foxyglamarchist
Very good film. The popularity of ghost hunting shows has spawned a number of bloody treatments that frankly have been good fun. I initially thought it was going to be of the ghost hunting show finds real ghosts and the ghosts kill them genre. The End. Instead I was treated to a pretty skeptical treatment of the whole phenomena of haunting and ghosts. It's a nice change of pace from the usual fare and the film does a nice job of showing that pseudoscience kills. When watching something like Ghost Hunters or Paranormal State the EVP sessions always drive me up a wall because all I hear is static. I enjoyed the fact that all the EVP's they do in the film are just static or a hallucination of some kind. The best part of those shows is credulous people hanging out in the dark, in a reportedly haunted house, who then proceed to scare the crap out of each other. The film does a great job capturing that aspect of ghost hunting. If you like yelling "That's not an orb it's a moth!" at the TV you will like this movie. Ignore the bit of Woo at the end.
coppernight72
This film in my opinion and those that watched with me, unfortunately fails On most levelsOf Basic film making. Story, sound, editing, lighting all need to review the basics again before embarking on any more film projects. The film at best comes across as unbalanced, random and bumpy. We were lost as far as the story goes and the tension is dissolved due to a lack of long, unemotional cuts which dissolve any attempt to build up some sort of thrill or drama. I will at least give credit to the fact that the production seems to have been funded enough to make a film as big as this one based on the endless list if credits that run when it finally ends. I know this might come across as bitter but we did give it a chance and struggled through to the end in hopes of something remotely scary, but in the end it is 2 hours we will never get back.
Aaron Goodmiller
First of all, seeing as how I am one of the producers on the film, I am not going to bore you with my completely biased view of this fantastic film. I will however let you know that it was selected into the DC Independent Film Festival and won the Local Filmmaker Award. It was also selected into the Eerie Horror Film Festival, where it was up for best picture and best actor. And also an official selection for The Chicago Filipino American Film Festival.Second, I am going to give you the names of several critics so that you can see for yourself what people are saying. (I would give you links, but IMDb won't allow that in a review)28 Days Later Analysis The Liberal Dead John Of The Dead 411-Manis DVD Talk DVD Verdict Lastly, If that still doesn't help, go to youTube and search for "Ghosts Don't Exist" to see a great scene from the film (again, I would give you link, but IMDb won't allow that in a review)Thank you for your time, Aaron Goodmiller
Boloxxxi
Meet the PrincipalsBrett Wilson: Chief ghost hunter. Not, in my view, a likable lead; has a serious "cold spot" inside him. The movie shows him to be disloyal, selfish, and ruthless; and I would guess also "egotistical" though this trait is more subtle. Well there's no rule that says you must like the lead character in every film. As long as there are interesting doings, f!!ck them! Jennifer Hughes: A team member. Brunette built like a Olive Oyl who has been having an affair with our chief GH. Seems a little too needy and dependent on him to me. Does well in the field as long as there is no possibility of running into any real ghosts. Otherwise, she often looks like she's about to pee her pants. Needs to grow up.David Sherman: Ghost debunker. Main adversary of our chief GH. Doesn't seem to be as passionate or proactive as his counterpart; hovers in the background with a laid back cynical style (no doubt aided by his handy bottle of schnapps). He seems tired, though; possibly of having to prove over again and again that there are no such things as ghosts. --Or possibly, tired of not finding any real evidence yet.Ritchie Lyons: A team member. The class clown, I guess. Though he never said much that was amusing. One of those with issues (old man was an alcoholic). So jovial and smiling on the outside but an unhappy kid on the inside. That aside, he functions normally enough setting up equipment and helping to monitoring this or that.This movie is a Ghost Horror-Mystery. Since the mystery part is whether or not there are any actual ghosts, the mystery is also whether or not this is really a horror movie. A ghost hunter with a TV series, still haunted by his wife's death and plagued by guilt, decides to take one last crack at it before he quits. This he does partly under duress (fear of being sued over his contractual agreement) and partly because the man who called him to investigate this last case, a Mr. Travis Gardner, seemed like he might be genuine; had information about his wife that was not commonly known.Originally, the ghost hunting team included Wilson's wife, Wilson, and the 2 listed above. So there were 4. And now there are 3. This last case was out in the country some place. It's a long drive, but the 3 (Wilson, Jennifer, and Richie), eventually get there. The house itself is nothing spectacular but it has a spectacular history. Seems it was once a funeral home and the undertaker at the time managed to convince people that their dear departed were "lonely" on the other side and "needed them". Well how do you solve this problem? You kill yourself, of course, so you can join them. So mass suicides occurred. What is one to think, dear reader? That the funeral director was very charismatic and persuasive? --Or that the people who listened to him were seriously stupid? Anyway, as soon as the team get's to Travis Gardner's place for this last venture, David Sherman shows up (the debunking guy). The team, of course, is not pleased to see him. He explains apologetically that he too was invited. They basically said "The hell with it!" and go into the house on the bidding of a sickly-looking Travis Gardner. Inside, Gardner sits there, his plump grey bearded face perspiry and an old woman's shawl about his shoulders. His demeanor is odd (get acting lessons,dude); he's staring off into space somewhere (possibly looking for acting tips); won't answer direct questions directly (maybe he forgot his lines). The GH team and the debunker were getting ready to leave when the old bastard did something extraordinary that got their complete attention.I thought this movie was an interesting mystery despite the very bad acting of one cast member and the unlikeable lead character. I'm a big horror fan so the best mystery is a ghost or horror mystery. So, are there really ghosts in this place, or not. We are treated to sounds, sightings, phenomenon that evidence --what? The GH team and the Debunker would like to know. By this time they've got all their ghost hunting equipment set up and are tracking readings on portable radios of some kind. So lastly (Praise the lord! Boloxxxi is about to shut the hell up!), not a bad mystery and I liked the way everyone's personal issue (guilt, hate, fear, regret, etc) tied into and was used by the ghost "idea" of the film. I give this a strong 5*s. Love, Boloxxxi.