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The Mirror Trope in Horror Movies — Exploring our fascination with the supernatural qualities of mirrors and how we might make one of the most common horror movie tropes actually scary again.

Every Horror Movie Trope Explained ►►
StudioBinder Blog ►►

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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:46 - History of Mirrors in Storytelling
01:20 - Mirror Trope Theory
02:28 - The Trope: It's Behind You
03:07 - The Antidote: Make it a Surprise
04:21 - The Trope: It Moves
04:49 - The Antidote: Ditch the Mirror
05:53 - Mirror Trope in Candyman
09:10 - Wrap up/Takeaways

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HORROR MOVIE TROPES — MIRRORS IN HORROR MOVIES EXPLAINED

You’ve seen the mirror trope a million times in thrillers and horror movies — someone looks into a mirror, and bad things happen. The horror genre is full of movie tropes like this. But when tropes turn into cliches, they turn into bad horror movie tropes. In this video, we’re going to look at one of the most common horror movie tropes to understand the supernatural connection we have with mirrors. Along the way, we’ll offer a few options for how to make mirror scenes in horror movies actually scary again.

WHY MIRRORS IN HORROR MOVIES?

We’ve been terrified of mirrors far longer than you think. Diviners in Ancient Greece would use them to foretell the future, including their own deaths. In Chinese mythology, it is believed that what we see in a mirror isn’t a reflection of our world but a window into an alternate reality where dark creatures have learned to mimic our every move. In Judaism, after a family member has passed, mirrors in the house are covered to prevent any unwanted contact with the realm of the dead. It should be no wonder why we have seen so many mirrors in horror movies.

MIRROR TROPES

There are two variations of mirror tropes in horror movies. The first is when the medicine cabinet is closed to reveal someone (or something) standing behind the character. This used to be a guaranteed way to give the audience a sudden jolt. But it’s been so overdone now that it just may have lost all its power. Instead, we have to find new ways to catch the audience off guard. One way is to make it a surprise by using different reflective surfaces.

The second way we see mirrors in horror movies is when the character’s reflection moves independently from the character. This harkens back to our long-held superstition that our reflection is actually a wicked doppelganger. And while the first few examples might have been truly unsettling, it’s become one of many bad horror movie tropes. So, how do we make it scary? One option is to keep the effect subtle. In Nia DaCosta’s take on Candyman, we can see this in action, where the movement is so small we might even question whether or not we saw it at all.

Horror movie tropes will never die, but it might be possible to save them from losing their ability to keep us terrified.


#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking

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♬ SONGS USED:

“BBB" - How to Destroy Angels
“Man in the Mirror" - Michael Jackson
“Seance” - Snowman
“Seance Sleepwalking” - Colin Stetson
“Funky Old House” - HOHH
“Mr. Sandman” - The Chordates
“Playpen” - Disasterpeace
“Promise (Reprise)” - Akira Yamaoka
“Red Right Hand” - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
“Before You Die You See the Ring” - Hans Zimmer
“We’ve Only Just Begun“ - The Carpenters
“The Sweet“ - Robert Tiki Aubrey Lowe
“Leaves a Stain“ - Robert Tiki Aubrey Lowe
“Music Box“ - Robert Tiki Aubrey Lowe
“Brianna Finds Bodies“ - Robert Tiki Aubrey Lowe
“Candyman Theme“ - Phillip Glass
“Robots at the Factory“ - John Carpenter, Alan Howarth
“Danse Macabre“ - Camille Saint-Saëns

Music by Artlist ►
Music by Artgrid ►
Music by Soundstripe ►
Music by MusicBed ►

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