Haunted House, Blind Psychic and Sudden Death
Oddity – Ghost An is considered a movie that has everything from crime, supernatural phenomena, spirituality, haunted objects, and overwhelming fear. However, instead of directly using violent scenes to create scares, the movie lets the audience ponder the consequences of horrific crimes, the wicked are punished by spiritual, mysterious forces.
Most of The Inquisition takes place in a large, dilapidated house in rural Ireland. The story begins with a terrifying encounter between Dani (Carolyn Bracken) and a stranger (Tadhg Murphy) who claims to have broken into her home.
Dani is left in a state of shock after witnessing the disturbing sight of a man with a terrifying glassy eye. She is unable to contact her husband Ted (played by Gwilym Lee), a doctor on night duty at a nearby psychiatric hospital. Her indecision leads to Dani's murder, leading to her tragic death.
A year later, as Ted and his new girlfriend Yana (Caroline Menton) are living in the creepy house, they are suddenly visited by Darcy, Dani's blind twin sister (also played by Bracken). From there, the cause of Dani's sudden and painful death is gradually revealed.
In Ghost Case, the life-sized wooden mannequin gives viewers a creepy feeling, especially the gaping mouth and head full of holes. This is a “5th wedding anniversary” gift Darcy gave to her brother-in-law on the first anniversary of her sister's death.
The wooden figure is a full-body sculpture of a screaming naked man. The moment she sees it, Yana – Ted's new girlfriend – is terrified – although that doesn't stop her from exploring the wooden figure, examining the many holes drilled into the back of its head.
Director McCarthy was inspired by the Jewish legend of the Golem – a large clay figure that is magically brought to life through rituals to carry out the master's orders. In The Devil's Case, thanks to black magic, the wooden figure plays a central role throughout the film, appearing monstrous, with the mission of “acting on behalf of heaven” and finding the murderer of Dani.
Critical response
Since its premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (USA) in March, Ghost Case has received warm welcome from audiences and critics. The film won the Audience Award in the Midnighters category, affirming the film's appeal to audiences who love horror films.
Meanwhile, critics have heaped praise on Ghostly Case. The New York Times called the film a “compelling supernatural thriller,” praising McCarthy's use of tension and setting to create a terrifying atmosphere. The film avoids overt violence, instead leaving the audience to ponder the bloody consequences of the events that unfold.
The Guardian commented that Ghost Story is a film “full of subtlety in storytelling and character development”, and emphasized that it is one of the outstanding horror works of the year. Critics were especially impressed with Carolyn Bracken's dual performance. The actress successfully portrayed two characters with completely different personalities and energies.
Famous film critic Roger Ebert (rogerebert.com) rated Ghost Case 3.4/4 stars, saying that the film has a stable perspective, exceeds expectations, and makes viewers shiver if they watch it at midnight.
The work has also been highly appreciated by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, achieving a positive score of 96%. “The story makes viewers half-believe in the mysterious spiritual world, with unpredictable scares that create surprising effects,” the expert commented.
Many viewers commented that the film brought moments of extreme suspense and terrifying shocks, especially for those who had not found a truly frightening horror film for a long time.
“The Ring really scared me, something I never experienced when watching other horror movies like The Ring,” viewers commented on Rotten Tomatoes.
The combination of two top British actors
After the success of the rock star legend Bohemian Rhapsody, Gwilym Lee has mostly acted in TV series and plays on stage in England. Ghost Case marks the actor's breakthrough return to the horror genre.
The actor is a familiar face on stage and television in the UK. He started acting in 1997 starting from the television industry, receiving many major acting awards in the UK. Before Ghost and Bohemian Rhapsody, he was known to viewers through many impressive roles in films including Oedipus (2009), King Lear (2010), Land Girls (2011), The Tourist (2010), A Song for Jenny (2015), Jamestown (2017)…
Meanwhile, Carolyn Bracken – the actress who plays both Dani and Darcy – is known as the star of the famous horror series The Gone (2023) in the UK. Before that, she made a strong impression with the horror film You Are Not My Mother (2021).
With Ghost Case, director Damian McCarthy continues to affirm himself as one of the most promising horror directors. He impresses with his style of creating a tense atmosphere, without abusing the usual scary details.