I first heard about this little indie flick at the local Zombie Walk. The film was filmed on locations all over downtown Graham and in Snowcamp, North Carolina. It's premiere was fittingly at the Graham Cinema.
I honestly can't think of a better place for a horror movie than the venerable Graham Cinema. It's got a unique atmosphere, and is in fact featured late into the film itself... so watching the film and seeing the same theater you're sitting in pop up was really fun. (The difference being that the movie they had on the marquee in film was Corpse Baby I believe)
I mean hell, the ceilings alone in the GC are worthy of a brilliant horror atmosphere. There's also a lot to be said for the smell of the place, a heady and unforgettable mix of decades of popcorn and soda that has permeated the place. (I do believe I even heard some first timers commenting on it. Trust me folks, I went to the Graham as a kid ONCE... that smell stayed in my brain until I moved here a few years back. It is, quite frankly, the way a theater should smell in my very humble opinion)
The Sunday crowd was actually a pretty good turn out, and several of the actors from the movie were in attendance. One gentelman in front of us not only was in the film, but had attended the premiere the night before.
After a rather serene opening scene over water, the film begins rather creepily on a corpse holding a bible. We then switch gears to sit in on a court case involving a man who's on trial for inappropriate contact and murder of a minor. There's a rather fun and unexpected turn to this which I won't spoil, but it serves as a good way to introduce us to the DA (Jason Cook) James Thomas. This is not a good day for him, and it's about to get worse. That corpse in the opening, this of course is our main character's mother... who's death means his family must return to his home town to attend the funeral, fix up the house to sell, and advance the plot.
This is of course actually Graham, you'll see the courthouse, the hardware store, and even some brilliantly creepy scenes in the Graham Soda Shop. I see these on a daily basis, but they really are impressive on the big screen. Most of it is close to 100 years old, and you really can't beat real world locations like this to get that old town feel.
What follows from there, without getting too spoilerific (trust me, this flick is best not spoiled) is an amazingly subtle narrative wrapped in what at first seems rather standard paranormal fare. If you think that's all that is happening, you're missing out though. The living and the dead are both advancing the plot in such a way that you might miss a lot of subtle hints if you are just a passive viewer waiting for the next thing to jump out at you.
In fact one of the most disturbing things about this movie is how the living respond to our main characters. You'll note this in every scene, and it's really impressive how these little movements and ticks really add to the atmosphere of the film. Director Dean Jones does a great job of making this very surreal tapestry of visual and story elements come together in a cohesive whole.
The sets are lavish in detail, and you'll find yourself chewing the lush eyecandy. Vintage toys, antiques, and old photographs cover every inch of this film. It evokes a real sense of this being a real place, with a real history behind it.
The real star of this movie is, however, the actors. Our leads are very good, especially Lance Henricksen who plays a not so holy priest. That isn't to say he steals the show, but he's having a blast with the material and there's a lot of subtle and intelligent humor that he slips in the performance. And while Jason Cook and Valerie Azlynn make for a rather convincing couple on screen, the surprise performance was by their son, played by William Pifer. There are in fact a lot of young actors in this, most of which are decked out in truly disturbing makeups... bravo to all of them as well, because they really did sell the whole ghost angle.
Be sure and stick around after the credits for a nice little addendum.
I don't believe in a number rating, but given the location and high production values shown... it's definitely worth seeing. Creepy, fun, and very twisted.
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