Review of The Ghosts of Edendale (2003) by Bryan G — 10 Oct 2006

[font=Courier New]Writer/Director Stefan Avalos is one of the people responsible for the film [i]The Last Broadcast[/i]. Even though that film is constantly compared to [i]The Blair Witch Project[/i], I have grown to love the film and its documentary-style story telling of a fictitious event. When I learned of [i]The Ghost of Edendale[/i], I was curious to see how this director would expand on his career.

[i]The Ghosts of Edendale[/i] is about a young couple, Rachel (Paula Ficara) and Kevin (Stephen Wastell), who have moved to California in hopes of making it in the business. They meet the neighbors, who all seem to be welcoming. But shortly after, Rachel begins to see things. She has suffered from mental illness before, so she can?t figure out if what she is seeing is a figment of her imagination or malevolent spirits. But after Kevin starts to act cruel and distant, it seems that the ghost of Edendale do exist, and have plans.

[i]The Ghosts of Edendale[/i] has an interesting concept, but no clue on how to use it. And much like most episodes of [i]The Twilight Zone[/i], [i]The Ghost of Edendale[/i] could have been summed up in a few seconds rather than dragging itself out over the 90 minute run. It is weird that a film so short could feel so long. Sure it does have some chills here and there, but far too many slow parts in between.

I was hoping to discover another hidden gem that would be a staple at Halloween time, but [i]The Ghost of Edendale[/i] isn?t what I was hoping for. The movie does have some history lessons to it that might strike interest in the truest of film geeks. Other than that, this is a film worth missing.[/font].