DVD Review: Death of a Ghost Hunter
Death of a Ghost Hunter (2008)
Studio: Well Go USA, Inc.
DVD Release Date: July 8, 2008
Directed By: Sean Tretta
Cast: Patti Tindall, Mike Marsh, Divina Joy, Lindsay Page
Brutal As Hell Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Review By: Will Colby
Legend has it that the ghosts of the Masterson family still haunt their former home. It is here that Director Sean Tretta stages the action of his latest film, Death of a Ghost Hunter. Shot in documentary fashion with voice over narration it tells the story of what happened when a team of investigators entered the Masterson home hoping to provide explanations for the disturbances occurring within. Using modern surveillance equipment the investigators attempt to discover the source of the haunting only to uncover secrets they will wish they hadn’t.
This is director Sean Tretta’s second outing, following his ’03 debut, The Great American Snuff Film. I have not had the opportunity to see his debut, however based on the strength of Death of a Ghost Hunter it’s now on my short list of titles. Mr. Tretta has taken the reality TV craze, The Blair Witch Project, and put them in a blender, to deliver a very atmospheric and subtle ghost story. Best watched on a dark stormy night, this film has just the right amount of drama in its backstory, combined with solid casting, to deliver scares with an eerily realistic feel to them.
Carter Simms (Patti Tindall) has been offered $5,000 dollars to spend three days investigating the alleged haunting of the Masterson home. The home’s current owner will not enter the property himself and wants Carter to discover the source of the disturbances. Not comfortable with her being alone in the house; Peter Masterson (William McMinn) assembles a team to assist her. Along with Cameraman Colin (Mike Marsh), an amiable tech geek only interested in a paycheck, is reporter Yvette (Davina Joy), who although friendly enough, is hoping to make a name for herself. The final member of the team, Mary Young (Lindsay Page), a repressed member of a local church group, is along for the ride in order to keep the proceedings moral in nature.
The actor’s performances anchor the characters and give them an authenticity that is often lacking in this type of production. Knowing good actors can do nothing without good material, Director Tretta provided a fairly polished script, he and actor Mike Marsh penned together. It is the genuine, bantering dialogue that sets the framework of this story. Through discussion of the case, the audience is drawn in, knowing just enough to be aware of the fact that all was not well in this seemingly benign house. Something went terribly wrong twenty years ago and as the layers are slowly peeled back, the underlying causes begin to materialize, revealing a less than wholesome picture. At the time of the first ghostly occurrence the audience knows just enough to want more.
The effects are minimal, so if it’s gore you want, I recommend you stay away. Nothing wet here but a baby in a tub. What effects there are, play very convincingly though and by keeping them in the background, they become that much more believable. I couldn’t help thinking how much more effective the shots in this film were compared to Jan DeBont’s bloated, pathetic remake of The Haunting that utilized every trick in the book, to achieve a significantly less effective result.
The disc is as bare boned as the feature itself and offers no extras, which is shame. It would have been nice to learn how some of the shots were achieved. My verdict is 3 stars.
