FRIGHTFEST 2020: A Ghost Waits

A GHOST WAITS - Rebecca Films

Adam Stovall's monochrome dramatic comedy A Ghost Waits is a mixture between Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and Peter Jackson's The Frighteners. A combination of dry humour and meta comedic bravado on the tropes of horror in a terrific, entertaining fashion. 

MacLeod Andrews and Natalie Walker star as odd coupling Jack and Muriel. Their chemistry is engaging and a slow burn to reveal a rather captivating portrait of loneliness and self-acceptance of who you are. Andrews embodies an excellent instinct for physical comedy, while Walker takes more of the dramatic intensity of the picture. However, once again, much like Andrews, Walker is terrific in the deadpan — no pun intended — approach of her respective performance.

The screenplay, by virtue, is a hidden empathetic embodiment that stores a quite profound weight — layered in a terrific balance of tone in a genre that is exploited wonderfully by writer/director Adam Stovall. The meta approach here of poking fun at genre conventions and tone is subtle yet comedically brilliant, as is the drama on show towards the films third act.  A Ghost Waits’ immense moment comes slightly out of left-field but undoubtedly works for an emotionally compelling impact, with infectious moments sprinkled throughout that craft a heartfelt finale.