Director: Kurtis M. Spieler
Year: 2022
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Ghost
Plot:
After the death of her roommate, a woman goes through the process of trying to get her life cleaned up as well as the apartment of the deceased's belongings, but when she's convinced that her spirit still haunts the building tries to get some resolution to the matter while avoiding the police.
Review:
Overall, this was a rather fun if slightly flawed effort. Among the better aspects to be had here are the impressive atmospheric touches that come about due to the ghostly encounters. The initial setup of stumbling across the body and trying to come to terms with the incident is well enough and gets this going nicely which provides the launching point for the slight series of encounters throughout here as the ghost comes up at unexpected moments. Granted, most of them are just standing around behind her unknowingly or just walking quickly in the background behind her but the fact that there's a sense of an unnatural presence in the area makes for a creepy time at points with this one.
That sets up the big finale where this one comes across rather nicely with a bit more action than expected. The idea of the ghostly being's true state of appearance comes off rather nicely while the chilling revelations provide this one with a strong series of storylines that serve to introduce a fine occult angle into the proceedings. That occurs with the series of ghostly encounters finally turning into a bit more malicious and even featuring a more vicious being that shows up in a shocking sequence that's highly unexpected which gets this going quite nicely into the big reveal about the incident that killed the roommate that has a lot to like overall. These factors manage to give the film some fun enough elements to make it enjoyable.
There are some minor drawbacks to be had here. One of the biggest issues here stems from the decidedly unusual police investigation that goes on here which is somewhat clumsily handled. The idea of the detectives trying to get through the case as quickly as possible by blaming everything on her before doing any kind of investigative detective work seems immensely off-putting and unrealistic that's rightfully shot down by the more experienced partner. However, that's not an excuse as to why it was included to begin with beyond being an opportunity to get a name-star more screen-time. That they spend more time on the phone reacting to her bringing new clues to their attention rather than doing it themselves also shows a distressing amount of lacking in this area which shouldn't be the case.
As well, the last issue here comes from the tempered and slow-building pace that doesn't do much in the way of generating action for long stretches of time. The ghost attacks are barely attacks but merely sightings happening in the briefest possible manner without ensuring that there's any contact between them until the end, Filling that time instead are scenes involving the roommate trying to go about her life or the boyfriend helping her for information on the matter so it's quite dull for stretches at a time until it gets to that finale where it picks up again. Coupled with the few instances of the low-budget shining through in the effects work, these are the few drawbacks holding it down.
Overview: ***/5
Not the best but fun enough for what it is, this one manages to get a few enjoyable scenes here while struggling at times with a few elements that hold it back. Those who appreciate this kind of indie genre effort or are curious about it will have the most to like here while most others who aren't into those factors should heed caution.
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