Sean Parker
If you’re a fair-weather horror fan who only takes in the biggest Hollywood horror titles and rarely ventures into the mid-level or microbudget worlds of the macabre, then the name Graham Skipper might not ring a bell. But for the rest of us, the prospect of new Graham Skipper material is always great news. Skipper has been featured in a slew of horror films over the past twelve years, from leading roles in underground indie titles like The Leech or Mystery Spot to bit parts in more commercially available movies like VFW or Suitable Flesh. So, when you’re a fan such as myself and hear about a Graham Skipper project where he’s not only starring in but writing and directing as well, you get excited for whatever might come out of a title like The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine.
From the blood-curdling expression on Skipper’s face at the very start of the film, the audience is assured The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine will be a dread-inducing experience. A pained shriek sharply raises the hair on the back of the viewer’s neck as the noise escaping Skipper’s character, Wozzek, produces nothing short of an empathetic response. Those first frames genuinely captivate the viewer, taking them into the account of a grieving husband, who may possibly be the last man on Earth.
After a horrifying incident claims the life of his beloved Nellie (Christina Bennett Lind), Wozzek spends his days under the scrutiny of a strict schedule of gathering resources, talking to recorded conversations with himself, and working on a device to bring his deceased wife back to the corporeal realm. Wozzek says it’s been nine years since they moved from the city to this secluded cabin, trying to avoid a non-descript apocalypse, and five since he lost Nellie on a day he’s too afraid to face.
Every night, Nellie shows up like clockwork at nine on the dot, but all she does is stare blank and stiff. So, when Nellie’s hand makes a motion near the end of this ghost-machine-enabled visit, Wozzek’s sure he’s on the right path. Unfortunately, something outside is also beckoning to him threateningly. A deep voice from an unknown acquaintance (Paul Guyet) makes itself known to Wozzek. This creature has managed to survive life outside while others perish, and it promises Wozzek answers if he’s patient, leaving the audience to question who or what is messing with our narrator.
The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine does a few things very well, especially by strategically making our narrator semi-unreliable from the start. The movie doesn’t offer a whole lot of answers right away, and feeling out the mystery adds an element of Lovecraftian playfulness. So, from the moment Wozzek begins talking to recorded tapes of himself, you get the feeling that maybe not all is as it appears to be, especially when those recorded tapes begin to answer Wozzek with details pertaining to the current conversation. Sure, Wozzek is out there alone in the woods getting his Ralph Waldo Emerson on, and there’s certainly room to infer Wozzek’s declining mental state. Yet, it becomes a point to mull over without early clarity for why we haven’t seen other people early on.
Skipper is outstanding in roles like these. Throughout his filmography, he’s delivered a range of good guys, villains, and good-guy-gone-bad roles. Part of the reason I think he’s successfully earning his status as a horror icon is his ability to switch on the intensity when needed, making him a proper wild card in situations, but also, such as with the start of The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine, his ability to emote can echo into the core of the viewer. It’s likely why I, among others, gravitate toward his projects.
Wozzek’s sequestered life in The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine bleeds the claustrophobic energy of a limited Covid production. Some might debate this as a high point, but an emotional story on a limited budget can genuinely resonate when the story connects us. Judging by the writing, I believe much of Skipper’s story deals with musings from the pandemic, which is why it may include many parallels. The end of the world, a woodsy quarantine area, and the slow deterioration of Wozzek and Nellie’s relationship through their years in the cabin with no one else but each other. Not everyone will relate to it outright, but I’m sure many will relive their own clashes and panicked moments during that chaotic period.
The film is thick with grief. The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine shifts between color and black and white, granting gravity to the low points of Wozzek’s life without Nellie and the warmth during their reunions. Then again, even when the creature outside shows up for its conversations, this tends to be a higher point for Wozzek, supposing he might be the I Am Legend character he thinks he is. Ultimately, circumstances evolve, viewer suspicions expand, and the ending provides a deliciously satisfying twist that unfolds like something from a Tales from the Crypt episode.
On the one hand, I frankly love what Graham Skipper has done on a shoestring budget, with limited actors, and crafting a beautiful, elaborate story in his The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine. Then again, I don’t know that we haven’t already experienced other renditions of what transpires in other films. There are unique innovations, and Skipper builds on a bit of Shelley’s Frankenstein a little, too, as introspective perceptions concerning male fragility take focus. Additionally, some of the monster work breaks the otherwise engaging fantasy aspects of the film. A part of me thinks the film’s monster looks the way that it does as a playful attack on Skipper’s superfandom for Godzilla. Skipper wrote a book on the subject last year and perhaps is poking fun at his youthful indulgences that likely tied him up over the last few years.
I ostensibly enjoyed the film, but I contend there is plenty of room for improvement. Coming in at eighty minutes, The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine will be a breeze to take in at Make Believe Seattle Film Festival, and if nothing else, will undoubtedly provoke conversations concerning fragmented male personas, isolative madness, and ego-driven avoidance. But while I can praise the subtext present in the film’s writing, audiences will likely be divided. While I bet one particular scene makes it into their reasoning, the DIY look and feel of the project will turn off the Hollywood horror hounds who can’t understand that the movie was made as a labor of love for five thousand dollars. No, The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine won’t be for everybody. Hell, I’m still not entirely sure it was even for me. But I praise and respect the artistry and heart that went into the effort.
The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine held its World Premiere on Saturday, March 23, as part of the Make Believe Seattle Film Festival. Running through March 26, tickets to other Make Believe events can be found on their website.
