Mirror Mirror

Power corrupts and DARK power corrupts absolutely

A single mother (Karen Black) and her misfit ‘goth’ daughter (Rainbow Harvest) try to start over at a new location in a small town, but the girl is harassed at school and turns to a leftover mirror for succor. Havoc ensues.

"Mirror Mirror" (1990) is King-inspired horror with a high school milieu. The basic plot harkens back to "Christine" (1983) in which a persecuted unpopular person gains an advantage from some dubious source and proceeds to wreak vengeance on harassers. “The Rage: Carrie 2” (1999) and "The Unhealer" (2021) are more recent examples.

While “Christine” and, especially, “The Rage: Carrie 2” are superior, this one’s not far off and has its points of interest, like Charlie Spradling as the haughty Charleen and Kristin Dattilo as Megan’s sole friend at the new school.

Yvonne De Carlo is on hand as the auctioneer in charge of the house clearance. She was 66 during shooting and decades past her days of beauty, but give her credit for continuing in her craft, beautiful or not. Meanwhile William Sanderson plays the mother’s new beau.

There was an okay 1994 sequel, “Mirror Mirror 2: Raven Dance,” but it’s an all-around downgrade by comparison. Two other sequels followed in 1995 and 2000.

The film is a little long at 1 hour, 44 minutes. It was shot in the neighborhoods of Los Angeles (as opposed to the big city sections, like downtown, so the locations look like small town, USA).

GRADE: B