My name is Scott MacDonald and I am a Franco-holic. To be fair I’ve only seen about 80 films, and I feel like that’s even THAT BAD considering this is a director with over 200 films to his credit. However, today I get to review one of the few big ones I had left to see, because at long last an English friendly version of Franco’s The Other Side of the Mirror has seen Blu-ray release through those fine folks at Mondo Macabro. Not only that, but this is Jess Franco’s intended version of the film (not the sexed up Obscene Mirror cut that frequently does the rounds).
The Other Side of the Mirror follows Ana, played by Emma Cohen. Ana has just announced that she is engaged to be married. Her Father doesn’t take the news very well, and prior to the wedding kills himself. She sees this reflected in her mirror, but it actually happened. She calls off the wedding, and throws herself into her jazz career (a Franco-esque career move if there ever was one). However, she can not escape visions of her deceased Father from the beyond (in the mirror), and sometimes finds herself in the mirror-verse herself. Also, no matter how hard she tries to rebound in relationships, she can’t help but murder her new partners.
The film has a morose tone to it, and a truly hypnotic atmosphere. It takes a simple premise and really uses it to hang on truly otherworldly imagery. This combined with the esoteric organ score by Adolfo Waltzman creates something that is truly top-tier Franco, truly in line with favorites like a Virgin Among the Living Dead and Lorna the Exorcist, while the various lovers of Ana coming in and out of her life create an episodic tone not unlike She Kills in Ecstasy.
Mondo Macabro presents the Other Side of the Mirror in a spectacular 4K transfer that is extremely well detailed, with excellent color reproduction with accurate skin tones. Audio is handled with Spanish audio and English subs, and sounds clear and crisp without issue. There is an excellent in depth commentary with Rodney Barnett and Robert Monell, and a 56 minute interview/analysis from Stephen Thrower. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!