Mirrors 2 2010 Horror Movie Review

OK, let’s get this straight from the start - this is not only a stand-alone film from the Hollywood original, featuring a smaller, more contained B-movie cast, but it’s actual premise defies even the most abstract of racing imaginations!


And, let’s face it, the original didn’t exactly light Hollywood up either, the best part of that movie being its main character’s last minute of horrific self-realization. Anyway, in this low-budget sequel (Producer - “There’s less effects, but they’re more effective”!), our hero Max (Nick Stahl - ‘Terminator 3’), a man already recovering from a traumatic car accident, takes a job as a night security guard at his father’s new Mayflower Department Store - now relocated in New Orleans.


Complete with the huge horror mirror from the first movie, once another night guard is bloodied up whilst looking into it, Max himself begins to see visions of a young mysterious woman in the store’s mirror. Not quite knowing what is going on, he seeks therapy, swallows pills, but nothing seems to rid him of the nightly visions.


Directed by Spanish filmmaker Victor Garcia (‘Return to House on Haunted Hill’), a man who can barely speak English himself, ‘Mirrors 2’ does have things going for it. It has some very inventive deaths, some really well-created, and usually bloody horror moments, and the always stunning, Emmanuelle Vaugier (‘Two & A Half Men’). It was also filmed in a brand new, state of the art New Orleans museum, and the underground tunnel scenes were all filmed on location too!


Personally, I think the grisly slaughters make the movie, but the shower one (as a red-blooded male) is the cherry on the cake re: Christy Carlson Romano (voice of ‘Kim Possible’) ... because, she has the thinnest legs I have ever seen placed on a tight mid-section, with some big-ass fake boobs atop for good (counter) measure!


Anyway, back on track and coming full circle, the one thing I didn’t get is the reason for the horrific car crash at the beginning. I mean, Max is driving in blinding, pouring rain, car lights shining constantly in his face, the wind howling around outside, and the asks his girl next to him to remove her seat belt, crawl over/past him into the back seat, to simply dip into his bag and remove a ring - to propose to her with there and then!! Come on, filmmakers, a) that’s hardly a romantic moment for such an occasion, and b) seriously, in all that rain and bad visibility?!


The middle of the movie staves off from any horror, trying to tie up all the plot points for you, to allow you the chance to guess exactly what did happen that one night back two months ago - and, more importantly, which of the characters is the main killing culprit! And that’s where it succeeds, although the film does feel like it’s going in slow motion for some 30 minutes!


Come the ending, the final ending, yup, it’s clearly guessable (both times!), but by then, and as long as you can suspend even Hollywood belief for the movie’s duration, you’ve had a fun ride.


The Other Side: Making ‘Mirrors 2’ (9:30)

Keeping it Real: The Visual and Special Effects of ‘Mirrors 2’ (12:30)

2 Deleted Scenes

Sneak Peaks