Uncork’d Entertainment has become one of the leaders in releasing VOD
horror movies. Next up of their offerings is the supernatural/paranormal
film, Ghosts of Darkness. Filmed in
the UK, Ghosts of Darkness, written and
directed by David Ryan Keith (The Redwood
Massacre), doesn’t need ‘found footage’ gimmicks or crazy camera angles to
tell the story. It’s a straightforward type of movie that engages the audience’s
attention to the story with well-crafted characters played by talented actors.
Ghosts of
Darkness finds two men from two different fields of investigation summoned
to the isolated Richwood Manor, which has been the site of murders and suicides for over two-hundred
years. Jack Donovan (Michael Koltes, Capsule)
is a skeptical paranormal investigator who has made a crusade out of debunking
psychics after the death of his wife, Rebecca (Lisa Livingstone). Jonathan Blaze
(Paul Flannery in his first
film), is a charming psychic with a showman’s flair who immediately becomes a
foil for Jack’s sceptic nature. Both men have been brought together to the
manor by a mysterious Dapper man (Steve Weston) who claims to represent the
owner of the house.
He presents Jack and Jonathan with a detailed dossier of
all the documented killings that have happened and tells each man that he is to
be paid fifty-thousand dollars if they can stay in the house for three days
without being murdered or committing suicide. To make sure they stay, the man
takes their cell phones and car keys leaving them stranded and locked inside Richwood
Manor with no way out. It
doesn’t take long for strange things to start happening.
Ghosts of Darkness has a fairly predictable script, with such
a minimum of gore and no nudity that, sans the strong language, it could easily
be shown on regular TV without any censorship. However, the movie does generate
some interesting twists and turns to make the story more intense. The special
effects and make-up in Ghosts of Darkness
is done on a minimal basis as well, but highly effective in creating the
creatures that will torment and terrorize Jack and Jonathan as they fight to
stay alive beyond the three days no one else has ever survived past.
To me, what makes Ghosts of Darkness worth watching is to
see Michael Koltes and Paul Flannery bring their characters to life and unfold
the story of two diverse men finding a common bond. You would never be able to
tell that this is Paul Flannery’s first movie role. He imbues Jonathan Blaze
with the kind of childlike charm that reminds me of Johnny Depp in his role as Capt. Jack Sparrow. Blaze is immediately
endearing and annoying all at the same time. Underneath all that lies a man who
sees the spirits and knows the enemy. Michael
Koltes, brings to Jack Donavon the skill needed to create the sense of an
action hero like character with a tragic past. He radiates the intensity of a
man broken in his soul by the loss of the wife he couldn’t save. The two actors have an on-screen working
chemistry that allows them to play off of each other and create tension,
strength and story to Ghosts Of Darkness.
Ghosts of Darkness will be released onto VOD in March. I
think it’s certainly worth watching if you get the chance to see it.
Marla’s Score: 6/10
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