Editor's Note: All month long, we're bringing you special deep dives with Jon Lee Brody, award-winning actor/filmmaker and co-host of the horror podcast That Was Pretty Scary with Freddie Prinze Jr. So far we've covered Mike Dougherty's modern classic, Trick 'r Treat and the stylized transitions of Tragedy Girls. We continue the fun with Night of the Demons.
Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the scariest of them all? That's a rhetorical question, but feel free to answer it if you so please. We see reflections all the time, and mirrors are just an understood part of something that is part of our everyday lives, but we don't sit down often enough to think about the significance of mirrors in films. Whether it's the iconic mirror scene in Enter The Dragon or the Magic Mirror in Snow White or any mirror in a Spielberg movie, they all have a purpose behind them, and they are the ultimate enigma.
In classic folklore, mirrors can be seen as symbols of eternity, vanity or deceit. Mirrors can expose the truth or hide it behind a curtain of deception. Like Miyagi-Do Karate, not everything is what it seems. Mirrors on the screen are a deliberate and well-calculated move, and they aren't just about appearances. They show what's in front of us and things that aren't really there. They can amplify what we're feeling underneath the surface. And they can also act as a portal to other worlds or as an entryway for otherworldly creatures to cross over into our reality. As is the case with Night of the Demons.
Night of the Demons is a quintessential '80s teen horror flick. It has the all too familiar scenario of high schoolers looking to party on Halloween, and of course, someone has the bright idea to host the shindig at a haunted former funeral parlor. Because that's always a great idea, right?
We get the standard images of teens partying in a place they really shouldn't be partying, which includes full-on strobe lighting. Strobe lights can symbolize uncertainty with their whirling and distorting effect; they can also be viewed as a warning. In essence, we're getting a subtle warning here about the events that are about to unfold.
You'd think having a makeshift Halloween party in a sketchy place that's supposedly haunted would be enough for these kids. But alas, no. Like Michael Moriarty's character in The Stuff, they want 'mo. This brings us to another classic trope of suggesting to do a seance (because obviously, nothing bad could happen in a seance). This is immediately followed by hearing a noise in one of the other rooms, which motivates Stooge to go check out. (Again not the greatest idea, but you do you, Stooge) and forcing Rodger to go with him.
This gives us a critical moment leading up to the mirror sequence, where we see Rodger come back from the other room looking genuinely terrified. That should be enough of a warning for the group, but everyone listens to Stooge instead because "they won't believe what he found" in the other room is way too enticing for the group of teens. Without hesitation, they all follow Stooge. (Sigh. When will kids learn?)
And this takes us to our mirror sequence. As I mentioned earlier, mirrors aren't always what they appear to be. Our first intro to the mirror is a pretty great one, as the mirror is set up, we see the reflections of everyone. This is a great shot because not only are we getting an intro to the mirror, which is essentially gonna be the portal for all things evil, we're also simultaneously seeing the reactions of everyone in the reflection. When you look closely, everyone has a different reaction to the current situation.
Also, notice that the mirror is dirty. Yes, I know it's an old house, and dust accumulates. But think of it this way: whatever demonic entity is lurking here has likely been dormant for a while, and they are coming out of a long hibernation. Also, the unclean mirror shows the unsureness of the situation. Even though the reflections are visible, the image isn't exactly clear, nor is the reasoning behind doing this seance.
I love that we stay in this shot right here. We get to see everything happen in this continuous locked-off shot in real-time. It's like we're standing right there with them, looking into the mirror. Notice we're pretty far away. Our curiosity is piqued, causing us to lean in, but since the camera is locked off in this position, we can't get any closer. We just have to view it all from afar— for now.
What we get next is the great dolly shot that starts from behind the mirror. This is like we're getting an over-the-shoulder shot of the mirror and seeing everyone from its perspective. The previous shot was us looking at the mirror; this current shot is like the mirror (and the demonic entity) staring back and plotting its escape.
The ensemble staging here is done really well. We can clearly see how everyone is processing the current situation. Some are unsure. Some are just whatever about it. Notice that Rodger is off to the side, away from the group. The previous scene showing him genuinely terrified pays off here because he knows what they're doing isn't right, and he wants nothing to do with it.
As the camera keeps moving, we get everyone's reactions, and it does feel like a bunch of high schoolers joking around and not taking the situation seriously. Everybody gets their chance to say something snarky about the task at hand. Doing this in a continuous shot makes us feel like we're sitting there with the group. This all comes back around to Rodger, who is clearly thinking, "NOPE!"
Remember what I said about us being pretty far away from the mirror? This next shot is in direct contrast to that because now we're a little bit closer, even though we may not want to be that close, with the tension in the room rising. What we get next is a great classic effect with the mirror darkening down—a symbol of the darkness that is forthcoming. Only to have it interrupted by one of the peanut gallery's comments.
With the groups' attention averted, we see the mirror again (maybe too close for comfort), and now we see the makings of something demonic on the other side that nobody else sees except one person: Helen.
We have a close-up of Helen and then right to a close-up of the demonic entity, which frightens Helen and causes the mirror to break. The superstition holds — if you break a mirror, you get bad luck. And since mirrors can be a symbol of truth and deceit all in one, breaking one will only invite chaos.
This is another nice example of ensemble staging. With the stationary camera, it's like we're watching a play, but it's also like we're the demonic entity watching these kids. When there's ensemble staging like this, we essentially get to be our own editor by choosing who to focus on. With that same mentality, as a demonic entity, we're trying to size up who amongst the group we should take on first.
A frantic Helen tries to explain what she saw, which leads to the camera panning to the broken mirror pieces, further emphasizing how shattered it is and the bad luck that may come with it.
This sequence is capped off by this great shot with the mirror pieces scattered all about and capturing the reflections of everyone in broken segments. While the group may be in the room together, the dynamic is fragmented. These broken mirror pieces symbolize that each of them is on their own, and they're not all on the same page. The image is also distorted. Things aren't as clear now. What started out simply as a weird Halloween party in an equally weird place has now gone into unclear territory. One thing is evident, though: they're about to get more than seven years of bad luck with this broken mirror.
I really like how Kevin Tenney gives us something here without giving it all away. Mirrors, in general, are pretty mysterious entities, and he adds to that mystery by providing a mystery box of what's to come. By effectively using ensemble staging, we get a sense of how everyone is feeling individually within the bigger group. This sets the stage for the second and third acts, which are total '80s-tastic horror doubling as a cautionary tale. Thou shalt not perform seances in weird houses or break mirrors on Halloween, which is the Halloween Public Service Announcement we really need and deserve.
Check out the full deep dive video below, and find Jon on Instagram and TikTok. Follow That Was Pretty Scary on both IG and TikTok, and be sure to join us next week for another Halloween deep dive treat.
