Jill Gevargizian’s The Stylist was one of the most delightful surprises of 2020. Outside of Sweeney Todd, we hadn’t really seen a hairstylist killer, which gave the film an original feeling. Not to mention there were two fantastic performances from Najarra Townsend and Brea Grant. Gevargizian, who is a trained hair stylist, put a lot of herself into the film, showing the horror world what she could do as one of the film’s writers and its director. The result is that horror fans revel in its macabre beauty to this day, leaving Salem Horror Fest abuzz about the director’s latest feature, Ghost Game, for the week leading up to its screening as they waited for the director to work her magic once again.
Ghost Game comes with a simple premise derived from an extreme internet challenge. Sneak into a home, squat in it without the residents knowing, and mess with them in spooky yet unharmful ways, such as stacking chairs or moving items around the house. The point is to give the inhabitants of the home something ethereal to believe in. When Vin (Zaen Haidar) finds out that his new girlfriend Laura (Kia Dorsey) is a big-name player in the world of Ghost Game, it sets off a chain of events where Vin becomes a tag-along on Laura and her Ghost Game partner Adrian’s (Sam Lukowski) next venture, playing the game in the haunted Halton House.
Dr. Rebekah McKendry makes a lovely cameo in a role that very much suits her. I’ve long been a fan of McKendry’s work at Fangoria, her film Glorious is exactly that, and if nothing else, for a brief few minutes in Ghost Game, I feel like I’ve sat in on one of her USC lectures as she explains the backstory to Halton House, which is a bit of Amityville with bathtubs. The new occupants, played by Alone With You’s Emily Bennett and The Blair Witch Project’s Michael C. Williams, elicit a strong Shining tone from the get-go with Pete (Williams) trying to write a new book and the introduction of their autistic daughter Samantha (Vienna Maas), who sees far more than she lets on from the moment of their arrival.
Adam Cesare, writer of Ghost Game, is on a bit of a tear this year, already having Last Night at Terrace Lanes released back in January and preparing for the adaptation of his novel Clown in a Cornfield to receive a fall release. Cesare is certainly someone to look out for in the horror genre, but I think he may still be finding the right balance. Ghost Game isn’t bad, but it’s a bit convoluted, and it left me feeling a little uneven as I spoke with many people who really enjoyed it.
If you read the review for Sweet Relief, another Salem Horror Fest feature, you’ll see that the internet challenge idea is the next horror trope. However, if you have seen the 2019 feature I See You starring Helen Hunt, Ghost Game plays a little on the knock-off side. It adds layers to stay its own thing, but I don’t know that people coming to see Ghost Game will admire the Shining and Sinister inferences or Amityville Horror’s nod about the stresses of homeownership.
Additionally, I had basic issues with the pace at which Meg (Bennet) and Pete’s marital troubles came to a head. Not to say moving isn’t stressful, but you’d think if you spent most of your time in two rooms and never checked on the loud noises coming from the additional spaces, you would at least take a moment to dust those main living areas. Essentially, for this haunt to work the way Ghost Game intends, Laura, Vin, and Adrian would have to be in the home for a much longer period of time. While that doesn’t seem conducive to the characters’ lifestyles outside of the game, I think the film could have benefitted from a slower roll.
I may find myself an outlier thinking this way, as many people spoke with me after the screening to ask me what I thought, and while I think Ghost Game is capable, it just didn’t hit the way I had hoped. Regardless, Gevargizian finds multiple opportunities to create thrills and frights and the internet challenge angle remains an intriguing modern concept, but the film is a bit of a departure from the psychologically enthralling Stylist. Ghost Game still offers an entertaining watch. The actors are all phenomenal, and I hope we see Kia Dorsey in future horror efforts. Plus, I’m a huge fan of many of the people behind the camera. Even with all of its clout, I wish I could tell you Ghost Game is up to the challenge of becoming your next favorite horror movie, plot holes and generic obviousness make the film a bit more run-of-the-mill than I think we were all hoping for from this very talented group of people.
Ghost Game played as a part of Salem Horror Fest’s Weekend II. The movie is expected to be released later this year.