The Other Side of the Mirror

Director - Jess Franco (Night of Open Sex, Mansion of the Living Dead)

Starring - Emma Cohen (Alone in the Dark, Horror Rises from the Tomb), Robert Woods (Creeping Death, Countess Perverse), and Francoise Brion (The Red Room, The Vertical Smile)

Release Date - 1973

Genre - Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Famed exploitation filmmaker Jess Franco and I rarely see eye to eye but when we do it’s something to truly behold. While I respect his sexploitation efforts, I still find myself pulled towards his genre efforts a little more. Sometime back Mondo Macabro announced the release of Franco’s The Other Side of the Mirror which was also released under the title The Obscene Mirror. Mondo Macabro’s artwork for the blu release really made me interested in checking it out but a small part of me was worried that this would be another Franco flick I didn’t care for. Like always I want to thank Mondo Macabro and CAV for sending this one over. 

      The film follows a young woman who expresses her desire to marry to her father. He objects to the marriage, but she decides to go through with it anyway after speaking with her aunt. This turns out to be fatal as her father soon kills himself. Heavy with grief, she calls off the wedding and moves to the city to play in a band at a night club. She starts seeing her deceased father when she looks in mirrors and before long, she is killing any guy she starts to have feelings for. 

      Honestly, I really liked The Other Side of the Mirror but some parts of the film were a bit of a chore to sit through. Not because they were graphic or offensive but because the scenes were so drawn out and dull. The movie has a very interesting story that I’ve heard other people compare to Alice in Wonderland. However, I’m too stupid to find the connections there. I did like the story and most of the film but several scenes could have used a trim. The acting in this one is very well done. The cast is a little stiff at times but they do appear to be a little more loose in other scenes. Honestly, I liked the cast. Franco did a great job with his casting in this one and the cast did the best with what they were given. The story for this one reminded me of some of the lesser known giallos that I had seen over the years. A young girl living in the shadow of her father’s suicide that was brought on by her desire to get married only to become violent toward any man she gets close to is fucking poetry. The movie does have an issue with pacing but the story is so beautifully written and would have been at home during the gialli craze. With that being said, I’m not an Alice in Wonderland scholar and if folks say this movie is based on that then it could be but I don’t fucking see it. Finally, the film has a little nudity and minor blood but that’s about it. The movie is focused on the story and character development then it is a body count. Overall, The Other Side of Mirror was well worth my time. It didn’t really fit in with my October horror binge but it was a decent flick. Franco did a great job with the story. Mondo’s release is another must own especially if you are a Franco fan. Check it out.