Cursed object? Check. Adults who were traumatized by cursed object as children? Check. Said adults attempting to prove object is cursed with horrific results? Check. Let the fun begin!
The film is laced with a wide array of ideas from horror movies across time. After success with Paranormal Activity and Insidious, the team who put this film together knows how to shock and awe the audience. Clever camera angles and exceptional story telling go a long way with this film. Highlights of these are the horrific back story behind the mirror (a century of deaths the mirror has witnessed in each home it has adorned ) and clever camera play that emphasizes practical effects over CGI (view the trailer below for the “light bulb” scene).
With every scene, the anticipation and tension mounts as the viewer is given the question, “What is real?”.
Kaylie (Karen Gillan), is determined to prove that her father and brother are not murderers, begins documenting the entire experience with her brother, Tim (Brenton Thwaites). Tim, recently released from a mental institution, starts to debate whether or not the whole thing was a product of their imagination. Kaylie is convinced the mirror is responsible and has set up the home for a full investigation into the how the mirror manages to kill. Instruments and cameras are set up to monitor the mirror and help keep them alive, but as they watch the mirror, the paranormal begins to assault our protagonists.
The film takes you back and forth between the present and when Kaylie and Tim were kids, moving in to a new home with the newly purchased mirror. Their parents, Marie (Katee Sackhoff) and Alan (Rory Cochrane), begin as a well adjusted couple and soon descend into chaos, with every problem starting in Alan’s office where the mirror is kept. The film begins to flip back and forth, and eventually begins to give us a taste of what our heroes are going through, as Kaylie and Tim start to see the destructive power of the mirror manifest and haunt them in unimaginable ways.
The cast and crew of this film cannot be praised enough for their work. Each scene is well acted and shot to maximize the “crazy” and really leave you with a thoroughly haunting experience, all with little to no CGI.
Rating: [usr 5]
About the movie
Synopsis: Two siblings attempt to capture and destroy a cursed object.
Directors:Â Mike Flanagan
Writers:Â Mike Flanagan
Stars: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane
I’m a gamer, film buff, local music supporter, anime enthusiast, and I love reading manga. I love music of all kinds, especially music that isn’t popular yet. I’m currently playing some old favorites: Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Destrega, Bloody Roar, and Metal Slug. My favorite current game is Beat Hazard, which you can now play on Android, IOS, Xbox360, PS3, MAC, and PC. If you love music and video games as much as I do (I love them so much), then you owe it to yourself to play it on your platform/s of choice, and support the one guy who developed the game with a purchase on one of the many platforms. I aspire to make video games myself with a little program called Unity. I also do my own electronic music. Kerosene Achieves Truth is my band, the genre is Experimental Electronica. I have a few tracks up now if you fancy a listen. Oh, and for anyone who’s curious, the best way to survive a zombie apocalypse is to get in a two-story home and block off the stairs. There are many ways to do that but just be aware that you will need to get in and out for the necessities via the upstairs windows. So be sure to have an easy way to get in and out using that as your entry and exit point. Zombies are horrible climbers, so rope will most likely be your best friend.
