Edgar Allan Poe's Lighthouse Keeper

It's hard to determine if decency or disappointment will win in my head. I want to like this movie, but it was a bit too corny. I do enjoy Poe and I do enjoy low budget movies and like to give them a chance. I'm just so conflicted on this one. Would I watch it again? Quite possibly. Not a complete waste of time. Just odd.

Shipwrecked on a deserted island, a confused young man finds himself stranded with a reclusive lighthouse keeper who continually dissuades and mocks his belief in a series of visions regarding ghostly figures on the island and tries to ensure that he can leave the island alive.

This here was a decent if uninspiring effort. Among the few positives here is the rather intriguing mystery built up around the island and its ghostly past which runs pretty much throughout the movie. Although it starts off small with the claims of his visions around the area which are immediately laughed off because of his amnesiac condition, it soon turns into a much more ominous tale with the discovery of the woman living in the surrounding woods or the scenes back at the house featuring the shifty behavior running into the lighthouse at night. Despite being initially laughed off as hallucinations, the numerous sightings he has of her around the lighthouse where she keeps on giving him hints of terrible outcomes by falling into the sea or having visions of her wandering through the wilderness gives this a solid enough outing as there's a lot of work done to offer the idea that something is happening on the lighthouse. This gives way into full-blown encounters with the spirits around the area as his carnal experience near the cave that turns into a ghost-swarm holding him down to let her have her way with him, the fantastic discovery of the caves underground or the scene of the zombified sailors coming out to attack him which give this a nice bit of action as well. The rousing finale, where the zombie-like ghosts are finally in action and generate a little bit of activity with the march on the lighthouse and their eventual battle together which is fun with all the sides getting in on everything together which really ends this on a high note. There are a few flaws with this one. One of the main issues to be found here is the film's utterly bland and boring pace, which just drains the life out of the movie with plenty of dragged out moments throughout here. The first half in the lighthouse has absolutely nothing happening here and it all just gives such a state of extended boredom throughout here that the film really struggles to get going during this crucial part of the film. It's also not helped out by the fact that this all features some really bland and dull feeling that covers the interchanges between them as the film's rather low- budget makes these all the more obvious. That, in essence, is the biggest problem with this one as the rather ambitious story doesn't fit the type of presentation here with the cramped, closed-off setting doesn't fit that well with the type of story it goes for here, and manages to just hammer away that the film is too small budgeted to try this since the low quantity of action makes for a dull time overall. There are a few places it can go to and they look quite bad as a result, and it all just screams so low budget that there's little chance of this one offering up much to change that kind of feeling here. It's the biggest crutch against this and is the one main factor to get over in this one.

Rated R: Violence, Language, Brief Nudity and a clothed sex scene.

3.4...??? Seriously?

Well, maybe if a person just doesn't like this type of old school Horror film or the Retro style of movies like this really bores them. Then yes, I guess so... But, when a person rates a film like this poorly when it is one that they wouldn't like anyway, does that help the rest of us to know HOW WELL it was done? See what I mean? For example, I personally loathe and detest Torture Porn Horror films, but I certainly do not come here and give movies like 'HOSTEL' low ratings, do I? Why...? Well, because that doesn't really help people who might actually LIKE those kinds of films and who want to know if a particular one is done well. So, likewise with this one.

Sorry about the long intro, it kind of bothers me when people do that here, because as I said, it's really not helpful to others who DO like these types of films. Well, you can probably tell by my rating that I really liked this movie (the reviews of the two other people so far here seem to agree...) This movie is indeed for people who actually DO like these kind of Old School Ghost Stories (can you say, 'THE FOG' anyone...? YES, the original, NOT the lame remake : ) So, if you are the kind of person who likes older style Ghost Stories (especially ones based upon Classics like Poe) then you will probably really enjoy this movie.

In my lowly and wretched opinion, I thought it was put together in a very effective and moody way with a lot of Classic style and atmosphere. I felt that it was told in a way that served the story very well and maintained a good level of Suspense. The acting, although not stellar, was decent enough and did not detract from the mood of the story. It IS a very simple story though, so you will need to keep your expectations reasonable. I'd say if you like modern versions of Classic Horror stories like Stuart Gordon's 'DAGON', for example (although this one is much simpler and likely with FAR less money) you should really enjoy this one.

Again, a good, old-fashioned, Old School, creepy and atmospheric Ghost Story. Nicely told and well done considering the clear limitations of how much money they could spend on it.

(P.S: Please be careful with Claudio's review below (above?) as it has some, I'm sure, unintended Spoilers in it!)

To all of the people involved in this movie, which if you waited to the credits isn't very many, thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU, for making such a beautiful movie.

This has to be the most visually beautiful horror movie I have ever seen and it was a joy and a pleasure to watch. I cannot tell how close to Poe's original story it kept to, though it has given me an incentive to root out my copy of Poe's tales and have a read, which is a marvellous bonus.

The story is set somewhere between the 1930's and the 1960's and the sets have been expertly set to give you the exact right feel. There's hardly any knick knacks in the lighthouse, as these times were a less clutter-some place. The only tech in the house is a gramophone; the lights are candles and oil burners; the stove is an iron wood burner; even the spices in the rack are in tins. This alone is a nice touch; right down to the costumes.

The story is a slow burner which starts out as a smouldering ember and works into an all out forest fire. There are three major characters; The Lighthouse Keeper, Walsh, portrayed brilliantly by veteran actor Vernon Wells. giving a believable performance as a man who, though not happy to be alone, has adapted to the solitude of being by himself, making him gruff, argumentative, and self-righteous. J. P. played nicely by Matt O'Neill, is the sole survivor of a storm washed up on the Lighthouse's beach. While waiting for the ferry to take him off the island strange things occur to him, he hears voices, bumps into a strange and mysterious woman, and wonders why the candles have to remain lit. Rachel Riley gives a good performance as Nora, the mysterious woman who lives in the woods on the island and fall in love with J. P., though she may have something to do with the lighthouse keeper.

Benjamin Cooper does a fantastic job of unravelling the dark secrets of the characters; and though their secrets are very very dark Cooper makes a bold decision to shoot the majority of the movie in glorious daylight. The scenery is so colourful and attractive I wanted to become the lighthouse keeper. The camera shots are artistic and engaging. I loved the fact that you could also see everything in the night shots; there was either moonlight or candlelight, which added to the great depth of the filmography (something you don't usually rate in a horror movie). There were a couple of scene's that were jarred and disjointed, but I can forgive that because all the rest are so well done.

If you like ghost stories filled with mysteries and a few twists then I would recommend this. When the movie started I thought I wouldn't like it, the rain in the storm was fake and it was a period piece. Though, as the film progressed I became impressed with everything about the story and movie, to the point where this is now one of my favourite horror films.

Low budget, but surprisingly good Edgar Allan Poe film based upon his last (and unfinished) story. There's a long history of excellent low budget Poe film adaptations that really started with Roger Corman and Vincent Price's "The Fall of the House of Usher," so that alone made me kind of like this film. I'm not familiar with this Poe story, but the film follows a castaway washing up on an unfamiliar shore. He follows a mysterious ethereal woman and later awakens at a lighthouse run by Vernon Wells (you know, Wez from "The Road Warrior." "YOU! You can RUN, but you can't HIDE!"). The film does a good job of capturing that old Roger Corman feel of a doomed household and doing it all with a straight face, though with a slight tongue-in-cheek. I'm not sure this film will interest casual horror fans or art-house fans, but for people who enjoyed the old Roger Corman Poe films, this was kind of a fun throwback treat.