An American Ghost Story (2012)

Too much of everything

Simply Perfect

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I was going to vote pretty low not because of production, I think this movie does a pretty good job with cinematically and the writing is good.It is definitely scaryish.My problem is the acting. The acting is pretty bad. The girl-friend probably the worse but they definitely aren't A-list actors. The main character gets better and probably would be so bad if you could tell that they were ALL trying REALLY hard to NOT look at the camera - it is so obvious that the camera area is something someone trained them to never look at.A good actor can look right into the camera and never be looking AT you...they keep their line of site balanced to seem natural.Though I have that complaint, I do like the movie. Will purchase it if I can find it and will tell people good things about it.

If you can stomach the usual weaknesses with independent horrors - directors, editors and actors that are still, shall we say, in the process of perfecting their art - then you should give this one a shot. It's a genuinely fun little ghost movie that I enjoyed far more than much of the mainstream ghost movies of recent years. The movie begins a little rough, with a number of ghost movie clichés that led me to believe I was going to watch a yawn inducing tale of a guy who moves into a haunted house where the previous owner went crazy and killed his family, and I expected the protagonist would be possessed (a la Amityville Horror) and gradually get crazier until he killed his girlfriend and that would be that. But after the first half hour, the girlfriend (quite wisely) leaves and doesn't come back. The movie continues as a man vs ghost tale that really has a lot of fun moments. The film makers ingeniously skirted their lack of budget by actually making the ghost be a guy in a sheet. As crazy as this sounds they actually manage to pull off some scary moments with the gimmick.As independents go, this is definitely one of the better ones, perhaps more because of its fun and heart than its movie-making prowess, but fun and heart can make for a good couple hours. 6/10.

Lots of bad reviews on this, but I have to wonder if it's because we have become so used to special effects that we have forgotten to use our imaginations. This movie is a solid scare and much like reliving a nightmare from childhood. Scary things under the bed, under the sheets, radios coming on by themselves, chairs and basketballs moving without the hand of a living thing. I love a good scary movie and have become so saturated by the special effects of how demons, ghosts, villains and souls look to someone else, a CGI artist for example. When left up to my own imagination is so much more terrifying and a bit satisfying too. This movie reminded me of how scary my own imagination can be. I recommend and would watch it again.

An American Ghost Story has the foundation to be a good little horror movie. Our protagonist, Paul, rents a house with a reputation for being haunted. He plans to write a book about his experiences and fortunately for his book haunting stuff starts happening. Spoiler Alert: His girlfriend moves in with him, is the first to encounter ghostly activity and quickly moves right back out. The rest of the film has Paul chasing Tom, a mischievous little ghost and Mr. Sheets, a demonic force seen only when covered with a bed sheet - California King sized of course.If someone would have said to me "hey, take a look at this indy horror movie made by some friends for just $2k" I would have been in the right frame of mind and enjoyed the ride. I'd rate it 8 out of 10. I really appreciate the struggles Mr. Cole & Mr. Twardokus endured to get this produced. It is incredibly difficult to make a feature. Actors and crew flake out on you, gear breaks, locations suddenly change their mind and won't let you shoot there, and everybody wants money. I'm always amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of filmmakers working with little to no budget. Having said that, they need to make wise use of the resources that they do have.The main antagonist in this film is a ghost or demonic force brought to life by throwing a bed sheet over the form. In a spooky story for 7 year olds it works, but here it comes off cheesy. The original Paranormal Activity is a good example of a small budget film that never actually shows the ghost. Seeing the form in the bed which then disappears is fine, but it should have stopped there.I don't fully agree with criticisms about clichés concerning drawers opening, etc. Everything has already been done, it's incredibly difficult to come up with something entirely new in a horror movie. The ghost hunter shows on television have the same things in every episode - EVP's, orbs, EMF spikes, doors opening on their own. Same thing, every episode. So I expect to see these things in a horror movie, but I want to see them at unexpected moments with actors reacting in unexpected ways. I liked the flashlight being grabbed by the ghost, I think it is very effective and probably one of the creepiest moments in the movie.In my films just about every penny I have goes to the actors. A free actor isn't really free if they bring the movie down. If you can't afford an actor and can't find a great actor willing to work pro bono, then write that part out of the script if possible. Other parts are unnecessary. The landlord played by Jon Gale doesn't propel the story forward, is poorly acted and could be omitted. I think Liesel Kopp in the role of Stella did a good job. In fact, I'm disappointed that she doesn't stick around. She is one of the characters introduced to us that never gets developed. I think Wendy Haines as Sue is the best actor in the movie. I would have liked to see her coerced into returning to the house to help Paul solve his problems. As much as I admire Stephen Twardokus and respect his efforts, I think his acting is one dimensional. He's certainly a better actor than me, but as our protagonist his role is critical to the success of the film and should have been cast differently. Sam, the friend played by Cain Clifton is another pointless character but he has an ironic scene. He sends an email to Paul that has a jump scare photo in it. Paul calls him and complains "that was a cheap shot!" Yet that's exactly what they are doing to us, most of the fright in this movie comes from cheap shot jump scares.The lighting is very good...so good that I didn't even think about it the first time I watched the film. The tonal quality of the dialog was excellent as well.The music is good in places. Kevin MacLeod is a popular artist who allows filmmakers to use his work royalty free. I've used his work extensively. The problem comes in the scene transitions and places where the tension changes. The music is cut and pasted to fit the scene as best as possible. It sounds great in some places, in others it doesn't. The piano melody in the beginning scenes doesn't quite work. In the last half of the film long, low notes drone endlessly on and on and become annoyingly noticeable.Finally, the script has its highs and lows. Characters are introduced then fizzle away undeveloped. The mainstay of ghost hunting is electrical disturbances and recording EVPs, Electronic Voice Phenomena. This is where recordings, as most people know, can be played back to reveal ghostly voices that weren't heard at the time the recording was made. Paul tries to record them in one scene but curiously he fails. The only electronic problem is an old fashioned radio that likes to randomly come on and play static. Why he never tries to use a camcorder is puzzling. I don't think any ghost hunter nowadays would attempt it without a camera. In fact, the premise of writing a book about a haunted house seems to fizzle away as well.This could be a great little movie with some edits and a better lead actor. As it is, it's still an enjoyable flick keeping in mind it's a low budget, well, no budget indy film.