Horror Movie Review: Mirror, Mirror (1990)

The late 80s and early 90s in horror, a period of time that can both thrill and chill, featuring some of the best and much of the worst as creativity was beginning to dry up. Going back to that period can be interesting, but rarely does it result in something being seen that can now be called iconic. Mirror, Mirror has the proud distinction of being that film, but you already know this, after all it’s garnered a hefty cult following.

Directed by Marina Sargenti, based on a screenplay by Annette Cascone and Gina Cascone, and starring Karen Black, Rainbow Harvest, Yvonne De Carlo and William Sanderson. Mirror, Mirror is such a product of its time, it’s laughable. Not just in tone, but in style too, something that extends to the characters as well.

Namely, Megan, who is *hiss* a goth! This automatically makes her an outcast, but to make things worse, she’s the new girl at school having moved to this small town with her recently widowed mother. Unsurprisingly, Megan becomes a target for the bullies, specifically the popular Charleen.

Luckily, not everyone in school is a piece of crap, and Nikki befriends Megan and tries to help her as much as possible. Unfortunately, she can only do so much, and Charleen and her crew’s bullying of Megan gets worse and worse. While, at home, Megan must witness her mother starting a new relationship, something she is not ready to handle.

What’s a goth girl to do in 1990? Become enamoured with a big antique mirror that was left in the house you just moved into. A mirror that has powers and can grant the user all they desire, but at a cost. Evil things are afoot, will Megan be able to control its powers, and what will it cost her in the end?

A lot, but that’s obvious, this is a horror film after all, and one hell of a hidden gem.

The word is ‘fun’, especially if you look at it as a product of its time. Yes, it’s cliché filled and trope heavy, but in 1990 these hadn’t quite become as tired as they would be. Have this kind of mindset in place and the whole thing will more palatable and more entertaining. Which it really is, especially as there’s a plentiful amount of blood and guts, and some hilarious attempts to scare the viewer.

That the film tries to take itself so seriously too, with a cast giving it their all in the face of so much iffy writing, just adds to the overall strong whiff of cheese that comes from it. Its cult following is more than deserved and while it may not be the fairest of them all, it’s a looker none the less.