Into the Mirror (Korean거울 속으로; RRGeoul sokeuro) is a 2003 South Korean supernatural horror film about a series of grisly deaths in a department store, all involving mirrors, and the troubled detective who investigates them. It was the debut film of director Kim Sung-ho.

Into the Mirror
Theatrical Release Poster
Directed byKim Sung-ho
Written byKim Sung-ho
Produced byKim Eun-young
StarringYoo Ji-tae
Kim Hye-na
Kim Myung-min
CinematographyJeong Han-cheol
Edited byKim Sun-min
Music byMun Dae-hyeon
Distributed byCinema Service
Release date
  • August 14, 2003 (2003-08-14)
Running time
113 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget$3 million[1]
Box office$70,277[2]

Plot

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After accidentally causing the death of his partner during a hostage situation, Wu Young-min quits the police force to work for his uncle as head security of Dreampia, an immense shopping center. Dreampia is currently in the rebuilding stages as a fire destroyed parts of it five years ago. The re-opening was scheduled in a few days, until some strange murders begin to occur in the building. It seems that the victims, all employees of the mall, have committed suicide in very gruesome and unconventional ways.

Young-min is very suspicious about the police explanation, and starts his own investigation, but unfortunately for him, an old acquaintance, Ha Hyun-su, is in charge of the police investigation. Hyun-su still blames Young-min for the death of their friend and is not interested in cooperation. The more clues they stumble on, the more strange and unnatural the truth becomes.

The film explores the theory of dualism, doppelgangers and the Other through the visual medium of mirrors and reflections.

Cast

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Reception

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Derek Elley of Variety described Into the Mirror as an "Intermittently effective tale of a burned-out ex-cop who's drawn into a series of supernatural murders too often resorts to corny genre moments."[3]

Remake

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An American remake was produced in 2008, titled Mirrors.

Into the Mirror was released on the flip side of the unrated version of the Mirrors 2 DVD.

References

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  1. ^ "Into the Mirror". Korean Cinema 2003. Korean Film Commission(KO FIC). 2003. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  2. ^ "Into the Mirror". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  3. ^ "Into The Mirror". Variety. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
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