As a horror flick, I did not find this one to be very effective. As a British family drama, however, I will admit that I was somewhat engaged. This is my first experience with the relatively new company, Chemical Burn Entertainment, and it is a decent introduction although I was expecting a little more exploitation judging by many of the other titles on their roster. I commend companies like this who are keeping the spirit of independent horror alive and releasing titles like this on DVD even though they may not be for all tastes. It is also nice to know that there are some interesting flicks coming from the same label that released Skin Eating Jungle Vampires and Fast Zombies with Guns. I need to see more from this company but they may have some shades of Heretic Films (R.I.P.) poking out of what looks like a competitor to The Asylum if they keep putting out stuff like this. Time will tell I suppose.

Paul McEwan stars as Robert Brandon, a young psychic who is having a moral conflict knowing that his employer is encouraging him to falsify psychic encounters to swindle money out of emotionally fragile customers. When a man named George (Kenneth G. Hodgson) comes in wanting to know how his family was killed, Paul takes it upon himself to help the man and goes to the house where the murders occurred to seek answers. Shortly after arrival, Robert and George encounter the ghost of George's son (Chris Leach) who begins to tell the story of what happened. George does not like how the story is developing but continues to listen despite this. As the night progresses, they also have encounters with George's daughter Tamsin (Laura O'Donoughue) and his wife Gillian (Denise Cooke) who give their versions of the events. Things eventually come to a head when the family comes to terms with what happened, family secrets are revealed, and the real villain is exposed.

Plot twists and surprises always make me pleased and by the end of this flick, I was quite happy with the result. That being said, this is not your typical indie horror flick as the emphasis is way more on the story than on action, scares, blood, or boobs. This may turn some viewers off who are hoping for titillation or an adrenaline rush as you get a few seconds of a sexy topless ghost (Amie Morris) but that's about it. Those viewers who enjoy a low-key mystery, however, will be pleasantly surprised. The use of different versions of an event throughout the running time is a device that we have seen before in movies like Run Lola Run and Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon and writer David Ross does a great job of keeping the puzzle pieces in order and flipping his cards at the appropriate times in the narrative. Director Matthew Lawrence takes an innovative approach to the action by having the ghosts appear in the room with Paul and George in a way that feels somewhat like they are all sharing a theatre stage. This is an unique approach that takes a bit of getting used to by ultimately works for the film in the end.

The whole approach to this movie is textbook low-budget from the use of minimal locations to the avoidance of a lot of effects to the acting that comes off as somewhat amateurish from a number of the actors. The performances make sense as most of the cast do not have many credits and those who do are mainly in shorts, independent features, and British television. Of the cast, Paul McEwan and Laura O'Donoughue are the most effective delivering believable emotions and carrying the film. The same can't be said for Chris Leach whose character is supposed to be the most sympathetic but comes across as too needy for me to care. Director Lawrence still manages to pull off a decent film despite these shortcomings and although it plays like a stage production at times, it is a good story for what it is. I hope that next time he makes a movie, he will have a little more to work with and use the medium more or his style will get old fast. All filmmakers need to start somewhere and Lawrence has provided a decent first effort that will hopefully lead to a promising career so long as he can find more money and use it wisely the next time around. (Josh Pasnak, 5/30/13)

Directed By: Matthew Lawrence.
Written By: David Ross.

Starring: Paul McEwan, Kenneth G. Hodgson, Laura O'Donoughue, Chris Leach.