Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Jill Gevargizian
Starring: Kia Dorsey, Zaen Haidar, Michael C. Williams, Emily Bennett, Sam
Lukowski, Vienna Maas
Once simply a plot line for thrillers like Bad Ronald and Hider in the House, the idea of secretly living in a stranger's house has in recent years
become a real life phenomenon known as "phrogging." Several movies and TV
shows have explored phrogging, most notably Adam Randall's underseen
thriller I See You, in which a young homeless couple find themselves unwittingly living in
a house where dark forces, either supernatural or human, are at
play.
Director Jill Gevargizian follows up her striking 2021
feature debut The Stylist with Ghost Game, which features a similar premise to I See You. The difference here is that the phroggers aren't living in a stranger's
home out of any desperate necessity, but rather for the clout.
The title refers to an online challenge that sees its participants spend
a few days secretly filming their escapades as they intrude on a
stranger's home, often playing minor pranks on the homeowner, like adding
milk to orange juice, and standing over their beds as they sleep.
Vin (Zaen Haidar) is none too happy when he discovers his new
girlfriend Laura (Kia Dorsey) has been playing the "ghost game,"
and that a recent bout of phrogging ended with her physically assaulting a
homeowner when she was discovered. Despite Vin's disapproval, Laura
presses ahead with plans to join fellow "ghost" Adrian (Sam Lukowski) in hiding out in a house believed to be
haunted by the victims of a mass murder. Desperate to save their
relationship, Vin convinces Laura to allow him to tag along.
The haunted home in question has been newly purchased by Pete (Michael C. Williams), a writer who hopes the setting can
provide inspiration for his latest sensationalist book. Despite a lack
of electricity and furnishings, Pete, along with his new wife Meg (Emily Bennett) and her young autistic daughter Sam (Vienna Maas), interrupt
the "ghosts" by moving in before they can set up their hidden
cameras.
In similar fashion to I See You, strange occurrences begin to plague the house and we, along with the
characters, are left to wonder who is responsible? Are the phroggers
pranking the new residents? Is Pete purposely trying to freak out his
family to provide material for his book in Amityville Horror fashion? Or
is the house genuinely haunted?
Ghost Game has a great setup and the opening act pulls us in as it lays out
its intriguing scenario and introduces the various players. There are
parallels to be drawn between Vin and Meg, both of whom are in toxic
relationships with controlling partners, and between Laura and Pete, who
both seem happy to mess with the lives of others if it advances their
"careers."
Once the plot kicks in and the supernatural-or-human shenanigans
unfold, the film begins to trip over its crowded characters and
subplots. It's impossible to believe that six people are living in this
medium sized house without bumping into one another, especially when
Laura, Vin and Adrian spend so much time arguing with their voices
raised. We never feel as though this trio are in any real danger of
discovery, as the homeowners are completely oblivious and unsuspecting,
and there are too few of the necessary scenes of our anti-heroes almost
getting caught that might generate some much-needed suspense. The movie
fails to do anything interesting with the hidden cameras when they're
eventually set up, and it seems to forget about its potentially
paranormal subplot at a certain point.
The film suffers heavily from a script that is overly reliant on clunky
dialogue to fill in its characters' backstories, and the cast members
struggle to sell the scenario. While Dorsey delivers an electrifying
performance as the single-minded Laura, most of the cast are merely
serviceable and one actor in particular is embarrassingly amateurish.
The visual flair that marked Gevargizian's previous feature is replaced
here by murky, handheld cinematography that makes you wonder if found
footage might have proven a more engaging choice. The final act all gets
a bit Scooby Doo and the movie ends in a manner that comes off as more
arbitrary than ambiguous, as though the last 10 minutes were lopped
off.
Ghost Game isn't one of the year's worst horror movies, but considering the
talent previously displayed by its director and the potential of its
premise, it's certainly one of the most disappointing.
Ghost Game is in US cinemas
from October 18th and on VOD from October 22nd. A UK/ROI release has
yet to be announced.
