The Blackwell Ghost 7

Yet another excellent entry in The Blackwell Ghost series of films. As soon as I saw this was out I had to watch it. I started watching these last year and it has been a gripping ride. Very cleverly made on a small budget, with the quality and attention to detail you should really see from much bigger films/studios, but rarely do. Not going to put any spoilers in but if you are a fan of these then make sure you watch Part 7, it really is very good and then start looking forward to Part 8, and if you haven't started watching them yet then go right back to the beginning. You really won't be disappointed!

I enjoyed all of the previous titles in this series. In the beginning, it really felt like it could have been a documentary, but as it kept going, the immersive reality of the series has been on the downslope. This is the point in the series at which there is no longer any question that this is scripted and not a real documentary. The natural feel of previous versions is lost, and you're left with the feeling that you're watching a very mediocre and completely scripted horror film. Shots that are supposed to be in an environment look like they're clearly shot on green screen, the police officer enlisting the help of Clay moves from unlikely in the previous titles to completely unbelieveable. The antagonist becomes unbelievable, obviously trying to get caught, stopping a hair's width short of leaving a map of his location with a full confession saying "I did all of the bad stuff, find me where X marks the spot on this map". Clearly he intends to make another movie in this franchaise, and while I really hope that the next installment fixes some of the mistakes made in this one, as things stand, I feel like he's gone from pushing his luck with milking this for sequels to clearly crossing the line. This title lacks the scares of previous installments, but foremost breaks the illusion that he established in previous films that make this believeable as a documentary. He's clearly running out of good ideas for the franchaise, and poorly done green screens in what's supposed to be real life, clunky acting with even clunkier dialog leaves this as the movie that even for fans of the series that he should have stopped before making. I'm undecided on whether he should try and get it back on the rails with the next movie, or whether he should just cut his losses at this point.

So I heard this was out on the day, I rushed to Amazon Prime to Rent it, I was not dissapointed, as usual it was an immaculate presentation, less ghost activity but my godness was it gripping. As always Clay presents this in such a way as to immerse the viewer drawing you in and making you invest. I watched it three times and every time there was something new a little neuance, suggestive and dark. The final scene had me freaking out and dying to see what is to come next Can't wait for 8! Thanks Clay for making a series of films that just keeps giving and never dissapoints. The juxtaposition between Supernatural activity, pathos, loss and serial killing horror is so cleverly done.

Much like the sixth Blackwell Ghost movie this has no scares. Not only that but the coincidences are too much, they don't contribute to flow. It's more like they obviously push. This is more of a crime story than a horror story, and only a so-so one at that. Turner Clay is still interesting to watch as a person and as a daddy and widower, but none of the elements in this flick are compelling, they are only interesting, and only a little. Since Turner lost his wife to cancer he still looks for her to try to get in touch because he's a firm believer in ghosts now that he's encountered them in his quest to prove their existence. He goes back down to Florida when he buys the Lightfoot house. The banging and usual ghostly activities feel contrived and do not feel scary. Instead we get a live serial killer human. Turner and his cop friends swallow every note from this killer character without any kind of evidence to back them up.

This is a really confusing movie. It has nothing to do with a ghost.

It's basically about a (perhaps) killer who is now stalking some dude in FLorida who fims it all.

Oh, yes, there are some ghosty things in the film, but that's not the plot.

And then there's the telephone guy who represents who, I don't know. You cant even understand him and he gets subtitles. Is this the FBI? I dunno. It's never explained.

To add insult to injury, there are some really silly scenes. Like in the beginning the guy says he had to move all his furniture into the kitche because of a leak. Only the kitchen has no furniture.

But the big bit of nonesense is the camera he finds in the woods. If this was placed there by the serial killer, why doesnt he get it checked for fingerprints?

In all this was a waste of my time.