Director: Tyler King
Year: 2020
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Ghosts
Plot:
Arriving at the haunted Congress Plaza Hotel, a pair of friends decide to go ghost-hunting in order to finally prove the existence of the afterlife but as they get closer to discovering something in their search the more they realize the stories of its haunted past were true all along.
Review:
This was a rather enjoyable found-footage effort. One of the more enjoyable aspects here is a rather enjoyable and impressive setup that provides this one with a fine creepy ambiance. The opening recitation of the webpage that gives a history of the areas’ supernatural antics and tips serves to introduce the folklore of the situation nicely, much like the resulting scenes showing them not only going through the fabled room but checking out the grounds of the hotel. The ensuing scenes of them going through the banquet hall where the creepiness of the room makes for a fun time as their capturing of the darkened area full of cloth-covered furniture, dinner-party decorations and general darkness combine into an unnerving sequence waiting for something to happen.
That creepiness applies to the middle part of the film where they go around through the various floors and rooms of the hotel during their search. The layout and disorienting nature of the central floor plans with long hallways, numerous doorways into adjoining rooms and the constant whirring of mechanical and electrical equipment creating a genuinely eerie atmosphere that’s almost as disorienting as their unfamiliarity with the building. Staring off into dim, dark hallways with all the creepy machinery nearby as they claim to have heard something strange from nearby during the search really works nicely to give this section some unease and tense moments. Once back in their room and they begin playing with an ouija board, the wholesale creepiness and unease that arises here leading into the rather enjoyable low-key finale where things get out of hand and bring some great ideas about the ghost action being quite enjoyable. These here are the film’s good points.
This one does have a few minor quibbles to it. The film’s biggest factor is the constant shutting off the camera off to deal with scene cuts but doesn’t actually put anything on-screen. Almost without fail, after every cut to stop recording they mention something that happened while it was off that would’ve been creepy to experience on-camera or announce they’ve turned it back on which is a wholly disappointing cheat. That is especially true with the minimalist approach here as this one features as the near entirety of this one consists of the two filmmakers wandering around commenting on things and highlights creepy locations in a way that looks entirely on the spot type of recording. This factor isn’t a detriment as a whole but when it starts to get creepy only to have the camera shut off and not record it does become an issue, even if not completely all that impactful. As a whole, these here are what lower this one slightly.
Overview: ***/5
A pretty enjoyable and far more enjoyable minimalist found-footage effort, the film has enough to like about it even with a few missteps that show up. This is certainly worthwhile very ultra-low-budget indie fans or minimalist found-footage aficionados, while viewers who don’t appreciate found-footage or this do-it-yourself style approach might not be swayed here.
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