Director: David Ryan Keith
Writer: David Ryan Keith (Screenplay)
Starring: Michael Koltes, Paul Flannery, Steve Weston, Lisa Livingstone, Lisa Cameron, Liam Matheson
Plot: Two paranormal investigators are unexpectedly thrown together in the hope of solving a 100 year mystery. Locked for three nights in a house with a dark and unsettling past, the two investigators must put their differences to one side and work together. Scepticism and showmanship are soon put to one side when the two investigators realize there is more at stake than just their professional reputation. For once they have stumbled onto the real thing, but this time it’s their own lives at stake.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Enjoyable Creepy Horror
Story: Ghosts of Darkness starts as we see the latest of the many stories inside Richmond Manor with over 200 years of history and mysterious deaths. Paranormal debunker Jack Donovan (Koltes) and psychic Jonathan Blazer (Flannery) are called to work together despite their differences with a fee of $50,000 each to prove there is nothing wrong within the walls.
The pair must spend 3 nights within the house locked in without phones or cars if they need help. As the two spend more time within the house they both start experiencing events they can’t explain as they start to put their differences aside to figure out the truth within the manor.
Thoughts on Ghosts of Darkness
Story – The story could be look at in simple terms, two paranormal investigators must figure out the supernatural side of a famous haunted house. This is a good thing because it doesn’t overcomplicate things, sure there are a few twists and turns along the way but they never make the story difficult to follow.
Horror – Haunted house style horror films are very often hit or miss, this film leans more towards the hit because of the slow build towards the final act filled with the scares and shock moments.
Characters/Performance – We only have two main characters in this film we have the haunted past non-believer Jack and the wildly eccentric Jonathan who is a psychic who does add moments of light hearted humor at times. Having two distinctly different characters does bring in moment of confrontation but also brings us two men who are not just going to run around like lost idiots.
Both Michael Koltes and Paul Flannery are good throughout because if they suck we lose interest in this film and both keep our attention throughout.
Settings – The whole film is set within the manor with the instant removal of being able to call for help or easy escape so we have our characters trapped through their three days and nights in the manor.
Special Effects – This movie does have some fantastic practical effects to create the effects for all different victims of the manor with ‘shotgun victim’ looking truly terrifying. Huge praise to Leigh Butler for the work here.
Final Thoughts – I am a fan of this genre of horror so I personally enjoyed this film, I would be recommending it to the fans of this genre.
Overall: If you are a fan of the paranormal investigation style films this one will be for you to enjoy.
Rating
