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Nov 11, 2018richmole rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A tense, satisfying 2013 supernatural thriller that brings new life to a traditional concept: a malevolent mirror. It's basically a one-man movie, and the one man is Mike Flanagan, a shock-miester best known, perhaps, for the Netflix series, Haunting of Hill House. Flanagan--as much to explore the idea's potential as anything else--created a short, no-budget film visualizing the "mirror" concept. Smart move: producers liked what they saw, and Flanagan had a number of offers to choose from. Then he wrote the script. Then he directed the movie. Then he edited the movie he'd shot. If nothing else, it must have been extremely satisfying--hands-on, idea to finished product. Great direction; excellent performances for, among others, Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) and the two pre-teens who face the evil of their parents' possession first-hand. Yikes. Budget: about 5 million. By the time world-wide ticket sales were added to NA box-office, where opening-day receipts just about paid for the film, $44 million and counting. Next for director Flanagan: the release of a feature based on Stephen King's Doctor Sleep.