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GHOST LAKE
Produced by Johnnie J. Young
Written and Directed by Jay Woelfel
Edited by Jonathon Ammon and Jay Woelfel
Director of Photography - Paul DengRebecca Haster - Tatum Adair
Stan - Timothy Prindle
Sheriff Dobbs - Gregory Lee KenyonGHOST LAKE is director Jay Woelfel's follow up excursion into HiDef territory following the abysmal Fullmoon release DEMONICUS, and GHOST LAKE is a movie that's light-years ahead of its predecessor. Where DEMONICUS was a work for hire void of worthwhile character and plot, GHOST LAKE is a labor of love similar to Woelfel's masterful debut BEYOND DREAM'S DOOR that possesses both subtextual depth and visual beauty.
The plot is THE RING crossed with DEAD AND BURIED or AMITTYVILLE HORROR. Rebecca is haunted by ghosts from her past. Feeling guilty over the death of her parents, she travels to Rushford Lake, a summer community she often visited with her family while growing up. Once there, romance ensues and so does some spooky goings-on.
To give a detailed plot synopsis would take a few pages since Woelfel crams his script with more than enough story and character for two movies. Rushford Lake was once a small community until the river was dammed and the town flooded. 13 people lost their lives when the river rose, and now the dead return every 13 years to claim 13 new victims so their souls can move on to the next plain of existence. And the key to it all is Rebecca and her visions.
Somewhere between corporeal entities and otherworldly apparitions, the ghosts appear and disappear in effort to confuse and misguide Rebecca, but she quickly catches on to the plan which is to kill the new victims in the original order that the dead were initially claimed.
It's not easy to achieve scares with video productions, the image quality is always there to remind the audience that they're watching a movie. I've found it's better for digital cinema enthusiasts to aim for disturbing rather than frightening, the effect is longer lasting and not nearly so laughable. In Woelfel's favor, he's been making movies for nearly 20 years and knows how to build enough suspense, even with the audience-alienating video, to allow for a solid payoff with a "jump scare."
As stated earlier, Woelfel utilized HiDef and the quality looks superb. The image is crisp and clear and feels like you're watching one of those spooky old EC comic books come to life. Unfortunately, the video isn't exactly STAR WARS: EPISODE 2 film-like quality, viewers know that they're watching video. Granted, it's some of the best looking video you're likely to see. I'm not sure if Woelfel plans to filmlook the image; the pre-release screener could have used some softening.
The film's extensive make-up effects provided by ROT director Marcus Koch would have benefitted greatly by a softened image. I've noticed that the sharper image of video allows make-up effects to look even more manufactured than what they are. A movie like GHOST LAKE that takes itself seriously doesn't need a level of cheese thrown in because effects will look like ...well...effects.
GHOST LAKE is movie that's hampered by its small budget, but benefits by the immense skill of those behind the camera. What you see on the screen is a tremendous effort to make the best film possible. Sometimes the film feels too big for its own good, but I'd rather see ambition on the screen rather than lackadaisical padding. In the end, hard work always pays off.
Look for the official DVD release to be packed with features.