Ghost Storm

Most SyFy channel movies, with a few exceptions, range from lame to trash. Ghost Storm is one of their movies that isn't too lame and it is certainly isn't trash. It could have been much better sure, for such a good concept it was somewhat of a missed opportunity, but for a SyFy Channel movie it's tolerable. The scenery and lighting are quite creepy, and the editing and special effects actually show time and effort. The opening in the graveyard and the house ambush were also atmospherically effective, and the acting by all is quite good especially the two leads(Crystal Allen the slightly stronger of the two), who also share a sweet chemistry. Apart from a few scenes though, Ghost Storm is lacking in thrills and scares, the pace was too draggy for it to be thrilling and the scares were more predictable than they were shocking. The story has some good ideas and has its moments but can come across as too silly and formulaic with some scenes and strands that are introduced and touched upon but not developed enough. The script is also rather underwritten and can lack flow as well as too much of the cheese factor, thankfully though it is actually nowhere near as bad as most SyFy channel movie scripts(most of the time the script is one of the worst things about them). The ghosts look good and are not entirely personality-less, just that their personalities could have been even stronger, we know they're angry and such but not much else. Overall, not a bad film but could have done more with the ideas they had. 5/10 Bethany Cox

The spirits of the dead wreak revenge on the living in a series of freak storms on a small island.

This film has a faintly absurd premise and doesn't seem to have been made with a huge budget or anything. It also contains a fair amount of low-ish grade CGI. This much it has in common with many TV movies made for the SyFy channel, many of which are nigh-on unwatchable as a consequence.

However this one is mainly played with a straight face and the CGI isn't (for once) meant to resemble something worldly, so much as something other-worldly; this makes it to some extent easier to suspend disbelief. The plot is more rehash than original, but I really didn't mind.

The bottom line is that if you go into this with fairly low expectations (as formed from watching other similar SyFy TV movies) then it is basically going to keep you amused for an hour and a half. I've seen plenty worse.

As I've often said in my Facebook group Jaded Horror Hound, SyFy Channel films are generally terrible. One or two that I've seen hit the spot (Flight 666 for example), and here we have another one that gets most of it right and totally entertains. It's about a strange electrical storm which is led by angry souls from a mass suicide looking for revenge on the townsfolk of a small island community. Passable CGI FX, relatively good acting and some rather nice camera work, all prove that SyFy can release some semi-decent films when they want to. Cut and paste this may be, but it's non stop action and exploding bodies turning to ash all the way! I'm actually gonna keep this in my collection....

The first few minutes has teens in a graveyard when a storm breaks out and one of the boys is turned into a mouldy old corpse. Had a bit of a promising 80s feel about it. Sadly it went downhill from there. Something about an electrical storm being the souls of the dead wanting revenge for a mass killing. Or something. I pretty much gave up trying to follow the reasoning behind it as it was just so ridiculous. The Fog this certainly isn't! Lots of CGI on show, pretty cheap looking though I have seen much worse. Acting is OK, nice locations. No sex. swearing or gore. Tame, silly nonsense..

First off, I am a fan of Steve Bacic. So discovering he was in this was a pleasant surprise.

The disappointing part was that the effects were a bit cheesy. You'd think with the advancement in special effects and what's available now that they would have thought of something better than blowing the victims up like bricks and leaving dust behind. I'm guessing the guy with the trigger finger had fun though.

As for the characters and story, I have to say I enjoyed it. For this gal not to have turned the channel or turned the TV off...that's a big thing for me. I can't be bothered with crap anymore and the movie held me..so there you go!

Imagine my shock when I googled the movie in IMDb and discovered it had a 3.5. That is so not fair in my opinion. I think in all fairness, it deserves a 6!