MIRRORS - 2008 - Alexandre Aja

I couldn't find the opening sequence so I've included the trailer instead!

The first time that I watched this I was genuinely very freaked out and a little grossed out due to the graphic gore included- I suppose that's the point. However the concept is very clever and the whole plot carefully thought out, so definitely worth a watch if you haven't already seen it.

The Basic plot-

This film follows the basic out line of the original film 'Into the Mirror'.

The concept is based around a deamon that is trapped within the mirrors and consumes the spirits of the poeple that it kills. The people die when they look in the mirrors as their reflection has control over them- the reflection does something completely different to what the person does- this is something that I can't understand how they managed to film.

Any way, the night watchman Ben Carson (main character) soon realises what is happening once he starts seeing terrible things in the mirrors where he works, soon followed by his sister dying from her reflection ripping apart her jaw (a gory part!). He tries to protect himself and his family from suffering the same fate by going in search of the girl who released the demon into the mirrors in the first place many years ago. He does find her but you'll have to watch it to find out what happens in the end -if you haven't watched it already of course!

Like many other horror films, Mirrors is broken into sections:

Firstly- The production and distribution companies are shown

20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises

Secondly- The situation/problem or curse is revealed to the audience. In this case the audience are shown that the mirrors have control over the people looking into the mirrors.

The main character isn't revealed to the audience yet, the focus is on a random victim (the original night guard as seen above). This is done to foreshadow what is to come in the main story aswell as to raise enigma codes.

Thirdly- The title of the film appears

 followed by the main actors (USP), producers and finaly the director.

By this time though it's gone over the two minute opening sequence.







Fourthly- It jumps forward to the present time and the main story begins, introducing the main characters.

This order allows the film to begin with dramatic action that grips the audience and entices them to watch more. Having all the titles .etc. afterwards allows the audience to reflect on what has just happened and think about the enigma codes raised. Although some would say that this disrupts the flow of the film.


Enigma Codes-

♦ Who is he?
♦ What's his significance to the story?
♦ What is he running from?
♦ How come the mirriors can control the people looking into them?
♦ How is it going to carry on into the rest of the film?
♦ How can it be stopped?
♦ How can you get away from it?
 Although some of these are answered fairly early on, others aren't answered until the end so it keeps the audienec interested.

Mise-en-scene-

Unlike many horror films Mirrors begins by beng set in the underground, instead of the typical solitay house or mansion. This tells the audience that it's set in a public place and so hints that it could happen to anyone at any time, making it seem more real.
The place is completely deserted apart from one single train that goes by. The contrast from a normally busy underground station begins to make the audience feel uneasy as the character is isolated with no one around to help them and no way of escape it would seem. Not only does the location help to build tension, it also draws attention to the characters actions as there is nothing to distract the audiences attention.
The character runs through the station until he ends up in a locker room; a location in its-self which again is deserted and creates a tense atmosphere as the audience knows something bad is going to happen in the confined space.


Lighting-

Lighting is a crucial element in this opening sequence as it is vital in portraying the necessary mood to support the narrative and correlate with the characters futility. Without it the story would not be portrayed effectively and the audience would be little confused.

Right from the beginning the lighting is very dull, probably due to it being underground with no natural lighting. The only light is produced from the lights in the ceiling, but even they aren't very bright. There is however enough light to illuminate him throughout.

Throughout the opening sequence the lighting flickers on and off an awful lot, which can only be intentional. I think it could reflect his rising panic, which is then something that the audience begin to feel aswell. Or perhaps it was done to show that the demon is able to change the lighting and that it is after him, as where ever he goes the lights flicker as he goes by.

A further good example of lighting is where he reaches the door to the locker room, as the door is illuminated while the surroundings are in shadow. This could symbolise his hope that he had finaly found an escape.

And again in the room, lighting has been used effectively when the locker doors all magically open and the mirrors are spotlighted with his reflection in them. This part has been done in a really dramatic fashion to make an impact as his reflection keeps appearing out of the darkness.



Cimematography-

The cimematography as whole is very dynamic within this opening sequence. This is shown through the use of a hand held camera which follows the movements of the character and has a shakey focus, making the audience feel as if they are moving with him and are part of the story.This also makes the audience feel slightly disorientated. This is added to by the camera tracking the character as well as using a lot of panning shots to keep the camera moving. This then adds to the feeling of panic as the camera is never still. If it was still, I think it would portray a calmer mood, which is not what's needed.


A huge amount of close-ups have been used throughout as they are vital in portraying and exaggerating the characters emotions, allowing the audience a clear view of his expressions and the effect theat they have on the general atmosphere. As his expressions are so frequently focused on by the camera, it shows that the director really wants the audience to pick up on his fear and rising panic, so that they then start to feel it themselves.

 

These were then alternated with  long shots to show him running and to give a generally better view of what's going on.

Additionally, low angle and high angle shots are used towards the end when he looks into the mirror, showing the reflection/demon's control and power while he looks weak and afraid.

Editing

Again the editing helps to reflect the atmosphere. The cuts are sharp and very quick paced to match his desperation and also mimic the pace of his actions; quick when he is runing and then obviously slower when he slows down. This provides a good contrast of pace throughout, so that when it does suddenly slow down, it makes it all the more dramatic and builds suspence.

A lot of the cuts are cleaverly matched to the characters actions, for example when he smashes the lock off the door with the fire extiguisher, it cuts at the exact same time, again making it more dramatic.

All of the continuity techniques are present throughout. Match-on-action is the most frequently used though as it ensures that the pace if maintained, this is evident in the shots where he is running as you see it from lots of different angles and shot types. Eyeline match and shot reverse shot are also evident in the shots when he is looking into the mirror.

Sound

The score in a horror film is extremely important as it has an influence over how the audience percieves the narrative. It may be very obvious, but in this case there is only a quite and subtle score playing in the background, consisting of an eerie instrumental which is typical of the genre. This is the only example of non-diegetic sound, the rest is diegetic consisting of his foot steps, the train going past and of course the dialogue. Hearing all of these diegetic sounds allows the audience to feel as if they are in the story while they are subconsciously taking in the non-diegetic score and the tone that it imprints into their minds.

Iconography

Of course, the typical blood and gore is included straight away within the opening sequence by his reflection cutting his throat. Another typical feature included is when the character slowly turns around to see the doom that awaits them, this is shown when he turns around as all the locker doors start to open.

The graphic gore that is included means that this film has been rated as an 18+. The content and subject matter is unsuitable for a young audience, as may give them nightmares. However I feel that a 15+ audience would be fine watching it.