Category Archives: Ghost Films
DEAD SILENCE
DEAD SILENCE-United States-2007
Ryan Kwanten as Jamie Ashen
Amber Valletta as Ella Ashen
Donnie Wahlberg as Det. Lipton
Bob Gunton (w/Amber Valletta) as Edward Ashen
Directed by James Wan
Screenplay by Leigh Whannell
Story by James Wan and Leigh Whannell
Ventriloquist dolls creep me out. James Wan movies such as Saw and Insidious creep me out. So what does Dead Silence, which was directed by Wan (Death Sentence) and written by collaborator Leigh Whannell do to me?
You guessed it; creeped me the fuck out. Let’s break it all down.
Jamie (Ryan Kwanten aka Jason Stackhouse, True Blood) receives a ventriloquist dummy from an unknown sender.
While Jamie makes a late night run for take-out, his wife is brutally murdered, her tongue ripped out. There is no sign of forced entry or any indication that there was anyone else in the apartment with her; only the ventriloquist doll and he’s not talking.
Jamie, now a person of interest in his wife’s murder, finds evidence that the doll belonged to Mary Shaw. He remembers an old rhyme about her that warns that if you ever see her in your dreams to never, ever scream.
He returns to his home town of Ravens Fair to find answers to the legend of Mary Shaw and answers to who murdered his wife. He comes home to a mother-in-law (Amber Valletta, Hitch) who’s young enough to be his sister; and a father (Bob Gunton, The Shawshank Redemption) who is as stiff and formal as he ever was. He also finds that the rest of the town is deathly afraid to speak the name of Mary Shaw.
Did I mention that Jamie was a person of interest in his wife’s murder? That means that he wasn’t supposed to leave town. Therefore, that means he’s tailed to Ravens Fair by a detective (Donnie Wahlberg, The Sixth Sense) who has a lot of doubts about his innocence and who doesn’t believe in all that legend of Mary Shaw crap.
I’m not going to say anything more about the movie. To do so would lead me to say too much and to give away a neat little twist of an ending that has to be seen to be believed. Dead Silence is one of those movies that I find to be ridiculous to write about. It’s about an old woman and her collection of dolls, for heaven’s sake. However, note that I said ‘write about’. Watching this was a beast of a different color altogether. Damn thing creeped me the fuck out.
I don’t creep out too easily.
TRIVIA
There are two different versions of the “Mary Shaw” poem. In the movie the poem goes, “Beware the stare of Mary Shaw. She had no children only dolls. And if you see her in your dreams, do not ever, ever scream.” On the trailer it was, “Beware the stare of Mary Shaw. She had no children, only dolls. And if you see her do not scream, she’ll rip your tongue out at the seam.”
“Billy” was not only the name of one of the dummies in this movie, but also the name of the puppet used by the Jigsaw killer in the “Saw” movies, also created by Leigh Whannell and James Wan.
During the climax, in the storage area with all 101 dolls, you can see Jigsaw’s doll from the Saw films sitting on the floor, and Edgar Bergen’s doll Charlie McCarthy on one of the shelves. The doll that Detective Lipton throws over his shoulder in this scene is a replica of ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson’s doll, Danny O’Day.
The film was made into a haunted house at Universal’s “Halloween Horror Nights” in 2007 in Florida.
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THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT-United States/Canada-2009
Virginia Madsen as Sara Campbell
Kyle Gallner as Matt Campbell
Martin Donovan as Peter Campbell
Amanda Crew as Wendy
Elias Koteas as Reverend Popescu
Directed by Peter Cornwell
Written by Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe
“The Haunting in Connecticut” is 102 minutes long. Look on the back of the DVD case and that’s what it says. That’s one hour and 42 minutes in length. That’s not bad; I’ve seen longer movies than that. So, at what I perceived to be the 60-70 minute mark I pushed the display button to see how long the film had left before it was over. I will tell you in all truthfulness that you could have heard the groan that escaped from me in the next county. A mere 23 minutes had elapsed. That is when I realized that this movie is going nowhere fast and that it’s taking its sweet time getting there.
Allegedly based on a true story, “The Haunting in Connecticut” is the story of the Campbell family; Sara (Virginia Madsen, “Candyman”, “The Prophecy”), her son Matt (Kyle Gallner, “A Nightmare on Elm Street“, “Jennifer’s Body”), Matt’s younger brother Billy, cousins Mary and Wendy (Amanda Crew, “Final Destination 3) and Sara’s husband, Peter (Martin Donovan, “Insomnia”). The family moves into a house that is closer to the hospital where Matt undergoes treatment for cancer. The first night everyone picks what room they want for their own; Matt picks the room in the basement. There’s another room down there, but it’s dark and it’s locked. We just know that there’s something creepy in that room and of course there is. Pretty soon there are plenty of strange occurrences going on in the house. Lights flicker on and off, doors slam, shadowy figures appear, food suddenly rots, and unseen birds flutter about; all that jazz. Being sick, Matt is the one who is most in tune with these spirits. He sees the same young boy each and every day; as well as people with their eyelids cut off and mysterious writing carved onto their bodies from head to toe. Matt calls a priest, Father Popescu (Elias Koteas, “Apt Pupil”) and he tells the family that the place is haunted and that it’s evil and that they should get out as fast as they can. Isn’t that scary? It is, but only if you’re five years old.
“The Haunting in Connecticut” is supposedly the story of Carmen Snedeker and her family. There was a book, In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting that was written by Ray Garton in 1992. Garton has publicly distanced himself from the accuracy of the events he depicted in the book. That’s usually not a good sign for a tale that’s supposedly true. But “The Haunting in Connecticut” doesn’t suffer from bullshit; it suffers from boredom.
TRIVIA
Based on the story featured in the Discovery Channel documentary “A Haunting in Connecticut”.
The character of Reverend Popescu was supposedly based on John Zaffis, an investigator who worked on the case.
Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren, who are known for involvement in The Amityville Horror case, were investigators for this case.
Though Elias Koteas’ characters appears much older than Virginia Madsen’s, he is only six months older than her.
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LOVELY MOLLY
LOVELY MOLLY-United States-2011
Gretchen Lodge as Molly
Johnny Lewis as Tim
Alexandra Holden as Hannah
Directed by Eduardo Sanchez
Screenplay by Eduardo Sanchez and Jamie Nash
“Lovely Molly” begins with a woman talking into a video camera while holding a knife to her throat and attempting what seems to be simultaneously an apology and a suicide, but we don’t know to whom or why. The woman is Molly; to say that she’s seen better days is a massive understatement. “Lovely Molly” is equal parts ghost story and possession film. It’s about forever being condemned by our past and the haunting hold that it has over us.
Newlyweds Molly (Gretchen Lodge, “The Cigar Collector”) and Tim (Johnny Lewis, “The Runaways“) move into Molly’s old childhood home. From snippets of conversation we get the impression that growing up in the home wasn’t in the idyllic style of Ozzie and Harriet; especially in areas concerning Molly’s late father. The film never truly reveals what the man did; but if I were to hazard the words ‘incestuous’ and ‘molestation’ would come to mind. Molly has a sister, Hannah (Alexandra Holden), with her own part of the past that ties into the whole affair. There is also talk of their mother and how she was unable to protect the two of them after her death.
Tim is a trucker and therefore leaves Molly alone in the house for long periods of time. Soon, it becomes clear that Molly is not altogether ‘alone’ in the house. A recovering heroin addict, she finds it hard to convince anyone that what happens to her is real. As I said before, the film is a ghost story. There are enough creaks and disembodied voices in the style of (Eduardo) Sanchez’ earlier film “The Blair Witch Project” to make that all too obvious. What’s not obvious is the possession side of the story. Sanchez doesn’t make clear when exactly the possession of Molly occurs. Although some would see that as a failure on his part, I don’t. I’m tired of films where the director has to hold our hand through every scene and explain what’s happening. Sanchez treats his audience like they have a mind of their own and I for one applaud that.
The biggest criticism that one could have with “Lovely Molly” is that it moves at a near snail’s pace in order to get to the point. While I understand that Sanchez does this in order to set the mood, I still feel that he could have moved things along a tad quicker.
“Lovely Molly” is by no means a perfect horror film. It raises as many questions as it answers and as I said before it moves a bit too slow. However, it is also an effectively frightening film that easily shows that Eduardo Sanchez is no one-hit wonder. Then again, perhaps the term should be ‘one-witch’ wonder.
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CRAZY EIGHTS
CRAZY EIGHTS-United States-2006
Traci Lords as Gina Conte
Dina Meyer as Jennifer Jones
George Newbern as Father Lyle Dey (Image not from film)
Gabrielle Anwar as Beth Patterson
Dan DeLuca as Wayne Morrison (Image not from film)
Frank Whaley as Brent Sykes
Directed by James K. Jones
Written by Dan DeLuca and James Jones
Additional screenplay rewrites by Patrick Moses, Ji-un Kwon and James K. Jones
I watched “Crazy Eights” at 4 o’clock in the morning. It’s now 2:25 in the afternoon and other than the film having a fairly talented cast I still can’t think of one good thing to say about it. The film is so muddled that I’m really not even sure what the plot of it is. I believe it has to do with six people who get together after the death of a friend. At the request of the deceased they find and open a crate containing a bunch of old toys and items of their childhoods. Oh, and they also find the decayed body of a small child at the bottom of the crate. After that they find themselves trapped in a place where they appear to have all been before (they have), where they committed a terrible act (they did) and where they will now die at the hands of a vengeful spirit. Where have I seen a plot like that before? Right, I forgot; in a hundred other movies with the same premise. There is nothing original about this film. To name a few films there are elements of “The Big Chill“, any of the “Saw” films, and countless Japanese films where the angry ghost returns to get revenge. What the hell? I thought the After Dark Horrorfest was supposed to be about giving us something new and exciting. I could stand in the middle of an empty room and have more to be excited about.
Alright, now that I’m through ranting, let me give praise to the cast for doing as much as they could with what little they had. I’m not talking about Oscar-winning performances here; I’m talking about B-movie actors rising above the material that they’re given. Traci Lords and Dina Meyer give the best performances of the females. Frank Whaley is at his best when he plays smug little pricks and this role is no exception. Gabrielle Anwar and George Newbern are decent in their roles as well. The weakest performance comes from Dan DeLuca. DeLuca also doubles as one of the screenwriters. His character is the first to die in the film. It’s like he knew.
NO TRIVIA
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AFTER.LIFE
AFTER.LIFE-United States-2005
Christina Ricci as Anna Taylor
Justin Long as Paul Coleman
Liam Neeson as Eliot Deacon
Directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo
Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo, Paul Vosloo and Jakub Korolczuk
Usually when I write a review I feel the need to add a nudge or a wink here and there to keep things on the light side. I don’t take myself too seriously because reviewing films is one of the few occasions that I can be myself and not have to feel angry about anything. Don’t misunderstand me; there are some films that anger me for their subject matter. You do recall that I tore apart a completely misogynistic film called “Broken” a while back. If it were up to me the makers of that garbage would be rotting in a cell. But wait, I am digressing as I am sometimes wont to do. Some films anger me, yes; but some just outright puzzle me. “After.Life” puzzled me.
Anna Taylor (Christina Ricci-”Monster”, “Black Snake Moan“) is in an auto accident and wakes up in a funeral home. Eliot Deacon, (Liam Neeson-”The Grey”) the funeral director, tells her that she is dead; that there is no air passing through her lungs and that she is already beginning to decompose. Funny, last time I noticed the dead don’t talk and they sure as hell don’t move. This is where the confusion sets in. Throughout the entire film we are never completely sure if Anna is indeed dead or there is something far more sinister to Eliot Deacon. Does he have the gift of speaking with the dead; or are they only dead after he is finished with them? Then there’s the matter of Anna’s boyfriend Paul (Justin Long). Does he believe that Anna is alive? What about the phone call he receives from her? While I’m going strong I might as well mention Jack (Chandler Canterbury), an 11 year-old boy with an attraction to the deceased. Does he see Anna? What is his connection to her? What is his connection to Eliot Deacon? I don’t like watching a film and not having at least some of the answers. “After.Life” holds its cards close to the chest. It never clues us in on what it’s trying to tell us. Are people more afraid of living than they are of dying? We use the expression that someone “doesn’t deserve to live”. Should it be that they don’t deserve to die as if death were the honor? Questions, questions, and more questions; if I keep asking questions I will slowly go insane. I guess it’s like the great but not yet late Tom Waits said:
What does it matter, a dream of love
Or a dream of lies
We’re all gonna be the same place
When we die
Your spirit don’t leave knowing
Your face or your name
And the wind through your bones
Is all that remains
And we’re all gonna be
Just dirt on the ground.
A story comes to mind about a man who was reading the paper one day. As he glances at the obituaries what do his eyes come across but his very own death notice. He calls the newspaper; “You’re newspaper reports me as being dead. I’m not dead.” The woman on the end asks him, “Sir, where are you calling from?”
Ba-dum-bum!!
TRIVIA
Kate Bosworth was originally cast as Anna but was replaced by Christina Ricci.
The prop knife used by Anna (Christina Ricci) is the same one used by Alex (Glenn Close) in Fatal Attraction.
Alfred Molina was originally cast as Eliot but was replaced by Liam Neeson.
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JOHN CARPENTER’S THE WARD
JOHN CARPENTER’S THE WARD-United States-2011
Amber Heard as Kristen
Mamie Gummer as Emily
Danielle Panabaker as Sarah
Laura-Leigh (left) as Zoey
Lyndsy Fonseca as Iris
Mika Boorem (left) as Alice
Jared Harris as Dr. Stringer
Directed by John Carpenter
Written by Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen
John Carpenter’s still got it. If you don’t believe me, then by all means check out “The Ward.” Despite the fact that it has nearly every cliché associated with films set within mental institutions (the Nurse Ratchet type nurse, the orderly that catches you at every turn, pretending to swallow the pills they give you, shock therapy) and an ending that was telegraphed from the next county, “The Ward” is a triumphant return to horror for a director that’s been gone for far too long. It has not been since “Insidious” that I have found myself clutching my chest and breathing heavy as I just did while watching this film. Carpenter turns the tension up to ten and keeps going until he shatters our minds with terror and fear.
Kristen (Amber Heard-”All the Boys Love Mandy Lane“, “Zombieland”) is placed in a mental institution after setting fire to a farmhouse and watching it burn. Like R.P. McMurphy before her, she bucks the system and attempts every possible way to escape the confines of the ward. Unlike our old pal R.P., her reason for leaving is quite a different story. It seems that all the friends (Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Lyndsy Fonseca, and Laura-Leigh) that she’s made on the ward are being murdered by an angry and vengeful ghost named Alice Hudson and Kristen just so happens to be on her shit list. Why, you ask; I’ll never tell. That would be cheating. Watch the film and see for yourself just like I did.
I will tell you this much; “The Ward” is John Carpenter’s best film since “The Thing.” It is a welcome return to form for a director who long ago strayed off the beaten path of his vision. Bow down to the king, peasants.
TRIVIA
John Carpenter’s first full-length feature film since Ghosts of Mars, and his first feature not shot in Panavision since his debut Dark Star.
On the audio commentary, Jared Harris asks John Carpenter why he did not compose the soundtrack, John replied “quite frankly, I’m just too old.”
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CANDYMAN
CANDYMAN-United States-1992
Virginia Madsen as Helen Lyle
Tony Todd as Candyman/Daniel Robitaille
Xander Berkeley as Trevor Lyle
Kasi Lemmons as Bernadette Walsh
Directed by Bernard Rose
Screenplay by Bernard Rose
Based on “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker
‘They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What’s blood for, if not for shedding?’-”Candyman”
Leave it to the mind of Clive Barker to create an urban legend from an urban legend. What, didn’t you know? The legend of “Candyman” is a variation on the tale of Bloody Mary. Go into your bathroom, turn off your lights and say ‘bloody Mary’ three times into the mirror. When you do, she’ll appear behind you with a bloody butcher knife and slice your throat from ear to ear. Or maybe it was a razor. I heard the story from a friend of a friend’s second cousin twice removed on his uncle’s roommate’s side, so the story may have gotten a little diluted or maybe even embellished. Anyway, go try it. I’ll wait right here.
Hmmm, I see that you’re back but that there are less of you. Oh well, for those of you still here I can assure you that although “Candyman” is a derivative of an old urban legend that certainly doesn’t make it any less frightening. Quite the contrary actually; the film, which is loosely based on Barker’s “The Forbidden” from his “Books of Blood”, is one of the most atmospherically unsettling films I’ve seen in a long time. There is a feel to certain scenes that make you feel as if you are watching with a lead weight on your chest. The first time I watched the film I literally felt as if the room were closing in on me and I am not claustrophobic in the least.
Tony Todd as the “Candyman” brings to life a character that is deservedly every bit the horror icon that Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees has become. He is pure menace wrapped in vengeance and angry evil. The best way to describe the “Candyman” is by his own words: ‘I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom’…’I am rumor’…’To be whispered about at street corners, to live in other people’s dreams. But not have to be.’
To give you an example of the effect that “Candyman” has on us I will share with you this little tidbit; of all the friends that I have who have seen the film not one of them has ever had the guts to say his name five times in the mirror as the film suggests. ‘Whisper in the classroom’, my eye. We all believe in the “Candyman”.
TRIVIA
There is a Guy Fawkes mask hanging next to Helen’s bathroom mirror. Fawkes is an infamous figure in English history (an influence from Clive Barker’s original story perhaps), who attempted to blow up the English Parliament on November 5, 1605. Every year the British celebrate Guy Fawkes Day by lighting bonfires and burning Fawkes in effigy.
Virginia Madsen is allergic to bees, so an ambulance was always on set while filming the bee sequence.
Exterior, hallway and stairway scenes were actually filmed for a few days in the infamous Cabrini-Green housing projects, though the producers had to make a deal with the ruling gang members to put them in the movie as extras to ensure the cast and crew’s safety during filming. Even with this arrangement, a sniper put a bullet through the production van on the last day of filming, though no one was injured.
The architecture flaw of the medicine chests and people being able to sneak in, is something that Bernard Rose discovered in his research for the film and there was actually a series of murders that were committed this way.
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THE INNKEEPERS
THE INNKEEPERS-United States-2011
Sara Paxton as Claire
Pat Healy as Luke
Kelly McGillis as Leanne Rease-Jones
Written and Directed by Ti West
With a ghost story, it’s all about the pacing. You have to keep the audience at a near breaking point of suspense, or else you will lose them. The tension has to be stretched to that specific point where they want to turn their eyes away from the screen; yet at the same time there is nothing they want more than to see what happens next. The Innkeepers, the latest film from The House of the Devil director Ti West, builds up the suspense and the tension to the point of where you feel that your mind is twisted like rubber. You’re stretched so tightly that just one more thing will send you over the edge.
The Innkeepers is the story of two hotel clerks, Luke and Claire, and their last weekend at the Yankee Pedlar Inn. The inn is going out of business and with only a small handful of guests the two of them decide it would be a perfect time to find out if the inn is haunted. Did a woman named Madeline O’Malley hang herself at the Yankee Pedlar? Is her ghost doomed to remain there? Will Luke and Claire find the answers they’re looking for? What, are you waiting for me to answer the questions? I mean, seriously, I just review the films. If you want an entire plot synopsis then go to Wikipedia. Better yet, watch the movie.
All joking aside, The Innkeepers is a winner. Sara Paxton and Luke Healy are both very good in their titular roles and Kelly McGillis has a reserved and eerie charm as one the hotel’s final living guests. In my opinion, Ti West is a director to watch. The Innkeepers and the House of the Devil are excellent horror films; but I get the feeling there’s greatness right around the corner. He need only take his time. After all, it’s all about the pacing.
NO TRIVIA
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THIR13EEN GHOSTS
THIR13EEN GHOSTS-United States/Canada-2001
Tony Shalhoub as Arthur Kriticos
Embeth Davidtz as Karina Oretzia
Matthew Lillard as Dennis Rafkin
Shannon Elizabeth (r) as Kathy Kriticos
Rah Digga as Maggie Bess
F. Murray Abraham as Cyrus Kriticos
Directed by Steve Beck
Story by Robb White
Screenplay by Neal Marshall Stevens and Richard D’Ovidio
First of all, this film will be referred to as Thirteen Ghosts for the rest of this review. The fancy spelling with the numbers in the middle was for cute effect or some shit like that. This review will be brief. In fact, this review will be a list of all that’s wrong with this movie. That would be namely everything.
1. Why was this film even remade? It’s merely an inferior copy of a film that wasn’t all that good in the first place.
2. You would think that a film that contains all these nasty looking ghosts with all these homicidal tendencies would have some decent gore to it. “You would think” is the key part of that sentence. The only decent kill scene is that of the lawyer and his death is merely a watered down version of the ‘cable slicing through the crowd’ scene in Ghost Ship. For an R-rated film you would think Thirteen Ghosts was sucking the tit of PG-13.
3. The story is ludicrous and merely serves as a road map for what amounts to nothing more than fun house roller coaster moments. What can we do to the characters as we take them from Jump scene A to Jump Scene B?
4. Don’t even get me started on the casting. Tony Shalhoub and F. Murray Abraham should have known better, Shannon Elizabeth looks lost and Matthew Lillard is wishing he were starring in Scream again. Oh, and let’s not forget Rah Digga as the token black character who spouts witty things about white people and not doing windows. That’s not me being racist. No, that dishonor goes to the filmmakers.
So, there you have it. Thirteen Ghosts is all kinds of suck. Take care and stay scared.
TRIVIA
The special effects and sound mixing were so elaborate in this film, that many people claimed that the movie was physically painful to sit through.
The effect for “The Torso” was achieved using a double amputee wearing a special black hood that could be used to digitally remove his head.
Shawna Loyer attracted a small cult following thanks to her brief role as the Angry Princess. A rumor circulated that the role was actually played by porn actress Aria Giovanni using a pseudonym, but this is incorrect (Ms. Giovanni was in an adult parody titled Thirteen Erotic Ghosts.
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THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE
THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE-Mexico/Spain-2001
Eduardo Noriega as Jacinto
Marisa Paredes (w/Federico Luppi) as Carmen
Federico Luppi as Dr. Casares
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Written by Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras and David Muñoz
The entire time that I was watching The Devil’s Backbone I kept thinking to myself ‘I know there’s a metaphor for war in there somewhere.’ I mean, a movie that features a dropped-from-the-sky-unexploded-in-the-middle-of-an-orpahanage-courtyard bomb has got to be making some kind of statement about war, right? The only thing is that I am one of the most metaphorically challenged people on the planet. I’ll get it eventually; just not at the moment.
So, I figured the best way to approach the movie was from the point of view of it being quite a frightening little ghost story. Bingo! Guillermo del Toro’s tale of a young boy and a vengeful ghost set in an orphanage in the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War is as downright scary a film as you are ever likely to see. The best thing is that Del Toro layers the suspense on slowly; taking his time and allowing us to digest each scene and each scare as an individual moment instead of a bombardment of jump scenes. There is a style to this film that is unlike any that I’ve seen in quite some time. The only other movie that comes to mind that features such a slow build of frights is Takashi Miike’s disturbing ode to a woman scorned, Audition.
Guillermo del Toro has stated that The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth are of a male and female companion piece to one another. I’ve never watched the latter film; but if it is anywhere near as satisfying as The Devil’s Backbone, then I cannot wait.
TRIVIA
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