LogFAQs > #910739150

63. Opening the bathroom medicine cabinet, pulling out something, closing the cabinet, and something is in the mirror behind you (Movie Trope) (18 points)
Nominated by: Anagram (4/6 remaining)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_Off2PXy-M" data-time="

Importance: 8
Fear: 5
Snake: 5

Better known as the Mirror Scare, this trope is a classic in the horror genre, and it's common to see it parodied and subverted rather than played straight nowadays. One of the earliest examples I can think of, if not the first ever, is in the 1931 film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. No door or mirror is even closed here, but rather one is opened as Mr. Hyde appears in the mirror behind Ivy, who just escaped Hyde's grasp. Many tenets of the mirror scare are executed here, including the shattering of security, psychological paranoia, and symbolism of the inner-self which is prevalent throughout Dr. Jekyll.

The next major example is in Roman Polanski's Repulsion. Again, it's not a medicine cabinet here, rather a closet door, but it's in effect the same thing. It's used here to build psychological tension in Carol's character and actually helps clue us in to her mental state at that moment. Also note the use of music, as light and fleeting piano notes gives way to a horrifying stinger taking away our lulled sense of security.

Another great mirror scare occurs at the very end of Phantasm. Just 14 years after Repulsion, Phantasm already subverts the trope through clever use of misdirection. Mike is packing his belongings, having just vanquished the Tall Man and feeling safe for the first time in forever, and as Mike nudges close a closet door, the Tall Man appears there in the mirror, and what I love most about this scene is how Mike doesn't even notice it right away. It actually takes a couple of seconds for him to turn and see the horrifying visage in the reflection, and then subverts it even further by having the final scare actually come breaking through the mirror rather than from the Tall Man. It's very well done!

The mirror scare grew great relevancy throughout the eighties and nineties with the slasher boom, being used in nearly every major slasher franchise, usually played straight and to varying effectiveness. An American Werewolf in London uses its mirror scare to transition to comedy. Candyman places the mirror scare as a central part of the Candyman urban legend, making any mirror in the film a potential danger to the main protagonist. Slashers like Halloween H20 and Elm Street: Dream Warriors offer more straightforward examples and I think they serve to only cheapen the trope and make them ultimately jokes and cheap gags. This leads to parodies in films like Shaun of the Dead or other mediums such as The Simpsons in "Treehouse of Horror V", Home Movies, Jackie Chan Adventures, Phineas & Ferb, and SNL.

Still the mirror scare lives on, and can still be done in effective ways, with one of the best coming in 1408 which uses a window to create one of the scariest moments in the film. It can even be done in non-horror offerings, like V for Vendetta, which shows how dangerous our hero is whilst doubling as political commentary. Mirror scares also translate well to video games, including Resident Evil: Director's Cut, Catherine, and Doom 3 who each use mirrors in different ways to scare with their enemies and monsters. The mirror's deep roots in symbolism and reflections of the self will keep this trope alive and well in the present and I'm sure much beyond.
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If the suspense doesn't kill you, something else will!
http://tinyurl.com/zqwzc9a - https://imgur.com/a/OcdhKKR