The Blackwell Ghost 8

In this, the eighth of the series wherein Turner Clay, likeable husband and father turned widower, answers the enigmatic questions in the search for a serial killer that the cops apparently can't even grapple with, we are further entertained. Yes, he somehow kept me watching again, damn likeable father. This time he finds clues and figures ciphers and, as usual, keeps it all interesting. He matches wooden discs to their destination. However! I'm not getting the scares that the first installments were so good at. The detective story is good but, after all, I'm here for the horror. The horror needs a comeback in this series.

The first movie was intersting and engaging, I liked it enough to buy part 2. Then 3, 4,5,6,7 and now 8.

They're obviously made on a shoestring budget, but the storyline moves right along. The movies end and I want more.

These are clever installments that keep twisting and turning. Original enough to get you hooked.

There's nothing fancy, no extravagant effects, but these movies don't need it. Our protagonist, Turner Clay, has a twangy nasal voice that I find endearing; not annoying. I want to hear what he finds next.

Each installment introduces something new. Part 8 is very different than what got us going in part 1. We're in some strange serial killer with a manifesto territory now and it seems perfectly normal and true to the continuity of our storyline.

Don't skip to part 8. Start at 1 and watch them in order.

Why did he have to take something that was interesting and in the last couple additions to the series add all these overdone shots and dramatic music and move away from the indie project he started with? I enjoyed the simplicity of the early parts but I think it's leaving that format behind which frankly sucks. It's now a weird SAW ripoff or a riddler wannabe involved in a ghostless ghost story. Unfortunate. What happened to a guy investigating clues he finds in a haunted house? Now it's an Easter egg hunt involving what he thinks is a serial killer with no intention to harm him. Terrified. No urge at the end to continue watching. Sorry.

It's pretty hard to believe that an entire police force has no idea how to analyze audio, and oblivious to the fact that to do was only a logical step, so for some reason, that really got under my skin.

And above that, perhaps they struggled to find the killer is because they do all their police work via telephone, with no actual "investigation" taking place. Dude's like, "I got a letter and a finger in the mail." And the response from the detective is basically like, "Cool." This has always been a sticky point for me, but the last two films it started to become overbearing and pretty incredulous, not to mention the sharing of evidence in what is probably an active case.

And I agree with another reviewer: why are all the phone conversations so horribly distorted? It does not add to the reality, only creates unnecessary distractions.

Pity though, because I did find them to be interesting and intriguing films, especially the Lightfoot arc.

So, what can we take from Part 8?

1. Everyone in America has a really bad phone line that sounds like they're speaking from 1982.

2. The police have no idea how to analyse media and rely on genius amateur movie makers to do it for them.

3. Those selfsame amateur movie makers don't have to share any information with the police unless they reeeaaally want to.

4. The Blackwell Ghost has nothing to do with ghosts. It's a typical series focussing on the American paranoia of home invasions and 0 to do with anything supernatural.

5. Tracking Devices are big, have infinite battery life and connect to your local network as "Vehicle Tracker".

6. The director/actor of this series is so narcissistic, and believe themselves so much better than the police and everyone else, that they'll probably turn out to be a Real killer one day.

7. Sometimes, each sentence requires a different camera angle, so prepare to suffer from dizzy spells.

8. This franchise should've stopped 5 films ago.