Mirrors (2008)

Alejandre Aja is a master storyteller and filmmaker, and Mirrors, a horror film about mirrors that kill, is intriguing despite some blatant plot holes and an inconsistent ending. Mostly the concept, ripped off from a Korean film called Into The Mirror, drew me in and kept me guessing. After Haute Tension and the remake of The Hills Have Eyes, this Keifer Sutherland picture keeps me on the Aja train.

The Hills Have Eyes: 6 lines about 2 movies

92% of director/co-writer Alexandre Aja's The Hills Have Eyes (2006) remains intact from director Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (1977); a back story has been added to the former that seeks to put the blame for the cannibalistic clan on you, me and these here United States of America rather than the lone gas station owner of the original. The remake has crackling edits, uber-realistic makeup effects, and plenty of gore while the original still has the power of...um...originality and the type of gore that is realistic without being over-the-top. The acting in the remake is first-rate (which was not always the case in the original) with special kudos to Emilie de Raven for shucking her Lost character and her Australian accent as well as Kathleen Quinlan for just having the balls to get down and dirty in a horror film. (I enjoyed Virginia Vincent as Ethel Carter in the original but haven't seen hide nor hair of her since.) The remake's back story is interesting and allowed for a fascinating look at some historical desert happenings but it added length to the film while the original was tightly edited with nary a wasted frame. All in all, the remake is a worthy update but see the original first - you'll be glad you did.