Ghostlight

Released by: Brain Damage Films
Released on: June 3rd, 2014.
Director: Jeff Ferrell
Cast: Brian Sutherland, Lisa Coronado, Dennis Kleinsmith, Russell Hodgkinson
Year: 2013
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The Movie:

Written and directed by Jeff Ferrell, 2013's Ghostlight tells the story of a young man named Andrew (Brian Sutherland) who enters and then wins a radio contest in which he can win a cool fifty grand in cold, hard cash. The catch? He has to spend a night alone in an old theater reported to be haunted and he has to do it on the eightieth anniversary of a notorious murder/suicide that take place there almost a century ago. The history of the theater doesn't end there, however, as ever since that tragic event took place, the building seems to have become a magnet for death.

Andrew, however, is an enlightened man of the modern age. He doesn't believe in ghosts and as such, he figures this is much ado about nothing. He figures he'll spend the night alone and make some easy money, but his wife, Mira (Lisa Coronado), believes otherwise. She's been plagued by visions, possibly premonitions, about the old theater and she doesn't want Andrew to go through with this. Determined, he ignores her warnings and allows himself to be locked in side where, through a series of events, he learns the truth about the theater and the events that have led to its rumored hauntings. And we'll leave it that in an effort to avoid spoilers.

The concept of having a character or characters spend a night in a haunted location isn't a particularly original one when it comes to horror movies but when properly exploited as it is in this low budget picture, it can and in this case obviously does work quite well. The story takes the time to properly develop its characters, to make sure we like both Andrew and Mira before plunging Andrew into the (literal) darkness of the theater, at which point the backstory of what happened there moves to the forefront and becomes the focal point of the picture. It's here, once we pass the half way mark, that Ferrell decides to shift the focus from building character to delivering the chills and rock solid suspense that you expect and want from a good paranormal thriller.

Rather than rely on flashy effects, either out of artistic intent or budgetary necessity, Ghostlight uses shadow and light and clever camerawork to unveil the 'little things' that wind up mattering in horror films. The reveal of specific characters or beings in specific locations is handled very well here, resulting not only in a few well-timed jump scares but in some more lasting menace as well. As we're able to connect with Andrew thanks to the first half of the film, we start to feel for him as his situation becomes increasingly more dangerous. Some things just aren't worth the money!

The cast do good work here. Though some of the supporting players are a little on the wooden side, it's no more distracting than it is in any other indie/low budget picture. Ferrell plays to his casts strengths, and there are appreciable subtleties to most of the acting on display. The leads, Sutherland and Coronado, do most of the heavy lifting and prove they are quite capable of doing just that. There are a couple of slow spots and a couple of spots where, yeah, that low budget is obvious, but the bulk of Ghostlight not only works but it works very well. The really strong cinematography, fantastic location work and obvious dedication of its cast more than compensate for the film's shortcomings and this proves to be a low budget ghost story worth seeking out.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Ghostlight debuts on DVD in 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen. Shot digitally there's obviously no print damage to contend with and the image is crisp and clean throughout. There are some mild compression artifacts in the backgrounds of the image that pop up from time to time but detail is pretty solid and color reproduction is quite good. There are no issues with aliasing and the smooth cinematography and good use of shadow and light employed throughout the movie translates well to this DVD.

The English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track on the disc is also quite good. Although there are a couple of spots where the dialogue gets just slightly buried in the mix, far more often than not the levels are properly balanced. There are no issues with any hiss or distortion and the score sounds quite good. A 5.1 mix might have made a few scenes a bit more involving but this is a low budget feature, the audio here suits the movie perfectly well leaving little to complain about. There are no alternate language options or subtitles provided.

The extras start off with a commentary from director Jeff Ferrell and lead actor Brian Sutherland that provides a good overview of what was involved in making this movie and how it came to be in the first place. Ferrell gives some interesting background information about his involvement in the arts and specifics as to how he got into filmmaking before explaining what he tried to accomplish with the movie, his interactions with the cast and crew and how and why he wore so many different hats during the making of the movie. Sutherland has a bit less to say but still offers up lots of discussion as to his part in the film as he elaborates on his character, his thoughts on the picture as a whole and his relationship with some of his co-stars. It's a well-paced track that covers a lot of ground.

Additionally, the DVD includes a seventy-five minute long featurette entitled Sleepless: The Making of Ghostlight. Understandably this has to cover some of the same ground as the commentary track but the location and behind the scenes footage included here makes it its own unique piece and one worth watching. There's a lot of emphasis here on how and why the locations showcased in the film were chosen and we really get a feel for what it was like on set in this regard. We also see the actors doing their thing, planning out certain scenes and working on providing what they feel is the right take on the material. There's quite a bit of involvement from Ferrell and Sutherland again but so too is there input from many of the others involved in the picture.

Rounding out the extras is a short film directed by Ferrell titled Morella, an Edgar Allan Poe adaptation featuring some of the cast members he would use in Ghostlight. This short film clocks in at just shy of ten minutes in length. Menus and chapter selection are also included.

The Final Word:

Ghostlight manages to stand out in a glut of low budget horror films as a smart and creative picture, one that pays homage to ghost stories of the past while still managing to anchor itself in the present. Those looking for extreme gore or constant effects work might be turned off but if you're able to appreciate atmosphere and slowburn brooding and dig a good ghost story, definitely give this one a shot. The DVD release from Brain Damage is a good one in both the presentation and extra features department making this a strong release through and through.