The Ghostmaker (2012) starring Aaron Dean Eisenberg, Liz Fenning, J. Walter Holland, Jared Grey directed by Mauro Borrelli Movie Review

The Ghostmaker (2012)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Aaron Dean Eisenberg in The Ghostmaker (2012)

A Clockwork Coffin

Kyle (Aaron Dean Eisenberg) has got himself in to a bit of a mess, to cope with the demands of college and a girlfriend he has been doing drugs but now he owes money and has raided his girlfriend's bank account to try an pay of his dealer. He has also taken to doing odd jobs which is how he ends up with a coffin in his possession having obtained it whilst clearing out a widow's cellar. But it seems this coffin is not just a box as it was created hundreds of years ago by an inventor who placed inside an invention to experience what it is like being a ghost. For Kyle it allows him to watch over people, gaining safe and alarm codes to pull of robberies, for his paralysed friend Sutton (J. Walter Holland) he can enter a world where his legs work and perv over Kyle's girlfriend whilst for their serious friend Platt (Jared Grey) he is less sure as the experience is unsettling. But it seems that entering the dark side has big consequences.

Browsing reviews of "The Ghostmaker" and I was surprised to find no one else mentioned "Flatliners" as there are some elements with these people experiencing death only to have to deal with a dark consequence of their action. But before you think it is just a poor copy "The Ghostmaker" has an interesting idea of this coffin containing a mechanical system which allows you to experience the world as a ghost. It is also interesting to see how each of the friends use the power at their hands with Kyle using it to steal money whilst Sutton uses it to have the experiences he can't as a paraplegic with it affecting them both massively.

The trouble is that whilst I like the setup and the special effects work for this sort of horror movie, simple but not weak the way the storyline goes ends up a bit of a nothing. The potential to do something powerful, terrifying and with enough action not to be monotonous is lost in the confusion of having the story split into 3 tangents which then makes it get a bit muddled as you spring between them till eventually it starts to remind you of "Final Destination" with the concept of not being able to cheat death.

What this all boils down to is that "The Ghostmaker" almost was a good movie with some nice ideas but unfortunately it doesn't make the most of them as it becomes a little too muddled for its own good.


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