GhostWatcher

I gave this a three out of ten. The three is only posted due to the fact that I now have an unflagging faith that myself and four of my stupid half-wit drunk friends can make a movie and release it directly to video. And then follow up with a sequel. There is apparently no prerequisite exam to becoming a director. Okay, enough ripping. Down to business. First and foremost, the damn thing was filmed in Grainavision or something. It looked like they sanded the lens before they shot. In addition, it didn't appear that the production crew cared to waste any money on Steady-Cam. Also, periodic wacky camera angles, reminiscent of the old Batman series litter this cinematic train wreck. As to whether they are intentional or not is a point of conjecture. But wait....it DOES get worse. I can live with two dimensional characters. Good actors are expensive. I'm down with the sound. But they could have at least had the common decency to memorize their lines and not spit them at the camera. I've heard better deliveries from the recorded 411 information. Will I watch the sequel? Oh yea, I will. I carry the Ever Burning Torch of the Satellite of Love. There is of course some redeeming qualities. First of, the story line could have gone somewhere. It really could have. If it had been polished a bit, it could have carried the movie. I like the premise very much. Also, even if they ARE amateur actors, eye candy abounds.

When I first put it on.. I was tempted to shut it off. It looks like it was filmed on a home video camera. But once you get past the actual look of it, and get into the story, you won't want to turn it off. It has a really good story that leads you to a rather creative ending, which most movies don't really have anymore. It's really going back to when scary movies actually had a story. Some of the effects are pretty good considering it's so low budget, and the actors themselves are alright.. no crappy over acting here. Some of it makes you laugh, some of it makes you jump and some of it makes you wonder where they got the inspiration. I would have loved to been on the set for the making of this film. All in all its pretty good, worth the rent. Or if your like me.. and a nut for B Movies..worth the purchase.

Ghostwatcher uses some of the most classic, horror techniques to weave an edge of your seat thriller that will scare the pants off of you, combined with an edgy and contemporary soundtrack that features great music. I got a chance to speak with Dave Cross(director) at one of the screenings and was very impressed with, not only his enthusiasm for his film, but for the genre of horror as a whole. The entire cast does an excellent job maintaining the suspense as the story unfolds. The movie has already picked up several film festival awards and Marrianne Hayden(Nikki Brandt) won Best Actress at the 2002 Screamfest Horror Film Festival in Los Angeles, CA. I just got word that the film is supposed to be released by Artisan Pictures on DVD October 1st. Do yourself a favor and buy this movie. It should be in every horror fan's collection!!

Genuinely smart horror movie that could have, as has already been said, benefited by a larger budget. Still, it's nice to see there are people out there who still care enough about the craft to try to breathe some originality into it, and who realize "scary" doesn't always mean throwing buckets of exploding glass at the screen and screaming at the viewer "ARE YOU SCARED YET?!?!?ONE". Myself, I happened to enjoy this; Ghost Watcher is the sort of movie that can come back to haunt you after the lights go out. It feels like a novel, one that you could curl up with under the covers with a blanket, that unfortunately just didn't get all the attention/money/effects it needed to *really* shine. Still, for anyone looking for a good way to spend an evening over watching the parade of "Things Crash Through Windows and Then Stuff Blows Up" movies on the telly, I'd recommend this. And, as apparently the crew and the writer apparently check this now and again; keep at it, guys -- you've got talent. Look forward to seeing the next venture!

Every now and then a film comes along that makes you wonder why you purchase any DVD from the $1.99 bin. This is certainly one of those films. Director David A. Cross really needs to keep his day job, and stop insulting our intelligence. The film really has no plot outline at all, and the characters are about as believable as "Mickey Mouse" (sorry Mickey). Watching the film, the viewer starts to wonder if these "actors" have ever acted in anything before. My daughter's second grade class productions show more talent then this entire cast combined. The special makeup effects are the equivalent of what one might find at K-Mart during an after-Halloween sale. If I wasn't so embarrassed that I bought it in the first place, I'd return it in disguise... This film deserves NO rating.