Movies
[Popcorn Frights Review] ‘Queen of Spades: The Looking Glass’ Is a Competent but Unremarkable Thriller
Since our species first developed language, sharing ghost stories around a campfire was established as one of the most universal human experiences. Though different cultures have their own particular flavors of phantasmagorical frights, many of these stories still seem to share repeating patterns throughout different retellings. Bloody Mary, for instance, is incredibly popular in the US, but has several worldwide equivalents like the Bathroom Blonde in Brazil and the Queen of Spades in Russia. This last example has actually been the focus of several film adaptations in the past, but filmmaker Aleksandr Domogarov attempts to breathe new life into the tale with his latest production: Queen of Spades: The Looking Glass.
Queen of Spades stars Angelina Strechina and Daniil Izotov as Olya and Artyom, estranged half-siblings forced to live together in a boarding school after a tragic car accident ends with their mothers’ death. As they make friends and begin a new life at the gloomy institution, which was once an old mansion, the siblings and fellow students become involved in a ritual to summon the wish-fulfilling spirit of the mansion’s original owner. Unfortunately, these wishes come at a deadly cost, and the group soon becomes haunted by the dreadful Queen of Spades.
Though the story might not sound all that original, you have to remember that this is an adaption of a popular urban legend with roots in ancient ghost stories, so it’s natural that some elements would end up feeling familiar. That being said, the end product here feels like a bland retelling of the same tired tropes that have been plaguing supernatural horror movies for decades, now, and there’s really no excusing that.
Don’t get me wrong, Queen of Spades is definitely not a bad movie. It actually boasts a lot of atmosphere and some genuinely creepy locations, not to mention a fun cast (though the script doesn’t give them enough to do) and more than a few competent scares. The problem is that the film doesn’t strive to be anything more than a Russian-themed retelling of other popular horror movies and doesn’t quite develop its own unique identity.
With the exception of the main siblings, the script has a severe case of cookie-cutter characters, and even the main antagonist isn’t developed all that well. The Countess’ overall design feels a bit too bland, looking like a generic old-timey ghost, though I guess this is appropriate enough according to the legends.
Like I mentioned earlier, however, there are several attempts at memorable scares, which is commendable even if they don’t always land. Some of the ways that the Countess turns her victims’ wishes on their heads are actually quite creative, though I don’t think the movie goes far enough with the whole Monkey’s Paw scenarios.
In all honesty, I actually had a good time with Queen of Spades: The Looking Glass, especially towards the end. The film might be unremarkable, but it’s far from an ostensibly bad experience. I think it might be easier to appreciate the film if you’re already familiar with the original Russian legends, but I guess they could have done a better job of setting up the rules and mythology behind the Countess. In any case, I wouldn’t mind re-watching this one on a late-night Russian horror binge, so it might be worth a shot if you’re interested in Slavic folklore.
Queen of Spades: The Looking Glass premiered at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival!
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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