Brett Donowho Delivers a Good Old Haunting His Way!
This competent horror is the fourth movie from actor turned director Brett Donowho, and was very like a throwback to the days before everyone found their footage as opposed to simply coming up with a good story and filming it themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I happen to like found footage flicks but I still enjoy a good old fashioned scary ghost story, where the new kid in town discovers they are a secret witch, vampire, werewolf or Elvis impersonator. In this case it’s back to a good old haunting/whodunnit combo with the occasional red herring to attempt confusion, and we even have a prop that JRR Tolkien would find pleasing.
Jordan (Alix Elizabeth Gitter) has recently lost her mother and now must stay with her uncle Kevin (Steve Bacic) and aunt Anne (Tara Westwood) in Silver Falls, a town with a history. She is dating the local geek Larry (James Cavlo) who she goes with to an outdoor party next to the woods in Silver Falls. While there, the cops show up and they all make a run for it but Jordan and Larry get split up. Jordan finds a ring which she puts on her finger and now she starts to see ghosts. While the story is not exactly original, it’s told extremely well with very competent direction. The cast were also good with interesting characters, all in situations that make them three dimensional.
There were a couple of silly things that bothered me, like when Jordan goes to the prison to see the father of the twin girls who were murdered. Such low security for a man hours away from execution was weird, plus the fact that she was told to go and see him as part of the therapy she was forced to endure. Was it believable? Nay, nay, and thrice nay, but it doesn’t really detract from this enjoyable ghost flick. While this movie isn’t about making you jump every so often, it is nice and creepy, thanks to Donowho’s direction, creating a scary atmosphere that keeps you wanting more. This is exactly the kind of horror that has been badly emulated of late, and it’s good to see one arrive that is good in almost every way that a low budget horror can be. Very good indeed.
Grade: C
Ed Blackadder
