Ghosts Of Edendale

Rating: out of
Released: 2003
Directed by: Stefan Avalos
Cast: Stephen Wastell, Paula Ficara

In 1998, Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler directed THE LAST BROADCAST. It was a horror movie of sorts, made up of found footage, about a group of people who go into the woods, never to return.  
 
No, that isn’t a typo. It wasn’t THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, it was THE LAST BROADCAST. And, in fact, it was a much better film than BLAIR. At the time, there was all sorts of debate over which stole from which (LAST BROADCAST was said to be the first). But, it was a great film, that deserves to be seen if you haven’t.  
 
Avalos went solo for GHOSTS OF EDENDALE, just out on DVD. 
 
Kevin (Stephen Wastell) and Rachel (Paula Ficara) head to L.A. and move into a home on a hill that was once part of Western star Tom Mix’s estate. They are both screenwriters, who have come to L.A. to write. 
 
There is the first problem with the film.  
 
Why do people in movies go to L.A. in order to write? You can write from anywhere. You don’t need to live in L.A. to write screenplays. To sell them, sure, you need to be in L.A.. But, the first thing these characters do upon moving in is get out the computers and start writing screenplays. Don’t a lot of L.A. writers leave L.A. in order to write? Get a cabin in the woods? Go to Montana?  
 
Unfortunately, the film goes downhill from there. 
 
Rachel begins seeing ghosts. Or does she? Is she mentally ill? She goes off to a modeling job, and when she returns, Kevin is different. Or is he? 
 
The film is essentially a rip off of THE SHINING. The wife trying to deal with her crazy husband getting more possessed by the place where they are living, complete with the use of old photos to question the whole existence of the character.  
 
It is a very disappointing film. I did love THE LAST BROADCAST. But, this one is not in the same league. 
 
 


Reviewed by: Jim Magovern

Nov 01,2006