Edgar Allan Poe's Lighthouse Keeper

I liked this one quite a bit. None really knows what Edgar Allan Poe had in mind for the ending, he died before this story was finished, but I think the filmmakers did an excellent job of finishing the tale.

I have never read this piece of unfinished work by Poe, so I cannot compare. I have Poe's Complete Works but this one, although unfinished, was never added to the collection - I looked today for it in the book.

Worth watching if you like the older style of horror films and/or Edgar Allan Poe's tales. Bravo to the filmmakers for creating a good horror film for today's world... most of them today aren't actually horror but more of a simple gore fest to veg-out for viewing... this film instead works with the viewers mind as good horror should be.

9/10

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.

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.

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!)

I was genuinely thrilled to watch "Edgar Allan Poe's Lighthouse Keeper", especially since Poe was such an influential figure in the horror literature. And the cover/poster of the movie also really looked great and that really lured me in. And the cover/poster of the movie actually shows promise of something of good production.

The movie, however, turned out to fail miserably at living up to what I expected from it. First of all, the movie seemed to accomplish way too much on too small a budget. And while the movie certainly had a great atmosphere, it was just permeated by a production value that was less than mediocre.

This wasn't a particular great transition from written format to visual format, and the movie wasn't overly entertaining, much less captivating or interesting. And I do believe that to be because of the slow paced story, and the fact that very little happened throughout the course of the entire movie. And when something actually did happen, it was just met with questionable effects and equally questionable acting.

The effects in "Edgar Allan Poe's Lighthouse Keeper" were definitely tinted by being low budget, and the shambling creatures that encroached on the people in the lighthouse were laughable to look at, especially since the effects and make-up were not nicely made.

Furthermore, the movie has a very small cast ensemble, so there was a lot of weight on the shoulders of the cast. And it didn't really work out great for the movie, as the acting throughout the movie was rigid, wooden and just oozed with mediocrity.

"Edgar Allan Poe's Lighthouse Keeper" was anything but scary or unsettling in anyway, and it didn't really capture the essence and root of Poe's written words, which just goes to prove that there is a lot of depth and volume to written words.

If you are a fan of Edgar Allan Poe's writings, then there is very little to find fulfilling here in director Benjamin Cooper vision of "Edgar Allan Poe's Lighthouse Keeper". I was tempted a couple of times throughout the course of this movie to get up and find something else to watch, but I stuck with it, as I wanted to see if it got better, given the fact that this was after all fashioned after the written words of one of the most influential writers in horror history.

The lighthouse here merely managed to light up 3 out of 10 stars in my opinion. Hardly worth the time or the effort.