Customer Reviews

Dark Mirror [DVD]

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Director: Right, your brief is to scour the land far and wide to find me a lead character so dislikeable and devoid of redeeming features that the audience finds it impossible to care what happens to her.

Casting Director: Sure thing boss, leave it to me.

Seriously, i'm not sure if this was a deliberate casting decision but the plucky 'heroine' of the story is such a cold fish who spends most of the film giving her husband and son the cold shoulder. Imagine, if you will, you forgot to buy your partner a present or card for their birthday/anniversary/Valentine's day. Now imagine that look on their face as they realise what a cad you are for being so unthoughtful. I think you can see where i'm going with this...

Brief synopsis as follows; family, including cold-fish wife (to be known now as CFW) with a penchant for photography move into new home. Previous couple vanished without trace. CFW decides randomly to take a photo of herself while looking in the bathroom mirror. This sets off some otherworld spirit who kills anyone she takes a photo of. Honorable mention goes to the next-door neighbour (dumb, vacuous blonde) who is either that specious in real life or a very good actress; either way she certainly vies for top-spot with CFW in the most annoying film character. It's a tough call. Plus the husband seems to wander in and out of the film at will (he works. a lot. apparently) so I couldn't care less what happened to him either.

To be fair, Dark Mirror had the makings of a decent plot but it lacked cohesion and lacked explanation to the point that I cruised through the last 30 minutes idly wondering whether to file my CDs in alphabetical or chronological order next (not to mention the lacklustre cast). Stripped down to its bare bones it could have worked really well as a film similiar to Danielewski's book 'House of Leaves' or an MC Escher drawing.

In short, a vaguely creepy horror film that couldn't decide if it wanted to be a serial-killer flick or an alternative universe head-banger; could have been better but in the end doesn't warrant 90 minutes of your attention.