Not to be confused with the identically titled 2012 romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts (that movie may actually be scarier), "Mirror Mirror" is a pleasantly surprising slice of slasher movie/demonic horror. It was released during the early 90s, but at heart this is clearly an 80s flick, and therefore also comes warmly recommend to all the numerous fans of this wondrous horror-decade. You all know who you are!
Exactly how 80s is "Mirror Mirror", you ask? Well, think emo-kids getting bullied at school but extracting their vengeance via demonic super-powers. Think high-school kids played by actors/actresses in their late twenties. Think Karen Black as a chaotic, selfish, and overbearing mother. Think popular prom-queens dying naked and squirming in the shower. Most of all: think of a plot that absolutely doesn't make any sense or contains any logic, but you couldn't care less.
Legendary horror heroines Karen Black and Yvonne DeCarlo receive top billing, but they're insignificant supportive characters. The young lead actress, Rainbow 'my-name-is-more-colorful-than-my-character' Harvest looks like Winona Ryder's goth twin-sister. She plays Meghan, the new and troubled kid on the block, who becomes bewitched by a giant antique mirror that remained behind in the house she and her mother purchased. The mirror makes Meghan's darkest wishes come true, which is convenient if you are the least popular girl at school, but it gradually takes complete possession of her soul. Hardly original, I know, but it works.
"Mirror Mirror" benefices from a handful of grisly and bloody kills. Some of the death sequences are even somewhat shocking, because the victims didn't necessarily deserve such harsh fates. It's reasonably fast-paced, the soundtrack is catchy, and director Marina Sargenti does an excellent job. There never comes a proper explanation of where the mirror comes from, or why and how it turned evil. Doesn't matter, though, as background information like that is nearly always disappointing and usually gets picked up in the inferior sequels.
