watch again and in a few weeks, I will have forgotten entirely that I ever did watch it.

Awful. Just awful

[jthaxto · 1/10 · 22 December 2013]

In order for me to give spoilers, there must first be a plot. Unless psychotic and idiotic character development is considered a plot. For those considering watching this movie....I'm going to save you the trouble...stab yourself in the eye and throw yourself onto a burning fire. it would be much more enjoyable. Words cannot convey just how mind numbing this movie is. The fact that someone wrote this script (I'm assuming it has a script, but you know, it might not have one) then someone else read it and LIKED it...is mind boggling. the movie isn't even over yet....well I guess it could've been considered over before it started.

this movie is a straight turd. its awful. just....dreadful.

There's something missing...

[xpigsu · 4/10 · 7 March 2021]

Great cast and OK storyline. As it got more toward the end I found it to be disappointing. I didn't dislike it, it was just OK.

Worth a watch at least, just keep your expectations low.

Very scary and inventive psychological thriller.

[sarah-578-468152 · 9/10 · 10 November 2009]

I really enjoyed Dark Mirror. It's not your typical scary movie, but that's what makes it so good. The story grips you right from the beginning and never allows you to catch your breath. The plot revolves around a photographer who, after moving into the perfect (and yet, creepy) old house, discovers that there are secrets hidden in the house's glass windows and mirrors that only her camera can reveal. The film moves at such a rapid pace and the suspense never lets up, so much so that I didn't foresee the very clever plot twist at the end of the film coming. A couple of the actors turn in campy performances, but given the spooky, off-putting world into which this film immediately transports us, they didn't bother me or seem to be out of place. Lisa Vidal shines in the lead role of Deborah, and director Pablo Proenza should be very proud of his work in steering this highly inventive film to its final, disturbing conclusion. I recommend this film not only because it's different than anything that I've seen recently, but it's very effective at scaring its audience. Just don't watch this one alone!

Paranoid perceptions and false reflections: a film worth seeing

[lehnyc · 8/10 · 25 February 2011]

The trouble with reality starts when the paranoid are also the people for whom seeing is believing. That's why delusions must be created.

"I'll know it when I see it," says the photographer-heroine (actress Lisa Vidal) of this 2007 indie film. "Deborah Martin" is a middling talent; a photographer who captures images, but who doesn't _see_. Her awareness dawns late. Her blind spot is her own paranoia.

When she gets the brush-off for a job, she overhears -- through the muffle of a closed door -- her male interviewer remark "I wouldn't hire her, but I'd f**k her." When she catches a partially-obstructed glimpse of her bimbo neighbor and her husband on the front sidewalk, she sees certain infidelity.

Deborah dismisses signals warning of flaws in her perception. Though perplexed enough to twice compare the image on her DSLR's monitor to her eyes' view of the bathroom shower, she ignores the incongruent behavior of the flower-or-splat-shaped wall appliqués.

As is expected with the title "Dark Mirror" the film considers reflection in the vein of yin-yang or alter ego. The mother who visits her daughter Deborah at the new house is changed anew; whimsically, she is the supportive parent that Deborah long wanted. Donning a found Frau-Frau apron, afraid-she's-a-bad-mom Deborah morphs into June Cleaver. You may behold a painting and see a boy swimming in sun-dappled water. Look again and you may see a scene less idyllic.

Writer-director Pablo Proenza's and writer Michael Reynold's layering of alternative interpretations of the mirror and reflection motifs piqued and held my interest. Distracting at first, lighting effects and camera angles ultimately had a synergistic impact on the story-telling and mood. In my view, this film is worth a look.

"Making things happen by drawing them"

[hasosch · 10/10 · 18 November 2009]

This is an excellent horror movie, and I will tell you step by step, why. Although the sources of writer-director Pablo Proenza are unknown to me, the plot makes systematical use of what is called in logic "poly-contextural" elements. Examples are: The exchange relation between a sign and its object, especially a painting and the real, painted person, or the exchange relation between two persons, by which operation the identity relation of the individual is abolished. The possibility that one person can appear at the same time in more than one place - thereby abolishing the Aristotelian triad of individual, place and time. The idea that Death does not abolish the individuality of a person, although it may well abolish its body and the related idea that the will, but not the thinking, of a dead person can survive and therefore influence the lives of the living. "Poly-contextural" is also the idea that "ghosts" can be imprisoned in prismatic glass (windows) or in whole houses, so also the idea/motive of the "Haunted House" has "poly-contextural" roots.

In systematically using such motives the horror movies of the new generation do a big quality jump over their ancestors. Not only a quantity jump - by using more and even complexer technical effects which, at the end, dissolve themselves, but by bringing out the deepest horror which mankind is possibly able to sense: the idea to stand before oneself, the doubling of personality, the non-difference between life and death, the reversibility of the path between the Here and the Beyond and so on. This is not Science-Fiction, but based on solid logical Cybernetics, developed mainly in the US since the 50ies.

Congratulations to the director for this masterpiece! May he continue his way and become the ice-breaker for a real, qualitatively and not only quantitatively new generation of the horror film.