Mirror Mirror – The 13 Best Mirror Scenes in Horror Movies

Mirrors are something that have long been utilised in the horror genre. Whether it’s a bathroom cabinet waiting to close and deliver a great jump scare, or maybe something moving in the reflection that wasn’t there a moment ago, mirrors are great for literally reflecting our fears back at us.

This list is perfect for those of us who wonder if maybe our reflection is moving just slightly out of sync, or whether pressing your fingers to the glass would lead you into an alternative world. Let’s explore the mirror world together with some of the best mirror scenes to ever pop up in horror movies.

Poltergeist 3 (1988)

Carol Anne’s third encounter with the evil force that wants to consume her is set in an apartment building which features a lot of mirrors. This quickly turns into a problem when Reverend Kane starts popping up in the reflections and harassing Carol Anne.

As well as the twisted evil version of Carol Anne appearing and pulling her into the mirror world, we also see multiple versions of Kane peeping out the apartment doors as Carol Anne’s caregivers leave her unattended.

Mirrors (2008)

I’ve written about this scene before, but Angela’s death scene in Mirrors is one of the most shocking deaths in horror. The whole movie is based on the premise that people’s reflections can force them to do horrible things, usually resulting in their death.

Angela decides to take a bath to relax, but her reflection has other ideas and pulls her own jaw off. Poor Angela has no idea what is happening and with no way to stop it, she rips her face in half before bleeding out in the bath.

Prince of Darkness (1987)

Prince of Darkness follows a group of students investigating some strange liquid in a church basement who end up getting possessed. Kelly is possessed by Satan and tries to summon the Anti-God through a portal in the mirrors around the building.

Kelly almost succeeds in bringing the Anti-God into our world, with a clawed hand appearing through the glass. However, Catherine, who is one of the few not to have been possessed, throws herself through the mirror, trapping herself, Kelly, and the Anti-God inside.

The Craft (1996)

If you found out you were a witch in high school, chances are you would do exactly what Rochelle does and curse your bully as revenge for years of torture. However, when the spell starts to work and Laura’s hair starts falling out, Rochelle starts to feel a little guilty.

As she backs away from the crying Laura, Rochelle turns towards the locker room mirror, though her reflection isn’t a mirror image and moves slightly out of union with its owner to show that Rochelle is becoming disconnected from herself the more she allows her magical powers to consume her.

Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)

Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School came out the same year as Poltergeist 3 and also features an evil doppelganger lurking in the mirror world and causing chaos, and I refuse to believe it wasn’t intentional.

Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy find themselves teaching gym at a girls’ school that just happens to be full of the daughters of famous monsters. When an evil witch kidnaps all the girls, it’s up to the gang to save them, but Shaggy is sucked into the mirror world and replaced by a pointy-toothed version of himself.

Oculus (2013)

Another movie that’s based entirely around how spooky mirrors can be, Oculus is the story of siblings Tim and Kaylie and the cursed mirror which destroyed their family. Now adults, the siblings team up once again to try to get rid of the mirror for good.

However, the mirror has been waiting for them and has more than a few tricks up its sleeve in order to ensure it can claim Tim and Kaylie’s lives as it did their parents.

Candyman (2021)

In the world of Candyman, it’s best to avoid mirrors altogether, as saying his name into them five times can result in him paying you a deadly visit. And while that seems like that would be pretty easy to avoid, people in this universe just can’t stop tempting fate and ending up on the wrong end of a hook.

When Anthony awakens Candyman’s curse, he doesn’t kill him right away and instead uses him to spread the curse to others. And when he sees Candyman in the mirror instead of his own reflection, he realises he may have a deeper connection to the cursed killer than he first thought.

Stay Alive (2006)

If you’re face to face with a killer villain from a video game in the real world, it may be challenging to find a way to kill her. But for the gang in Stay Alive who is being hunted by Countess Elizabeth Bathory, it’s lucky that they find out her weakness is mirrors.

The Countess doesn’t want to look at herself because she doesn’t want to see herself growing older. While Hutch doesn’t have a mirror to hand in the final showdown with Elizabeth, he does have a very reflective laptop case (as seen above) which he uses to repel the Countess before setting her tower on fire.

Constantine (2005)

John Constantine is called to aid a possessed young girl and quickly realises that the demon in question is trying to use her in order to cross into the real world. John uses a mirror to reveal the demon and trap it so that he can destroy it for good.

After capturing the demon, he uses a pully system to launch the mirror out the apartment’s window, causing it to smash on the street below and kill the demon.

IT Chapter Two (2019)

Bill Denbrough first meets young Derry resident Dean when he’s trying to deal with the guilt over his little brother’s death to Pennywise all those years ago. And when he sees Dean entering a hall of mirrors at the Derry funfair, he worries that the young boy may be in danger.

What follows is a tense scene as Bill runs into glass and mirrors as he tries to catch up to Dean. Eventually, Dean ends up trapped, and Bill has to watch on in horror as Pennywise smashes his way through to the child.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

After trying to rework the town of Harlow into a hipster paradise, Melody quickly figures out the major thing wrong with the town – it’s home to Leatherface! And while Melody manages to hide under a bed to avoid being found by the chainsaw killer, she has to watch on in silence as local mechanic Richter enters the room as Leatherface hides behind the bedroom door.

Trying to avoid another grisly death, Melody manages to slide her foot out from under the bed and kick the bedroom mirror into a different position, so Richter can see where Leatherface is hiding. Not that it does him much good!

Bride of Chucky (1998)

Bride of Chucky sees Chucky finally get a killer partner when he turns his girlfriend, Tiffany, into a doll as well. After giving herself a gothy makeover, Tiffany is ready to embrace her new life and start killing.

One of Tiffany’s first victims is a couple at a hotel, who are having sex under a mirrored ceiling. After watching them for a while, Tiffany throws a bottle of champagne into the air, shattering the mirror, and impaling the couple with the glass shards.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Poor Helen in I Know What You Did Last Summer has a horrible time as the hook-handed fisherman stalks her and her friends. And one night he decides to sneak into Helen’s bedroom and toy with her rather than kill her when he has the chance.

While Helen sleeps, the fisherman slices off most of her treasured hair, before writing ‘soon’ in lipstick on her mirror. He wants to show Helen that he’s going to play with her and her friends before he chooses the best time to brutally murder them.

Do mirrors creep you out? What’s your favourite mirror scene in horror? Let me know in the comment below!