(2002)
7-25-03 |
Directed by: Julian Kean Starring: Jamie Bamber, Noel Fitzpatrick, Juliet Diamond |
Okay, so maybe this is Event Horizon meets John Carpenter's The Thing on an oil rig, but this movie is still pretty damn cool. It's a Scottish/British movie shot on digital film. There are pretty much no special effects, and the whole thing takes place on very few sets. Ghost Rig is low-budget done well, much like 28 Days Later (man, I reference that movie a lot). Ghost Rig is less horror/slasher film than it is "who dun it" paranoia flick. Like Reservoir Dogs and the aforementioned The Thing, most of the movie centers around a small group of characters trying to figure out who threw the crap at the fan. It's driven by good plot and great acting, something that this kind of film can't survive without. Luckily, though, these Scotts and Brits can act. This film also has a couple cool transitions between scenes, like blending the sea into video static. As far as shortcomings, the only thing that really comes to mind is the slight "borrowing" of storyline. I don't want to say too much for fear of giving away any more than I have...The occasional person does the occasional stupid thing, but real-life people do stupid things, too. How do you think Fandango commercials continue to get made? One thing I would change, however, is the box. We rented this expecting oh-so-delicious eye feces, but it actually turned out to be a pretty good film. The little skull over an oil rig, though, just makes it look dumb. It also appears that this movie's original release title was The Devil's Tatoo. Whether or not that's better than the campy-sounding Ghost Rig, I don't know. Don't let cheesy boxes fool you. This is one of those low-budget gems which prospers because it had no money (sparing us from horrible special effects attempts). If you're in the mood for an entertaining "trust no one" film with a few good jumps, Ghost Rig is what to get. Just don't watch it directly after The Thing, or you too might get a little paranoid... |
