AN AMERICAN GHOST STORY

AN AMERICAN GHOST STORY

(A.k.a. REVENANT)

Paul (Stephen Twardokus) is 30 years old and embarrassed by his history of never finishing anything he starts. Perhaps that's why he's never amounted to being any more than a part-time advertisement writer for a local newspaper, he tells himself.

So, he moves into a notorious local house with his girlfriend Stella (Liesel Kopp). Said to be haunted by the ghosts of the family that were slain there years earlier, Paul hopes the spooky vibes and promise of paranormal activity - something he insists he believes in - will inspire him into writing his first book. Stella, seeing the exercise as a bit of fun, goes along for the ride.

A couple of bumps in the night and a few of Paul's scary stories about how the father of a previous family who lived there went doolally and shot his wife and son, aren't enough to put Stella off. But when, a few days later, the cupboard doors in the kitchen start moving of their own accord, she bids a hasty retreat.

Paul, however, is determined to see something through to the end for once: he vows to stay in the house alone. Naturally, he experiences a few more bumps and freaky instances during the following month. Perhaps the most obvious of these is when he awakens to witness his bedding hovering above him in the shape of a person. Spooky.

Okay, maybe he should get the fuck out of there. But Paul is so obsessed with writing a credible book from this material that he continues to stay, bolstered on somewhat by his old pal Sam (Cain Clifton).

Eventually Paul decides to meet with his landlord Skip (Jon Gale) and gather details of former tenants. This leads him to a meeting with the extremely nervous Sue (Wendy Haines), who lived and suffered there with her family a short while before Paul moved in. She looks like she's never slept since - and warns that he must move out before the house kills him.

Hey, Paul, are you going to move out? Or are you going to go back there, and start investigating strange occurrences, armed with nothing but a torch?

AN AMERICAN GHOST STORY is rather good. I say that in advance of any other comment, because it probably sounds shit from the above synopsis.

I'm particularly pleased that it's not another wretched 'found footage' film. Instead, writer-director Derek Cole crafts a conventional but fluid spook show which admirably eschews gore in favour of good old-fashioned scares. Lighting and camera angles are well conceived for maximum effect, while Twardokus proffers a convincingly vulnerable lead.

Yes, a lot of it is by-the-book: the scary face that flashes onto the laptop screen; the creaks of doors; things that go clatter in the night. But Cole pulls each cliché off with modest skill.

Being harsh, I have to point out that some of the performances and dialogue make it seem at times like a daytime soap opera, and the piano-led score - while eerie - is overused (some potentially scary scenes definitely would've benefitted from a bit of silence).

But overall, AN AMERICAN GHOST STORY is an agreeable way of spending 90 minutes, and less generic than its title suggests.

The DVD provided for review was an early test disc from Breaking Glass Pictures, complete with a "Property Of" watermark during playback. Furthermore, there were no menus or extras, so I can't really comment on how the retail disc is going to turn out.

For what it's worth, the presentation here is a strong 16x9 one, boasting fine detail, nice sharp clarity of image and decent colours. Contrast is strong with no blocking issues.

The English 2.0 audio proffered on the screener disc was a solid proposition too.

Although there were no bonus features included on my preview disc, I understand the retail DVD will include a director's commentary track and a few deleted scenes.

AN AMERICAN GHOST STORY is worth sticking with. The first 10 minutes or so may seem lacklustre but it soon gathers momentum. It may well be a little too low budget for some tastes, and is as prone to hackneyed fright fest tropes as current blockbuster THE CONJURING, but I still commend Cole et al for sidestepping the obvious gore route in favour of good old scares.

If you're prepared to make a few allowances per above, I recommend AN AMERICAN GHOST STORY.

Review by Stuart Willis


 
Released by Breaking Glass Pictures
Region 1 NTSC
Not Rated
Extras :
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