Haunted Hearts

Stormy Daniel's affection for Hollywood genre movies extends to telling a ghost story in this Wicked release. Quite well-acted by a talented cast, it fails to pack a wallop but plays pleasantly as a mainstream feature with explicit sex included.

Michael Vegas stars and even gets top billing over his femme co-stars as a likable guy who inherits his aunt's mansion and moves there from NYC.

Opening scene introduces him packing up to move, helped by his friend Dana DeArmond. Visually resembling Pauley Perrette of tv fame, she is fine in a more normal role than her generally kooky persona, which had me thinking that perhaps Pauley post-NCIS should likewise be cast in less eccentric parts, too. They're best friends, and Dana seduces Michael as a going-way gift.

Aaliyah Love plays the caretaker at the mansion, soon to move out -she took care of the ailing aunt until her death. The home appears to be haunted, with noises and mysterious happenings, and sure enough Vegas sees a young girl in white nightgown walking down the hallway -clearly a ghost with okay glowing SPFX.

SPOILERS:

Almost instantly Vegas finds himself falling in love with beautiful Aaliyah, but soon we discover what's really going on: a plot organized by the aunt's disinherited son Steven St. Croix to gaslight Michael -perhaps driving him crazy and having him committed, in order for the estate to pass to Steven instead.

Aaliyah is in on the scheme along with her sister India Summer, but on a visit to her friend Dana saves the day by conking St. Croix over the head as he's poised to shoot Michael and Aaliyah, she having confessed the scheme to her new lover.

Ensemble cast does a fine job and the romantic content is genuine, including a flashback of the ghost Anna, played by redhead Dani Jansen, makes love to Seth Gamble, lovers doomed. It's fun that the baddies are faking a ghost story but it turns out to be true. Stormy adds a classy touch with a final shot during the end credits of the ghosts reunited (after Seth's body has been finally found and buried next to Dani) for a glowing spectral kiss.