Ghosts of the Ozarks

Right, well I hadn't even heard about this 2021 mystery thriller from writers Sean Anthony Davis, Jordan Wayne Long and Tara Perry before now in 2022 as I sat down to watch it. So I had no idea what I was in for here, but I have to say that I found the movie's cover and title interesting.

Directors Matt Glass and Jordan Wayne Long sort of manage to deliver a good enough movie. I liked the build up and the staging of the entire storyline. However, the reveal and the actual truth as to what was going on sort of felt very anti-climatic. And for me, once it became clear what was going on, I felt like I had essentially just wasted about an hour and a half of my life on the movie, as the reveal was sort of a slap to the face.

Initially then I was rather impressed with the cast ensemble that were in "Ghosts of the Ozarks", with the likes of Thomas Hobson, Phil Morris, Tim Blake Nelson, Angela Bettis, David Arquette and more. So there definitely were some talented people involved with the movie.

Visually then "Ghosts of the Ozarks" was good. It wasn't an over-the-top special effects movie, and with good reason. But I will not reveal the ending or what was going on. You have to experience that for yourself. But I will say that the effects were brooding and definitely added a good atmosphere to the movie.

"Ghosts of the Ozarks" was sort of a slow paced movie, but the building up of the entire scenario and atmosphere was well-deserving of a slow paced narrative. Just a shame about that atrocious reveal.

I was adequately entertained by "Ghosts of the Ozarks", but this is hardly a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend anyone to rush out and get to watch.

My rating of "Ghosts of the Ozarks" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.

To be honest, for Horror movies these days, this one is going to strike many as very slow and uneventful. It is indeed very, very different from the 'Hip' Horror of today. It is a very old fashioned story set after the Civil War. Its strong points are that just as a film in and of itself, it is extremely well made. The acting across the board is very strong. There are many instances where because the characters are so well developed and portrayed, you really become emotionally attached to them and are genuinely moved by what happens to them. In many 'Modern' Horror movies this is rarely the case. So, the primary focus here is on character as opposed to a Slam/Bang story.

The atmosphere and time period are created in a deep, layered, and fully believable way. Another strong point is that right from the beginning an intriguing mystery is suggested as the audience wonders just what exactly is going on. I felt the tone and mood that the filmmakers created was quite effective. First presenting us with the almost Fairytale like village, and then slowly but steadily building an increasing sense of tension as the audience tries to figure out where this is going.

First and foremost, in my very lowly and wretched opinion, I just really appreciate the fact that the film is very well made. With such a slow building story, it is vital to keep all of the elements, the acting, the situations, the pacing just right in order to be successful to build to a good finish, which I honestly feel they do quite effectively.

But, be warned that this is NOT your run-of-the-mill Slash & Dash modern Horror movie. And, if you are looking for ANYTHING that even resembles modern day Horror, you are very likely to be disappointed. BUT... if you truly enjoy quality filmmaking in and of itself, and if you don't mind a very slow burn, low key build to the story, and I guess if you also happen to like the time period which is represented very well here, there is a chance that you might enjoy this very unusual, but well put together film.

***EDIT

After reading Ferguson-6's excellent review above, I just wanted to add that if you would like more details about the characters and such, his review will give you some excellent information about the flavour of the movie. I have a tendency to give more of an overview of how good of a film I thought it was and why, but without giving very many specifics.

So, I would HIGHLY recommend that you also make sure to read Ferguson-6's great review above (he also gave it a '7') 😊

A very odd movie indeed. Very low production values, it looks incredibly cheap. Most of the cast would struggle to get work in TV commercials but what on Earth are Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette doing here? Are they close friends of the director or were they blackmailed into it? Although the acting is wooden, the script stilted, the plot bizzare and the aforementioned negative production values this movie has a strange attraction. I can well see it becoming a cult classic especially among those keen on mind expanding fungus.

Can be somewhat o.k. But really nothing special. It lacks personality and feels extremely generic like so much of what is being done these days. Its a very "run of the mill" movie but still can be an o.k. Watch if you're bored and have nothing else to do but there is by far much better stuff to watch out there.

I recommend avoiding the reviews as there are a number of selfish ducks who've included a big spoiler without having the courtesy of giving a warning.