ROX-TV’s movie review is back and this week we are reviewing another chiller called “Ghost Stories”. Come along for the ride as we discuss the motion picture in depth.
Here at the ROX-TV website, we like to bring the readers a host of different topics and items to feast on. Obviously we cover different types of music, but we also like to dig into movies, books, and the arts. I’ve always felt that the more a person can branch out, they will continue to grow and evolve. Besides too much of any one thing can eventually get stale and crusty. I think of it in terms like this: Everyone likes ice cream, but what happens when that’s all you eat? It might be cool for a day or three, but as time goes on, the over exposure to just “one thing” can actually start to turn into a negative.
I have dealt with this type of thing my whole life. I enjoy things that I like, but the problem is, I often over do it with whatever that thing is, leading to all types of problems. From alcohol, to marijuana, sugar, and so much more, when I find the party zone, its excess or nothing at all. When I was younger I didn’t understand this, but as the time has rolled on, it would be safe to say that I suffer from an addictive personality. I don’t mind admitting it, because it’s who I am. It’s a burden and leads me to burn out on things, because I rock them till there dead, or I come close to going out like a light.
I’ve always done a little better when I’ve spread out and don’t focus on one area for too long, but it can be difficult. It goes against the programming that I’ve been accustom to all these years. So any way, in my opinion, branching out is a good thing. When it comes to the articles I write, I feel like a healthy dose of different topics keeps the readers from burning out and the introduction of new ideas can never be bad. If we get stuck on one thing forever, eventually we stall out and the enjoyment is stolen.
Tonight, we will be discussing a movie that really captivated me and if you’ve never heard of it, I suggest you check it out. That is…if you enjoy horror movies and especially if you like scary movies that have more to offer than a lake, campsite, Elm Street, or Halloween. I adore all those things and rock Jason, Michael, and Freddy to the fullest, but too much of anything will lead to adverse affects. Besides, it’s fun to find new twists and turns when it comes to movies. Good film makers are consistent, but great film makers find new ways to scare people. A masked killer is fine and can produce a fright or two, but there is something else out there that for me, is even more scary.
The things that really spook me often are real life situations, that could happen to any one of us. I suppose if you went to a campsite a million times, just by playing the numbers, eventually a crazed killer with a bizarre motive might show up at some point. Like they always say, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile. A shitty basketball player who takes enough shots will eventually make at least one basket. Pushing the envelope too often can be fatal. It’s really all about the numbers.
With that in mind, I still come back to real life though. Because the most scary situations are often hiding in every day reality. The evil killers in horror movies represent fear of a boogeyman, but the odds are a person will have better chances of being killed in a car crash or freak accident before the back woods slasher ever comes for us. I often think about society and what we fear collectively. Crime is a perfect example. For some reason we always fear the unknown thief, from a different neighborhood coming in to steal what is ours. When the reality is, whoever stole your shit is most likely known to you, from your own part of town. Even with murderers, historically they kill within their own cultures and races, but we are taught to fear others instead of who is actually doing the killing. Why? It causes division and tends to lead to people not trusting “outsiders”. A house divided is easily controlled.
Before I drift too far into the weeds, I need to circle back around to the point that I was making. Boogeymen are scary, but its the everyday situations in life and quite possibly our neighbors who can be the most frightening. This long ass introduction has now concluded, as I think I have set the stage for the movie review tonight. It’s a motion picture that I had never heard of before and to be completely honest, I didn’t expect too much. It was one of those nights, when I was up late, driving myself crazy with boredom and stagnation. At a certain point, I give up rather frequently and just settle for some piece of shit to fill the room with noise, while the darkness outside smothers my house like an old scratchy blanket.
I remember it clearly, after “surfing” for almost an hour, looking and hoping for something decent to watch, I dropped NETFLIX and fired up HULU. There was no expectations of finding a good movie to watch and at that point, was ready to settle for just about anything that was familiar. I tripped over a title called “Ghost Stories” and although the name was mediocre at best, the image that popped up with the movie title immediately caught my eye. It was a human face with a look of horror spread over it, with some other interesting things going on. When I examined the image, I decided immediately not to judge the movie based by the name, but to trust my instincts with the visuals. If the movie was at least one third as disturbing as the cover, than I was going to be in for a real treat. I hit play without reading about the movie.
Nothing is ever what it seems:
“IFC MIDNIGHT” popped up with some basic background music. I was familiar with other movies that had been affiliated with IFC MIDNIGHT and had seen the logo from time to time. I believe “Husk” was produced by IFC as well, but enough of that. From there was an eerie sound of dripping water and what sounded like someone hiding and distressed breathing. Out of nowhere “Ghost Stories” crashed into the frame and it begins. I knew within those first few seconds, that this was not going to another run of the mill piece of horror shit, that seems to litter television these days. People know what I mean….each different channel might offer up to 200 horror movies, but in reality about 82% of them don’t deserve to be there. They would be better suited on the public access channel (for young readers, public access was basically the lowest spot on the entertainment ladder. If tv channels were gangs from the Warriors Movie, then public access would have been the equivalent to “The Orphans” gang).
As I continued to watch, I noticed a series of numbers being written on the screen with what sounded like chalk board affects. I assumed that somehow these numbers would turn up later in an important way and I was right, but more on that later. The movie takes off and I suddenly found myself looking at an upside down mirror, which wouldn’t make much sense (until the very end of the movie) so early into the flick, so I filed it away for pondering later. Next up was narration from the movie’s main character Professor Phillip Goodman (played by the talented Andy Nyman who had a small role in the 2007 release “Death at a Funeral”. The English version before the American remake).
The viewer is shown a series of old “footage” from Phillip’s early years as a child. Apparently his father had been a strict religious follower and had made life difficult for Phillip and his family. The footage is interesting and done correctly according to the time period it is trying to capture. I love those old home movie clips, it even has the correct sounding audio, just like those hand held machines used to make when running. Very cool. Once the flashbacks and back story are filled in a bit, the viewer is thrust into a psychic led convention for people in mourning over lost loved ones. I do believe that there are people and ways to make special connections to things outside of our current reality, but I despise people who use the medium to rip off others for money (which I’m afraid happens more often than not).
Phillip Goodman is now an adult and a practicing skeptic hell bent on exposing fraudsters and debunking alleged contact with the supernatural. The movie was nothing like the title had me imagining and that is always a good thing. Fresh content is like a good meal, and my mind devours the shit. After blowing up the fraudster on the stage, the movie drifts into Professor Phillip Goodman’s life as a skeptic and he reflects on his personal hero, a fellow debunker by the name of Charles Cameron (played by Leonard Byrne). Goodman talks about how much of an inspiration Charles was and how it basically shaped his ethos in the quest for truth. For a scary movie, this picture actually has some funny moments imbedded throughout the duration. Sometimes they come out of nowhere and create a brief feeling of comfort, obviously creating contrasts to more “scary” parts of the movie. I don’t normally want to laugh during a horror movie, but if it’s done right, than I can not object. Charles Cameron is also said to have vanished many years earlier without a trace. That is until the package arrives at Phillip Goodman’s house.
So it begins:
The long lost Charles Cameron has sent Phillip a cassette tape requesting his presence immediately. During his trip out to Cameron’s house, the numbers start to pop up again…..don’t forget them, they will be important later. Phillip finally arrives at Cameron’s trailer home near the ocean. The mood is perfect and lonely, just like I would picture the English coast if I ever visited it. Cameron’s trailer is over run and cluttered, throwing Phillip off his game somewhat. The meeting goes sideways as Cameron insults Phillip’s work as a debunker and as a second rate human. Phillip doesn’t handle the criticism very well, but stays to hear Cameron’s request. Charles admits that his work, that Phillip admires so much, was all bullshit. On top of that, he is no longer a debunker. If anything he now believes, and introduces three cases to Phillip, daring him to prove Cameron wrong about his new set of beliefs. Those three cases changed the hardened skeptic into a believer and peeked my curiosity.
I wasn’t sure which way this movie was really going and at least twice up until this point, I had been expecting something entirely different. What I got was perfect though, and continued to watch with great intensity, as the night burned on. After Phillip Goodman gets the cases he leaves the trailer and as he looks back for one final image of Cameron in the window, he notices a strange figure standing behind him in the shadows. There are other clues in the trailer scenes as well, that relate to the ending, but I didn’t catch any of them until after I had watched this movie several times. (When I was done watching this movie for the first time, I simply re-started it. It was that good)
The images and the music are really strong during this part of the movie and help the viewer to invest into the project. Phillip sifts through the file he was given and there are three separate cases, involving different people who had witnessed or been subjected to supernatural happenings.
Case 1: Tony Matthews
The first case that Phillip examines is the story of a night watchman (security guard) named Tony Matthews. Tony agrees to meet with Phillip to talk about the supernatural event that changed his life. The setting takes place in a deserted bar and really captures the feel of a worn down pub, right down to the lighting. I can’t say enough about how genuine this movie expresses environments, that we can all relate to. As I watched the movie, I identified with the shitty bar, most likely because I had spent so much time in “dives” over the years. This was familiar to me and it drew me in ever closer as the move marched forward.
After another introduction that caught Phillip a bit off guard (like his meeting with Charles Cameron), Tony agrees to tell Professor Goodman about his experience one night while working in an abandoned facility that at one time housed the mentally ill, prisoners, and other categories that society used to hide away from sight. The old building is what I consider actually “scary” and its a place that I would avoid if alone. You don’t always need a machete and a hockey mask to spook people and this movie proves that.
After a series of odd things happen to Tony, he ventures into the building for his nightly rounds, only to be confronted by a creepy child figure in one of the old cells. The movie capitalizes on things that are frightening to everyday people and scores high marks in the tradition of old Alfred Hitchcock type stuff, or maybe Twilight Zone esque. You don’t always need gore, to drive home a good scare, and it’s sad that more quality films like this are not made. We could use them.
Case 2: Simon Rifkind
The second case involves a young man who had gone through a traumatic event late one night after leaving a party. Phillip pays a visit to Simon’s house and meets the strange acting teenager for the first time. Although there is nothing over the top apparent, the viewer gets a sense that something is not quite right with Simon or his home. Phillip is invited in and Simon talks to his parents, before heading upstairs for a place to talk with Phillip. Phillip is all smiles but he notices that Simon’s parents are acting really fucking weird. At Simon’s urging, Phillip heads upstairs to meet Simon, who has gone on ahead of him. As he climbs the stairs, he notices a picture on the wall, that although at the time, doesn’t make sense to the viewer, it certainly strikes home for Phillip (all in good time).
Simon insists on being interviewed in his bedroom and locks the door immediately after Phillip steps inside. Professor Goodman realizes that the temperature is “boiling” in Simon’s room, for which a suitable answer is never really given. Simon seems rattled and possibly disturbed in his demeanor and emotional state. If I had been Phillip Goodman, I probably would have shown myself to the door, but being the skeptic that he is, Phillip investigates the claims anyway. There comes a point where Phillip asks Simon who else is in the home, after seeing someone briefly walking near the stairs. Simon tells Phillip that they are alone, other than his parents. Phillip, who just seen someone walking around a moment earlier has a hard time believing this and Simon leaps to his feet to prove him wrong.
After unlocking the door and pulling it open, only to reveal a dark and menacing hallway, which is completely void of any light, Phillip has a change of heart, no doubt feeling the bad vibes that are lurking all around the house. After declining Simon’s invitation, Simon shuts and locks the door again, only to hear someone pounding on the wood from the other side. All though there had been no one in the hallway less than a second earlier, someone or something was knocking. Simon is visibly upset and then starts to relay his story to Professor Goodman.
The trouble started when Simon took the family car to a party and was late returning home. As he drove through a rather haunting stretch of forest, his parents start blowing up his phone. Right around this time, Simon, who is absent mindedly driving, hits a large object in the road. He stops to check it out, only to find that what he had hit was not human at all. As Simon flees the area, his car starts to malfunction, causing him to break down. The “thing” that he hit tracks him down and actually gets inside the car through an unlocked back door (always lock your doors). Eventually he flees on foot, before being attacked by a large “forest type” of creature, ending the sequence.
Goodman investigates the area, but isn’t totally convinced by Simon’s account. Phillip had a similar attitude with Tony as well. Sometimes when we are so sure of ourselves, we really miss the mark…staring back at us. Never be too over confident to disregard debate and reason, if you do, than you can be easily manipulated and led about. Question everything, or at least be open to other perspectives. The world can not be navigated with closed minds and ideas. Trust your experience and what you see and hear with your own eyes. Don’t buy wholesale into someone else’s reality until you verify it personally. As Goodman ends his investigation into case 2, he sees a haunting image of himself trapped inside his car. He opens the door and his likeness vanishes. (Questions are starting to be raised about Phillip’s own mental state)
Case 3: Mike Priddle
The third case starts out harmless enough, with Phillip interviewing a rich investor named Mike Priddle. Mr. Priddle is a fast moving and talking well to do cat, who runs his own personal story down on Phillip. Mike had married a lady and although she was advance in her years, they decided to have a child. After some clinic consultations and “thirty grand….bullseye” Mike Piddle tells Phillip, who at this point seems to be doing what he can just to keep up with Mike. Phillip appears to be tired and worn out, perhaps frustrated by these three cases, and he doesn’t seem to believe any of them, even this late into the game.
Priddle’s wife was having some complications and why she was in the hospital, he was at their home, when he started to experience supernatural events (learning eventually that she was dying during the same time). There is something spooky about being alone, if one has time to really think about it. Although we live around other people and might spend time with others at work, there are large portions of our lives where we can find ourselves alone. This can be unnerving when you stop to think about how alone you really are. I’ve dealt with this over the years and the isolation can turn on a person pretty fast if they don’t stay focused and find ways to pass the time (healthy ways like reading as opposed to getting shit faced everyday, which I have done in the past).
Priddle continues to tell Phillip his story, but now he has a double barrel shotgun in his hand, that he had retrieved from a hunting shack in the English countryside. He seems like he is going to hunt birds, but like everything else in this movie….things are not what they always appear to be. If you pay attention, you can hear Priddle tease Phillip, much like Charles Cameron and Tony Matthews did. Sly innuendo’s about guilt, family trouble, and lack of faith. For the viewer, they are slowly being allowed to see another truth all together and I was not prepared for the reveal. My hat is off for this movie and the way it worked. Mike Priddle would conclude his story before shooting himself in the head in front of Phillip.
Pulling back the curtain on Phillip:
Phillip returns to Charles Cameron’s trailer with his findings. Phillip is defiant and still claims that all three cases could easily be dismissed, even though I’m not so sure he believes what he is saying. Phillip accuses Cameron of using him to get some of his fame back for his own career. Charles Cameron tells Phillip that is lacks the humility to admit that things are not what they always seem. Phillip stands by his convictions, until Charles Cameron starts to pull off his skin, revealing that he is someone else entirely. “You don’t know everything, do you bubbler” the man laughs as Phillip is frozen where he stands.
This is where the movie really captures my attention again. The man says “the brain sees what it wants to see” and then sticks his fingers into the curtains of trailer, which tears like paper to reveal they are not on an English countryside bluff overlooking the sea, nor are they in a dingy and cluttered trailer, they are actually somewhere else all together. I love when reality can be challenged and reimagined in real time during a movie. The man reveals a door where, the windows used to be, the trailer motif is gone. Goodman doesn’t want to go in, as if he already knows what lies in store, hiding away in the darkness.
The next frame shows them walking down the train tracks in a deserted area. The man strikes out at Phillip and starts dropping dates, asking Phillip if he wants to address them. Professor Goodman doesn’t answer and says that he doesn’t like what is happening. They veer off into the woods and eventually end up at an old tunnel in the forest. It’s some kind of drainage type tunnel, but large enough for people to wander into to. Phillip is accosted by two bullies in the woods, whom he is familiar with and in the next frame, he is back to about thirteen years of age.
The bullies fuck with him relentlessly until a hooded character shows up. Its obvious that this person called “kojak” by the bullies suffers from mental difficulties. They offer Kojak a spot in their gang, if he goes into the tunnel and finds all “ten different numbers” that the bullies have chalked up inside. If Kojak get’s all the numbers correct and remembers them, the bullies tell him he will be accepted. Phillip knows this is a lie, because there is no “tenth number” but doesn’t tell Kojak.
At a certain point, Kojak starts to get frightened and wants to quit, but the bullies encourage him to continue. Kojak gets scared and starts to hyper ventilate, before he launches into a seizure and goes unconscious. The bullies and Phillip flee the scene instead of helping the incapacitated Kojak who is somewhere down in the tunnel. Phillip has a choice to make, he can either do the right thing, or flee the area. Sadly Phillip chooses to run away, leaving Kojak to die in the “echo”.
The man is back, challenging Phillip’s own view of himself and calls him out for his in-action. Phillip believes he did nothing wrong…..the only problem was that he did nothing, when life gave him a chance to rise to the occassion and actually help another human in distress, he failed in every way. The real heroes in life are not assholes on television, they are everyday people who do the right thing when it matters. It’s not always easy to do the right thing, but if you do, you can live out your days knowing you did everything you could righteously. If you fail to act, drop the ball, behave shitty, cheat others, lie, and are otherwise a shady ass person, your actions will haunt you the rest of your life and even if you don’t want to talk about it or admit it. Your defense mechanisms will tell on you. If your never found out for shitty deeds, you will still have to live with yourself till the end of time. Those moments of failing to rise to the occasions rattling around your head for eternity, and you will bask in misery whether you want to or not. We can escape almost anything but the memories. People that have the most demons chasing them, often times spend a great amount of energy in trying to shape the narrative, to absolve themselves of wrong doing, just like Phillip. But all the maneuvering in the world won’t change the past.
The end: It finally arrives
The end is rather striking and truly something that real life scares are made of. I won’t say how it finally wraps up, but the conclusion is brilliant and also changes what the entire movie meant. Few motion pictures can do this, but with that final piece of information, I was forced to start the movie over with my new found knowledge. I fucking loved it. If you like scary movies that are intelligent and thought provoking, “Ghost Stories” is where you need to go. I know the name doesn’t sound to impressive, but things are rarely what they appear to be. I promise.
Signing Off,
Mike Shepard
ROX-TV Head Writer
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