Ghostkeeper

Ghostkeeper is not as good as others would have you believe. It does have a beautiful and creepy setting, and the film itself is rather creepy, but in a rather fake way. This is achieved mainly through the use of music, and whilst this is effective for the first 30 minutes or so, you get a bit sick of hearing the same music over and over.

I think this film could have been a whole lot better. You can see the potential whilst watching it, and within the first 30 minutes I had figured out several ways it could have been better. The plot is where everything falls apart. It's really about nothing much at all. The ending is a bit of a surprise, but is so shallow that you think "jeez, that's what this film has been building up to?" Despite the excellent setting, I can't really recommend Ghostkeeper. It's like a very poor mans version of The Shining. If slow pace, creepy atmosphere yet lack of plot is your thing, you may enjoy this, but otherwise I would skip it.

Ghostkeeper (1981)

** (out of 4)

Jenny (Riva Spier), Marty (Murray Ord) and Chrissy (Sheri McFadden) are out snowmobiling when they come across an old lodge. The three end up staying the night there when they encounter a strange old woman but they have no idea of knowing that there's much worse there.

GHOSTKEEPER is a Canadian horror film that I've been wanting to see for many years and especially since there were some really glowing reviews out there. Some people called this one of the creepiest movies ever made but after viewing it I'm going to guess that those who said that probably saw this as a child. With that being said, GHOSTKEEPER turned out to be one of the bigger disappointments out there.

It's really too bad that the film didn't work better because the setting and location were wonderful. I really loved the snowy look to the film and I thought that director Jim Makichuk was able to milk some atmosphere out of the low budget. However, all of that is pretty much wasted because there's really not too much going on here. Apparently the production ran out of money so the script was scrapped and they just went along with whatever felt right.

That explains why there's really not too much of a plot here but what really kills the film is its ultra-slow style that really makes the film drag at times. I did find the three leads to be good enough in their roles and the supporting players were good as well. The film at least had an atmosphere but at the end of the day it's clear that the director was wanting to try and cash-in on THE SHINING but it just didn't work.

Poorly distributed during a period when the horror-film market was predominantly angled toward the slasher element, this low-key B effort is actually not bad at all, and should probably be reevaluated by genre fans.

A trio of young snowmobilers face mechanical problems deep in the forest, and chance upon upon a neglected and very isolated hunting lodge. Initially they believe the place to be abandoned, but latterly find it inhabited by a strange old lady and her son...as well as their "pet" Wendigo(a spirit of Native American lore, ever hungry for human flesh).

While there's not a lot of meat on the bones of this story, the subtle atmosphere of eerie desolation makes up heartily for that fact. And while the production values might be a peck below the par, GHOSTKEEPER maintains the methodical, slow and steady momentum of a dying heartbeat, a quality further punctuated by its lonely and foreboding deep-forest setting, wraithlike in its icy-white veil of winter snow. All in all, a forgivably flawed slow-burner which probably won't appeal to gorehounds or fast-action thrill seekers, but it should satisfy a low-pressure, caffeine-free type of viewership.

5.5/10

I saw this film at a rather young age when I rented it from a video store, and it really, really scared me. "Ghostkeeper" is about three friends (two women and one man) who are snowmobiling during the holidays up in the mountains. Despite a storekeepers warning, they head up the slopes, only to have one of the women crash her snowmobile. With only one snowmobile left for transportation, and a snowstorm coming in, the three decide to stay in an old abandoned hotel lodge looming in front of them. They meet an old lady (played by Georgie Collins, who actually gives a really scary performance) who is living there with her unseen son, but she is hiding a ghostly secret.

Definitely one of the better '80s horror films, this unknown little chiller should be a familiar entry in the genre, but sadly is seen by hardly anybody. It didn't receive a big release and got little attention, which is really too bad because of how good the film is. The storyline actually original, and the setting is, in one word - CREEPY! The isolated lodge and the snowy mountain backdrop are a nice accent to the film and really add to it's scariness, and are a little reminiscent of "The Shining". The acting is mediocre, but so what? It's an '80s horror flick, you can't expect Oscar-worthy performances. The strange ending will leave you creeped out but also satisfied. I love this film because of it's simple set-up and foreboding spookiness. Surely an underrated little horror gem. If you can get a hold of it (since it's now pretty hard to find, only being available on a long out-of-print video tape), definitely do. It's one of the better (and overlooked) early '80s horrors. 10/10.

The wintery Canadian mountains which provide the desolate setting are only slightly snowier than the plot, which finds withdrawn, teetering-on-the-edge-of-crazy Jenny, her rotten boyfriend and their slutty blonde chic friend stranded at a shuttered snowbound inn. Seemingly abandoned, it isn't long before they realize they aren't the only ones there. "Ghostkeeper" is a textbook example of how much a movie can be made or broken by its soundtrack. Many long, inactive treks through this abandoned ski lodge would be unbearable if not for the sinister score - which will ring familiar to most horror-nerds as nearly identical to the one from fellow 1981 Canadian horror film, Prom Night - both done by the same guy. If you need a movie with a cohesive plot, you certainly should look elsewhere. But if you can enjoy a spooky, hazy film which is heavy on dreadful atmosphere and creepy music while remaining non-existent on gore and nudity - you've met your match. It certainly is an odd duck, especially for the time period in which it was made. It's reputation as a hidden gem is well-deserved and it will come as a nice surprise to jaded horror fans who think they've seen it all.