|
 The Ghosts of Edendale Review
by Mark Sieber
The Last Broadcast was a modest little movie that got a lot of attention by supposedly influencing the surprising cult hit, The Blair Witch Project. I’m not sure how true that is, but it’s funny that Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, resembles The Last Broadcast more than the first one did. I liked all three of these movies and I particularly enjoyed the use of film and video within to movie to help tell the story.
When I heard that one of the guys behind The Last Broadcast had made a film, I was sufficiently curious to make a point of seeing it.
The Ghosts of Edendale is shot with digital photography and it’s highly evident from the first frame of the movie. I don’t mind the look of digital movies, but a lot of people seem to hate the ‘home movie” look of them. I don’t see this technology going away anytime soon, so film lovers might as well get used to it. For better or worse, low budget movie makers have it easier than ever to shoot their films, create effects and edit them, all within an average household budget.
As I sat down to watch The Ghosts of Edendale, I very quickly surmised that the plot was a familiar one. A couple buys a place, which they hope will be their dream home. Kevin and Rachel have come to Hollywood to escape their unhappy past. They both want to write scripts. Kevin had previously worked at a low-level radio station and Rachel was a model and had some sort of undisclosed breakdown. It comes as little surprise that Kevin begins acting…strangely, and so do the neighbors. Something is not quite right in the small community called Edendale.
As Kevin becomes more and more immersed in his newfound screenwriting skills, Rachel begins seeing things and fears a recurrence of her mental instability. She thinks she sees faces and other disquieting images. Is her madness returning? Or is something really wrong in Edendale.
Meanwhile, Kevin growing further and further away from Rachel. His Western script overtakes his life and he becomes almost morbidly obsessed with the status of the local community as well as the history of it. Edendale is the same spot where Tom Mix had his famous ranch and is considered by some to be the birthplace of Hollywood. It’s pretty clear to anyone who’s seen The Shining or Burnt Offerings that he is being assimilated by his surroundings.
If I’m making this sound tired and trite, I don’t really mean to. The Ghosts of Edendale is surely no masterpiece or genre milestone, but it’s engaging enough and I even got a chill or two up my spine while watching it. The effects are done with computers and some look pretty cheesy, but on the whole, this movie measures up pretty well. The performances are all uniformly well done and I like that the actors look like real people in The Ghosts of Edendale…not like a bunch of anorexic mannequins. And the story is not entirely predictable. There are a few surprises and it works well as a horror movie and a satire about the social ladder in Hollywood, and the desperation that so many feel to be a part of it. That a seemingly decent human being will turn his or her back on all they cherish to have acceptance.
The DVD has some nice extras, including documentaries on the production, the special effects and editing of The Ghosts of Edendale. There are also deleted scenes and the obligatory audio commentary, by the director and producer. A trailer is also included. The best thing about the package for me is.the cover art. It’s very cool and if it doesn’t make you decide to watch The Ghosts of Edendale, nothing will. I’m glad I have this DVD and I’m certain that I’ll be watching it again someday.
Really Scary Rating = Three Cowboy Heads
|
|
