Kiefer Sutherland can only secret agent? Wrong thought! In “Mirrors” on Amazon Prime Video’s Home of Horror Channel, you can see for yourself that the actor also cuts a fine figure in the fight against bloodthirsty demons.
Because he drowns the shock of his partner’s death in alcohol, police officer Ben Carson (Kiefer Sutherland) has to give up his career. In addition, Ben’s drug addiction leads to his wife (Paula Patton) leaving him and their two children. When his condition stabilizes, the former investigator at least gets a job as a night watchman in the imposing but long-dilapidated Mayflower Building.
However, the job of checking into the former luxury department store turns out to be more difficult than initially thought. The oversized decorative mirrors of the old walls reveal a terrible secret from the past of this cursed place. Before Ben knows it, he is confronted with evil personified, and from now on he not only has to fear for his own life but also for that of his family…
Horror trip with Kiefer Sutherland
It has recently become very quiet around Kiefer Sutherland. After a big screen presence in the 80s and 90s and his iconic role as CIA agent Jack Bauer in the series “24”, the Hollywood actor is currently taking it easy. Reason enough for us to select from Sutherland’s extensive filmography the contribution “mirrors‘ which may not be on every one of you’s radars, and can currently be found on Amazon Prime Video’s Home of Horror Channel.
Kiefer Sutherland – who has already made his mark in the horror genre as a vampire in “The Lost Boys” – leaves nothing to be desired in “Mirrors” either. In the best “Sutherland against the rest of the world” manner, he fights against an almost invincible superiority – only that here no enemies of the state as in “24” or “Designated Survivor” are at work, but supernatural forces.
Graphic violence meets psychological terror
French director Alexandre Aja is responsible for the violent spook. He already made a name for himself in the horror film community in 2003 with the brilliant “High Tension” and since then has been able to make his mark in Hollywood as with the “THey Hills Have Eyes“-Remake (2005) or the animal horror film “Crawl” (2019).
In “Mirrors” too, the viewer doesn’t have to wait long for Aja’s penchant for depicting explicit violence. As an appetizer, a throat is cut through extremely bloodily after just a few minutes. If that’s still too “ordinary” for you, you should wait for the scene in which a woman controlled by dark forces tears her own (!) jaw apart.
Twentieth Century Fox France
But the blatant show values are only one side of the coin. The director keeps the tension high all the time. The deeper the protagonist delves into the gruesome history of the property to become a part of it, the more the viewer is drawn into the nerve-wracking maelstrom of events.
The central motif of the mirror proves to be the perfect starting point for playing with different realities and doppelganger phenomena. The jump scares associated with the mirror scenes are also really impressive. In addition, the production knows how to please with its soundscape – after all, it screams, jingles, and clatters non-stop in the old booth.
Theatrical Version vs. Unrated Version
“Mirrors” is currently available on Amazon Prime Video’s Home of Horror Channel. This is the uncut FSK 18 theatrical version. Horror films in particular, however, sometimes come with a so-called unrated version in the home cinema evaluation. In addition to small plot extensions, especially in terms of violence, a shovel is added.
This is also the case with “Mirrors”, the longer version of which doesn’t contain any new scenes, but refines the horror moments already present in the theatrical version with bloody close-ups and alternative camera angles. This unrated version is worth a look and is currently also available on DVD from Amazon. The links to the stream or purchase option can be found in the text above.
