Oh dear, "Midnight Mirror" is a horror film that should have been left in the dark. Directed by Lu Shilei in 2025, this movie is a nightmare, but not in the way it intended. The production quality is so bad it's almost comical. It looks like it was made with a budget smaller than your average pizza party. The special effects are so poorly done that they're more distracting than scary. It's like watching a group of friends try to make a movie with their smartphones, except without the charm.
The screenplay is a hot mess. It's a hodgepodge of horror clichés that have been done to death. The plot twists are so predictable you can see them coming a mile away. The dialogue is stilted and awkward, making it hard to care about any of the characters. And speaking of characters, the acting is cringe-inducing. It feels like the cast was recruited from a worn-out KTV lounge and given a crash course in "acting" just before filming. Their performances are so over-the-top and unconvincing that it's hard not to roll your eyes every time they open their mouths.
As for the directing, Lu Shilei seems to have no idea how to build tension or pace a scene. The film drags on with long, boring stretches that make you wish you had a fast-forward button. The camera work is shaky and disorienting, not in a cool, artistic way, but in a "did they forget to use a tripod?" kind of way. Overall, "Midnight Mirror" is a trainwreck of a film that leaves you wondering how it ever got made. Save yourself the headache and skip this one.
