Ghosts Of War

NEW skin required… I jumped out of the old one.

Admittedly, I’m a big softy when it comes to horror, but this one got me good a few times. Screams of fright, too. Even goosebumps.

Mission accomplished as far as scary goes. So why did Eric Bress’ chiller leave me so cold?

The set up is straightforward: five American soldiers arrive to guard a creepy old chateau in World War Two. It was previously held by the Nazis, who carried out atrocities on the residents. And the dead family wants revenge.

Cue bumps in the night, faces at windows, radios playing themselves – all the tricks from Big Book of Horror Clichés.

There’s even a room full of dolls and toys with minds of their own. Yes, that old one.

Still, the formula works to a point, and I had to peel myself off the ceiling on occasion. It was efficient, if not inspired.

Then... Oh dear. The plot takes an abrupt right turn and we have an entirely different film for the last quarter.

The spoiler regulations forbid me from describing the gear change, but it is jaw-droppingly clunky. That’s when my yelps of fear were replaced with snorts of derision.

A shame, really, as Ghosts is well-shot and the cast is decent, especially Kyle Gallner as the hard-boiled Tappert. But no movie can survive what the writers did here.