Who payed the critics

Crappy film

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

For fans in the know, it isn't exactly too much of a statement to say that Italian horror is far from where it used to be. Between the 60's and mid 90's, there was a plethora of excellent horrors and gialli coming regularly out of pasta land. Sadly, this situation has long ceased to be the case and we now simply have to make do with pretty slim pickings. The director of Ghost Son, Lamberto Bava, was very much an 80's man, delivering several very enjoyable movies in this decade, probably the best of which being the cult classic Demons (1985). But since those halcyon days, like many of his contemporaries, he seems to have got swallowed up by television productions and only rarely delivers any feature films. I guess his comeback movie in this area was The Torturer (2005), a film which I can't say I thought too much of. It did provide a few sleazy thrills but overall it could not escape its bargain basement origins. With Ghost Son, Bava is clearly operating with a much improved budget, allowing him to hire name actors like Laura Harring, John Hannah and Pete Postlethwaite, while also allowing for on location shooting in South Africa and a team behind the lens who have ensured that the movie does look good enough. Set in South Africa, a woman loses her husband in a car accident and then his ghost returns and impregnates her from beyond the grave. Once her son is born she is convinced he is convinced by a malevolent spirit.While it was good to see Bava tackle something with a bit more to it that The Torturer, the main gripe with this one is that it is overall a bit dull. You have to think that a film involving ghosts and voodoo occult has the potential for a few interesting ideas and set-pieces, the truth is that the movie is very by-the-numbers. Nevertheless, it was good to see Harring - one of the stars of my favourite film ever, Mulholland Drive (2001) - get a starring role and it was also good to see Bava getting to helm something with a bit of money behind it. It was a bit so-so, however, and once more showcases the glaring gulf between Italian horror movies of the last twenty years compared to even the lesser ones they produced almost without thinking about it from the golden era.

After watching the first 2 seasons of the excellent Spartacus,I took a look at John Hannah's IMDb page,and discovered that he starred in what is currently Lamberto Bava's last film,which led to me getting ready to catch a glimpse of the ghost son.The plot:Recently getting married,Stacey & Mark go to live on Mark's farm in South Africa.Whilst driving down to town one day,Mark gets involved in a car crash that kills him. Experiencing a deep sense of grief,Stacey starts to close herself off from the rest of the world,as she begins to see Mark's "ghost." Noticing that she has not had her period,Stacey goes to the doctor,and discovers that she is pregnant.Returning home with her new son Martin,Stacey finds the ghost of Mark to become increasingly aggressive,as Martin starts to act in a rather strange manner. View on the film:Filmed on location in South Africa,co-writer/(along with Silvia Ranfagni)director Lamberto Bava reveals an unexpected,restrained elegance for what is currently his final film.Largely taking place in one building,Bava and cinematographer Giovanni Canevari grip the title in a tightly coiled terror atmosphere,as long,elegant tracking shots close in on Stacey (played by a terrific Laura Harring,who also appears naked in the film)as Mark (played by a great,burning with rage John Hannah) makes his presence felt.Along with the classy chiller mood,Bava also uses the movie to sum up his career,as the house location and eye-catching in-camera trick shots allows Bava to revisit the lurking in shadows Giallo mystery of A Blade In The Dark,whilst Mark's possession of his son lets Bava return to the gory delights of his Demons series.Focusing on Stacey having to raise Martin on her own,the screenplay by Bava & Silvia Ranfagni pushes parental fear to the extreme,as the writers smartly take an even-handed approach for the first half,with the first sighting of Mark strongly hinting at Stacey suffering from parental stress.After spending the first half hitting the ghostly chills with a real precision,the writers push the tension to the side lines in order to turn Martin into a Bava "mini-Demons",which whilst allow the practical effects makers to cover the screen in outrageous gore,leads to the relationship between Stacey & Mark being seriously damaged,thanks to Mark's psychopathic side completely coming out of left-field,with there not being the slightest hint of the ghostly son that awaits Stacey.

I was strolling through a flea market and found this DVD in a bin for 5 bucks. It looked interesting. I wasn't quite sure what the film had in store for me and I didn't pay attention to the cast, director etc as I would for most horror films. I just liked the cover art, which has gotten me into trouble in the past with notable bombs such as Brotherhood of Blood, ReVamped and other bad ones. I fall for the artwork.This film, although slow and dragging in some spots, delivered some full fledged--top to bottom, spine chills. The "creep factor" in this movie scored with a bullet and had me squirming on my couch.Admittedly, I knew little about the director of this film, but I knew that it had an Italian crew behind it and in my humble opinion, they did a nice job. It was just an unusual story and a well made film. My wife got up and walked out on it because it upset her and believe me, it will upset and scare you at the same time. A well shot, acted and produced film. Plus, the star of this movie was someone I had never seen before and my first impression was that she was a talentless hot bod. Wrong on the talentless aspect, right on the hot bod. She was convincing and a capable actor.I give this film "7 hail Mary's."

The entire first half of the film drags beyond belief. There is a great setting in Africa, decent acting, and one half the movie to develop the background scenario that Mark and Stacey are in love and passionate about it and "make a baby". This is hardly a revelation given the title of the movie.The rest is perhaps intended to be mood setting but is really an exercise in trivia. The black Africans are all portrayed as having mysterious beliefs, a throwback to the films of the 50s. The rest is a long drawn out portrayal of the trite. Mark buys a piece of wood. Stacey wants to take a picture of the natives. Mark paints a room. Mark has weird statues and carvings. The natives lie a lot (really, this is actually a line in the movie). Get the picture? All of this is filled with music that is supposed to build drama I guess but instead just adds to the general and interminable boredom.Finally the plot begins to develop, but it does so in a way which strains credulity. Mark is in an accident on a clear road which somehow pins him under the outside of the car. (You read that right.) Stacey drives down the road and voilà, there he is, ready to die. She grabs a jack and raises the car just enough for them to have a long drawn out conversation. Meanwhile the car is balanced on two wheels in the most preposterous position imaginable. Gasoline is pouring out... oh no, wait, there must not be any gasoline because it isn't pouring out of the car tipped on its side. In fact the whole scene looks so contrived that it is hard to believe someone didn't leave it on the cutting room floor.The movie has its moments. Some of the interplay between the mother and child is indeed rather spooky. But the best of it doesn't make up for the mediocre plot build up, nor the rather milquetoast ending. When the plot resolution finally occurs, I was almost cheering because it was over. But that was premature, because it wasn't over. There was another few minutes of pointless epilogue remaining to be covered.If you make it through the first half and are still awake the second half is better. But all in all it is rather lame. I gave it a far too charitable 5.