Director: Isaac Rodriguez
Year: 2022
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Ghosts
Plot:
After buying an abandoned ghost town, a couple documenting the experience for their fans on social media of their turning it into a potential tourist attraction, but the longer they stay there the more they come under the belief that something's there in the town protecting a deadly secret.
Review:
There's a lot to like with this one for the most part. The initial setup on display for this one, focusing on the couple going through the town and documenting what's going on manages to offer a rather impressively chilling starting point. The fact that it's genuinely chilling with how the place looks abandoned and deserted with their walk-through of the town makes it appear as though they're by themselves in the area with the rather twisted designs and layout of the area as well as the first signs that something's going on. The constant hints that something's not right, from the sleepwalking claim to hearing odd noises in the middle of the night and finally getting suspicious of the constantly-growing wasp hive that draws their attention.
That manages to pay off quite nicely in the second half where the film shines rather nicely. By finally managing to unleash the real explanation for the town's deserted nature with the full reveal of the backstory in the past regarding how the stories spread regarding the figure haunting the area, this one picks up the energy rather nicely in getting to the frantic chases and attacks that take place in the town. As it introduces a fine possession angle to enhance the chasing and action rather nicely, this aspect becomes a lot of fun and steers the film along into a frenetic finish that's enough to lift this one up quite nicely.
This one does have a few drawbacks that hold it back. Among the biggest drawbacks featured here is the rather obvious detriment of the film's unnecessary use of the unsupportive spouse cliche that's present here. This is a highly uninvolved setup that is brought to the forefront here for absolutely no reason at all other than to provide a bit of spice into the situation regarding how they're going to get through the predicament due to the just-as-cliche setup of the funding getting pulled at the last minute. That combines together into a rather aggravating cliche that is only there to provide a storyline to take up time in the middle of the film.
The only other issue to be had here is the rather stagnant pace that transpires in the first half where it takes a while to get going. The series of walk-throughs that take place, the hints that something's going on and the random encounters here don't add much in terms of exploring what's going on as that reveal comes about completely at random at the start of the third act since the film is so short. By not having that much of a clue as to what's going on as you're more focused on other areas than enhancing the dread, it makes the final half feel far more frantic and speeds through the scares rather than enjoying a natural progression which is a bit of a shame. In addition to the as-expected troubles trying to keep the found-footage aspect realistic in the situation, these here hold this one back.
Overview: ***/5
A solid and enjoyable found-footage effort that does stumble at points, that there’s a lot to like here manages to hold it up more than anything even with those minor drawbacks. Those who appreciate this kind of approach or are curious about this one should be fine to give it a look but most others, especially those that aren’t a fan of the style, should heed caution here.
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