Feature Film Review: “Ghost Track”
Ghost Track (A.K.A. Morris)
Dir: Jason M. J. Brown
UK • Horror/Thriller • 74 mins
After a group of childhood mates befriend Morris, a quiet loner, their dares quickly get out of control and tragedy strikes as Morris ends up being killed by an oncoming train while crossing the tracks. Now many years later, the group of tight-knit friends have never been able to fully put the incident behind them, however, as the group deal with a series of unexplainable and horrific events, it becomes clear that Morris is back for revenge.
Despite its slasher-like premise, Ghost Track shouldn’t be mistaken for a generic horror film. It’s surprisingly, and somewhat refreshingly, light on gore and is very restrained when it comes to dealing with death and injury. The film is actually much more of a supernatural thriller than anything else. There’s a mystery to be solved with plenty of twists & turns along the way. The burning questions of ‘who?’ and ‘why?’ are what drive the film for the most part, allowing time for greater focus on the story, the unravelling mystery and the performances.
The majority of the cast are fully invested in the film and have fantastic chemistry together. We fully buy into the idea that this is a group of friends with a long and shared history with many secrets kept between themselves. While everyone on screen does a great job, both Adam Probets as Marcus and Lisa Poisman as Emily in particular give standout performances, both fuelling the scenes with emotion and tension.
One of the strongest aspects of the film is the script, by director Jason Brown. The structure and story beats are both particularly really well thought out despite a few story details lacking a bit of foundation, but this doesn’t take away from the overall experience. The twists, which are both subtle and plausible (to a point), are superbly done and genuinely take you by surprise.
The film is bookended by its two strongest scenes and sequences. The final showdown is packed with betrayal and unexpected twists, but it’s the nail-biting opening scene that’s the real talking point of this movie. Director Jason Brown knows exactly how to hook an audience, planting us in the middle of the story at the beginning to give us a heart-pounding and unforgettable opening. Taking place in a car scrap yard, it’s not only a visually interesting, creepy and desolate location but there’s one stunt in particular that’s downright jaw-dropping, especially considering the film’s micro budget. From here we go back to the beginning of the story and we’re fully invested, eager to learn how we ended up with such a crazy opening scene. The film then wastes no time, moving along at a rapid speed, never pausing for breath. Brown and his team have sourced some fantastic, varied and unique locations for the film which help to set it apart from its contemporaries.
Some people have levelled criticism against the film for taking place during daylight hours, as opposed to the dead-of-night, however, anyone who’s seen the likes of IT or A Texas Chainsaw Massacre knows that atmosphere, horror, tension and scares can be executed effectively in daylight if done correctly, and Ghost Track really doesn’t shy away from, and lives up to, this challenge. Setting the film at night wouldn’t have made this film any more scary or tense. The daytime setting echos the horrific events of the past and reinforces the fact that at no time are any of these people safe from the fate that awaits them.
Ghost Track is a supernatural thriller spurred on by revenge. Featuring some mind-blowing set pieces for its micro-budget, some passionate performances and some clever twists, Ghost Track is not only a film to be enjoyed, but also admired.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
8/10
Ghost Track is available on DVD and On Demand from numerous outlets.
Reviewed by Philip Pugh
