Ghosts, the oldest and most widely feared of all the monsters and boogeyman in existence. So many films have fought hard to make you believe in their existence but what of one that, at least in title, wants you to do the opposite. ‘Ghosts Don’t Exist’ is a thriller from writer director Eric Espejo. So is the comforting title the directive of the film or a false door behind which sits the specter of your darkest nightmare? Only watching the film will answer that question but to give you some idea into the plot Brett Wilson is a tv “Ghost Hunter”, one of those guys you see walking around with an infrared camera and a audio recorder talking to shadows and following phantom knocks. After the death of his wife and unborn child Brett loses faith and has decides to hang up his EVP meter. Just after announcing his retirement Brett receives a call from a man, Travis Garner, claiming to not only be haunted by ghosts, but specifically claims contact with Brett’s late wife Nicole. Unable to turn down the chance at reconnecting with his wife, and threatened with legal action by his studio Brett has no choice but to do one last goodbye show from the home of this mysterious Mr. Garner. Brett and his crew; cameraman Ritchie, and beautiful sidekick Jennifer, head deep into rural Virginia to the haunted home. On arrival they find David Sherman, a writer and extreme skeptic adept at discrediting people in Brett’s line of work, waiting for them unable to pass up the chance to document Brett’s going away show. Other than the appearance of David all is going well…that is until their host, Travis Garner , who seems a bit more than “off” tells Brett a secret word that only he and his wife knew, a kind of password from the undead. Garner then proceeds to pull out a gun, drop it barrel deep in his mouth and pull the trigger. Time to leave? Not quite, after hearing the passcode from Garner Brett is intent on finishing the investigation and disables the cars insuring his crew and Sherman stay until the hunt is complete. A decision that could leave these paranormal investigators closer to the other side than they may be comfortable with.
I’ll be completely honest right from jump street, I went into this movie expecting to see basically an episode of ghost hunters mixed with ‘Paranormal Activity’ and perhaps a little ‘A House on Haunted Hill’. What I got could not have been further from what I expected, and I mean that in the best way. The coolest thing about this film is that every time you think they are going to go with what’s normally done in movies of this type they take you a different direction. You are left questioning what you just saw and what is happening to the people involved. All too often do filmmakers take the predictable route and instead of coming up with an inventive and original script simply try to come up with new ways of instituting the old jump scare routine. Well I can tell you that’s not the case with ‘Ghosts Don’t Exist’. That’s not to say the movie isn’t scary, while its not ‘The Exorcist’ it’s certainly got it’s tense moments. In particular a wonderfully shot scene in the home’s basement, I can’t recall a time I was made so tense with no visual cues, the scene is basically in pitch black with nothing but sound to reel you in and it gets you hook line and sinker. That, and a scene with a baby rocker, I dunno maybe it’s just me but baby stuff creeps me out. Adding to this the performances given were top notch. Usually with low budget films there are at least one or two performances that flat out suck and pull you from the movie but that’s just not the case here. I couldn’t point out one bad performance and would happily stand up and say that each member of the cast gave a great show. Special Kudos go to the not so classically trained local celebrities that made cameos in the film, Mike O’Meara, Lindsey Czarniak, Chris Cooley and Todd Yoder. Usually these cameos stand out by just how badly the lines are delivered but these folks acted like seasoned pros. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention just how good the movie looked, visually it’s right on par with any major studio production. Whether it’s the beautiful backgrounds that are rural Virginia or a dimly lit hallway in the house they are shot wonderfully. As a fan of the TV show “Ghost Hunters” I can admit that I may be a little biased as this movie is basically one of the scenarios you secretly wish would play out as you watch the team members investigate squeaky floorboards and loose circuit breakers.
The other thing you wish would happen on “Ghost Hunters” is to see some freakin’ ghosts, and sadly this is where the movie is lacking. While it may very well have been the intention of the filmmakers to make more of a psychological movie than a horror I could have done for a few more scares. The atmosphere was there and there were a few present opportunities they just didn’t take advantage of them. I think if you have “Ghost” in the title you are obligated to at least be a partial horror movie, but hey, maybe that’s just me. Other than that really the only other thing I can find to bitch about is the pacing, the film sags a bit in the middle but picks back up before you truly start to notice it’s slowed down and there’s an epilogue of sorts that could have added some more mystery to the plot had it been omitted. As much as I hate to say it I wish I had more on the negative side to say about this movie so as to have a more well rounded review, but there just wasn’t much that you could complain about.
All in all I thought that “Ghosts Don’t Exist” was a great, locally made, psychological thriller. I can’t put enough emphasis on the originality of the story and simply how great it looked. Anyone that would avoid this flick because it’s an independent low budget movie needs to get out there and broaden your horizons or you will miss out. Too many people are missing great movies like this because they only watch the crap that’s released at the multiplex every weekend. If you get a chance and you want to see some great local filmmaking check out “Ghosts Don’t Exist” you won’t be sorry you did. Make sure to stay checking in with us at www.punchdrunkcritics.com for the latest updates in where and when you can see this flick and check out the trailer below.
3.5 our of 5 Guttenbergs
