Review of Pay the Ghost (2015) by Peter A — 22 Jun 2018

Surprisingly good story about an event in the early 17th century in Lower Manhattan that has ramifications on every Halloween since. A too-old Nicolas Cage (Mike Cole) is miscast as the father of a 7-year-old who has disappeared.

He's also an English lit professor who teaches kids about horror stories and myths but is surprisingly dense about applying that knowledge to events in his life. He's a non-believer in the occult until he can no longer dismiss it.

Would like to see a wiser, young Dr. Van Helsing written for theses movies, but it never happens. Cage is also not facially expressive enough iWish I could help cast horror films. He has a 10-second crying jag that rings false.

This is slow-moving, for sure, but explanations come near the end -- and they make sense. There's an underworld visit that, while, brief, has a satisfying optic and a fine revenge twist. It's a small cast.

Mrs. Cole adds very little. Nor does the confused and clueless detective have enough imagination to be more than an onlooker. He needs t be breast-fed any information and even then, as a total skeptic, offers no help at all.

The psychic called in has a juicy star turn. Good atmospherics and a gritty portal to the Underworld add smart touches. Wish the directors would lower the cheap, quick cuts to scary visions to a minimum.

This story works fine without a host of gimmicks.