History Main / MirrorMonster

This is the Mirror Monster! Though a mirror is really just a pane of glass and silver, in fiction it can become a gateway — something terrible could come out... or something terrible could try and suck you in. A Mirror Monster could be an image only visible in a mirror. It could be a ghost fettered to the world of the living by a mirror. It could be something which comes out of a mirror or communicates via mirror. The key thing about this trope is the horror is directly connected to the mirror itself.

Sometimes mirror monsters can be defeated by smashing the glass. Unfortunately, sometimes smashing the glass can free the mirror monster and allow it free rein (or [[AsteroidsMonster make even more of them]]).

* ''VideoGame/SweetHome'' has mirror monsters, which resemble shriveled corpses, that attack whenever you pass by one of the mirrors in the courtyard. To prevent having to fight them every time you pass by, you need to shatter the mirror with a mallet.

** ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'': J. Geil's Hanged Man exists only in reflective surfaces, which it can jump between. This gives the impression that it lives in a parallel mirror world, [[PowerMisidentification which J. Geil initially claims is how his power works]], [[{{Synchronization}} and it can also attack people's reflections to hurt them]].
** ''Manga/GoldenWind'': Illuso's Man in the Mirror, which generates a mirror world that he can drag people into it whole or in part, and by doing this, [[PowerNullifier he can separate a Stand from their user]]. [[GodzillaThreshold He is the only villain in the whole story who prompts Fugo to pull out his own]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction Stand of Mass Destruction]], [[WalkingWasteland Purple]] [[MakeThemRot Haze]].

* This is the modus operandi of ''Franchise/TheFlash'' rogue Mirror Master, who can travel via mirror or reflective surfaces.

** In UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}}, Franchise/WonderWoman once battled a villain from a dimension that existed within mirrors.
** ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: While Circe is stalking Diana she, and the readers, keep catching glimpses of a shadowed woman's face in reflective surfaces.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' features a rare heroic example. In "Yesterday's Lie", [[spoiler:Luz enters [[VoidBetweenTheWorlds The In Between Realm]] where she can see (and be seen by) both Earth and the Demon Realm, but only through reflective surfaces. The rest of the episode, she essentially becomes a benevolent mirror monster to Vee and Camila (though Camila thinks it's just a video call on her phone).]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'': Lion-O's vision in the BladeReflection of the Sword of Omens takes this form, as he sees a sudden, frightening image of Mumm-Ra's red eyes and fanged face.

* Une from ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'' is a [[AnimateInanimateObject living]] MagicMirror that can move herself and others through reflections to her PocketDimension replica world.

* The mirror in ''Film/MirrorMirror1990'' contains a demonic entity able to grant wishes. And occasionally it will reach out and inflict a more physical punishment on someone in the rel world.

* There's a ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' gadget called the Duplication Mirror, which can duplicate anything reflected upon it, but when Nobita attempts using the mirror to duplicate his friends' toys for himself, in his excitement he forgot to deactivate the mirror, causing a clone of himself to crawl out and attack him before shoving him into the mirror world. Ultimately, the Nobita-clone decide to return into the mirror ''himself'' after getting a scolding from Tamako (for spending too much time playing), complaining that "He'd rather go back into the mirror world, the ''real'' world is too scary!"

** Mirrors within the Neath tend to be rather dangerous. Many have seen glimpses of something unclear looking back at them off the corner of their eyes. Something unnervingly [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent ophidian]], for those who get clearer looks. And only magicians seem to try and deal with them in anything beyond looking at your reflection, and are rumored to converse with whatever's on the other side, and even strike deals. [[spoiler:This is because mirrors are all doorways to the outer edges of [[DreamLand Parabola]], which are frequented by unscrupulous magicians, the occasional person who was going so utterly mad they accidentally walked into Parabola from the sheer nastiness of their nightmares, and the Fingerkings, snake-like {{Animalistic Abomination}}s who run the place, and have both a hidden agenda and mysterious powers with which to carry it out. In these outer edges, you can find hundreds and hundreds of mirrors sticking out of the marshes, and can peer into them back into reality, to whatever it is that's out that particular mirror. It also doubles as a HungryJungle full of dangerous flora and chatty fauna. That said, there's also some really valuable things to be found, which is why there's people who take venturing into Parabola and bringing them back as their job, and a very lucrative one at that. You can spot them by their [[FictionalColour Cosmogone]] glasses.]]

* ''Videogame/KingdomOfLoathing'' has [[TheWormThatWalks the Guy Made of Bees]], a parody of the Film/CandyMan. If you encounter a mirror in the Haunted Mansion and say "Guy Made of Bees" five times, he appears and attacks you. He's a HopelessBossFight [[LordBritishPostulate (usually)]] without a certain item.

* ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury'': In the episode "To Earn Your Stripes", after Jarrod's many attempts at breaking free from his control (i.e., pounding his head and destroying tableware), Dai Shi briefly enters a mirror to tell him that he was just as bad before he possessed him and that it was the exact reason he did so to begin with.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1383016095065165500

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_mirror1.jpg]]
[-[[caption-width-right:300:[[Film/JurassicPark Objects in mirror are closer than they appear]]. ([[http://dark-spider.deviantart.com/art/The-Mirror-67227434 Image]] by [[http://dark-spider.deviantart.com/ dark-spider]].)]]-]

Compare with MirrorScare, MirrorRoutine.

* In one episode of ''Series/NightAndDay'', Jane Harper catches glimpses of a monster in her bedroom mirror – with the image flickering at one point between that of the monster and that of her mother, Natalie. Jane’s brother Ryan frequently has conversations with his mirror self, who’s usually depicted as even more of a sociopath than non-mirror Ryan. The mirror in Josh Alexander’s bedroom (in which visions of Jane sometimes appear) is smashed, and we occasionally see glimpses of him having punched it in flashback sequences.

* This is the modus operandi of ''Franchise/TheFlash'' rogue Mirror Master.

* Wrestling/TheUndertaker does this sometimes.

** In ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]'', J. Geil's Hanged Man exists only in reflective surfaces, which it can jump between. This gives the impression that it lives in a parallel mirror world, [[PowerMisidentification which J. Geil initially claims is how his power works]], [[{{Synchronization}} and it can also attack people's reflections to hurt them]].
** ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Vento Aureo]]'' has Illuso's Man in the Mirror, which generates a mirror world that he can drag people into in whole or in part, and by doing this, [[PowerNullifier he can separate a Stand from their user]]. [[GodzillaThreshold He is the only villain in the whole story who prompts Fugo to pull out his own]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction Stand of Mass Destruction]], [[WalkingWasteland Purple]] [[MakeThemRot Haze]].

* Saltim, a boss from ''VideoGame/{{Billy Hatcher|AndTheGiantEgg}}'' is this, he jumps in and out of mirrors trying to attack you and will even try to suck you in.
* Paranoia from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' lives in the mirrors in its boss room, and jumps out of them to attack Soma. Defeating it lets Soma walk through mirrors.
** Moreover, the first time you fight Paranoia, you really just fight its reflection. Stepping into the next room reveals even more mirrors... and a ''much'' larger Paranoia.

* In ''VideoGame/ClockTower: The First Fear'', sometimes a hand will reach out of the mirror in the bedroom and ''try to strangle you'' when you check it. It's instant death if you haven't learned to reflexively mash the panic button in these types of situations.

* Subverted with [[EvilCounterpart Dark Link]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''. He is Link's reflection who is brought to life through the magic of an enchanted room in the Water Temple.

* ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' features one scare in which you pass through a door into a room that contains nothing but a mirror covering one wall. You cannot interact with, and the door does not open if you attempt to leave. As you move around the room, your reflection suddenly stops. A dark liquid similar to blood then begins to spread around the floor in a vein pattern, spreading across your frozen doppelganger. [[MindScrew This is never explained or mentioned again once you escape the room.]]
** Hang around for a while longer, and [[spoiler:Heather will die. Fortunately, once your doppelganger freezes the doors to the room unlock and you are free to leave - provided your interest in finding what that room is about doesn't induce you to stay (there's no signal letting you know the door is unlocked)]].
* ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour'' uses a mirror monster as well. In one of the apartments, Murphy can read about an obsessive tenant who was always focused on making sure his furniture matched the reflection in the mirror, for if he didn't then a monster, only visible in the mirror and able to still harm him (and be harmed), would appear and assault him. Should the player stick around to do the puzzle they'll find that something in the mirror is amiss, and they have to rotate something in the room to match the reflection. Fail to do so, and a Screamer attacks you. It's not a tough enemy, but because it is only visible in the mirror it makes defending yourself difficult as you basically have to use the mirror image to fight it.

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'', one of the dungeons in [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Dycroft]] is full of mirrors. Stepping in front of any of these mirrors to where you see Stahn's reflection causes a battle between him and a duplicate called a "Shadow". Presumably, the reflection comes to life and emerges from the mirror to attack him.
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'', when the group explores the GhostShip, the Atherum, the ghosts themselves are only visible on the mirrors of the walls.
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'', Sorey at one point asks if Seraphs (who are normally invisible to humans) can be reflected in mirrors, Lailah answers that only if they focus really hard they can only make themselves visible for a short moment, which is usually enough for them to groom themselves in it; Rose then wonders if people have been freaked out upon seeing a Seraph's image alongside theirs in the mirror, and thinks that maybe that's the origin for the stories of ghosts that appear in the mirrors.

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfHorror'', one of the old gods, Goizo, snatches and devours its victims through mirrors. In one of the bad endings, [[spoiler:it learns that [[FromBadToWorse anything with a reflection can serve as a gateway,]] including eyes...]]

* ''WebAnimation/EverythingIsBroken'': In part 3 Flippy looks onto his mirror and LG Creepybloom looks back at him in it. This is repeated in part 8.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Hexameron}}''*, Lady in Black is only visible in a mirror, and cannot harm you while being looked at.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DorothyAndTheWizardOfOz'', [[WickedWitch Wilhelmina]] obtains a magic mirror that hypnotizes her and turns her reflection into a monstrous version of her. When the mirror is broken she comes out of her trance, but the reflection breaks free and goes on a rampage throughout Oz. The only way to get rid of her is for Wilhelmina to commit acts of [[PetTheDog dog-petting]] to weaken her until she disappears completely.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' features a rare heroic example. In "Yesterday's Lie", [[spoiler:Luz enters [[VoidBetweenTheWorlds The In Between Realm]] where she can see (and be seen by) both Earth and the Demon Realm, but only through reflective surfaces. The rest of the episode, she essentially becomes a benevolent mirror monster to Vee and Camila (though Camila thinks it's just video call on her phone).]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheGhoulSchool'' features some ''thing'' that actually refers to itself as a "mirror monster". It does a MirrorRoutine with both Scooby and Shaggy, then traps Shaggy in the mirror.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[https://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2012-04-01 since the green succubus BZOMF'ed him,]] [[https://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2012-06-28 his reflection acts on its own.]]

** ''Lets Get Invisible'' features a mirror that turns you invisible, but [[spoiler:if you stay invisible too long, your reflection forces you to switch places with it]].
** Then there was ''Ghost in the Mirror'' where the mirror is a portal to a dimension full of [[spoiler: crab people]].

* In ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' Nikki's alternate personality Jessica would always manifest in reflections and when she takes control over Nikki's body early on, it's Nikki who gets trapped and slamming against the glass. Before she was named Jessica, her FanNickname was ikkiN.