A familiar sight is seen at the beginning of A Ghost Waits, the feature directorial debut of Adam Stovall. Anyone who has seen even one haunted house film knows there comes a point when the terrified family runs for their lives away from potential doom. The camera lingers on a shot of a creepy looking ghost of a young woman as she floats above the ground mid-haunting. We will come to know this woman as Muriel (Natalie Walker, TV’s Search Party), the spirit who claims this house as her own and drives people out as fast as they can move in. What is not quite as familiar is the little smirk that she delivers right at the end of this haunting; the signal of satisfaction in a job well done. This smirk along with some peppy music clue you in to the fact that A Ghost Waits is not intended to be your typical frightfest, but rather something a bit more whimsical and self-aware. What follows is a narrative that rises above its shaggy, low-budget origins to deliver one of the most emotionally resonant films I have seen in some time.
Jack (MacLeod Andrews, Doctor Sleep) works for a property management company which tasks him with the thankless job of cleaning up and inspecting houses for their clients. With his latest job, Jack has been tasked with getting this house ready for the next occupants and hopefully figuring out why this particular home keeps having tenants that break their lease and move out in quick succession. Jack is not at the best point of his life; his apartment building has been overrun with cockroaches and he does not feel like his life measures up well to those of his friends. Yet, he actually does not hate his job, despite the fact that his unsympathetic boss seemingly does everything in his power to make it so. He gains some satisfaction from doing menial things to improve the space, but generally his life is saddled with a general depression. This is something that Muriel latches onto in her haunting; in addition to the normal opening of cabinet doors and the like, she invades his dreams in an effort to drive him away – ultimately culminating in Jack’s mad dash away from the house as a mirror to the beginning of our story.
Yet, Jack does not finish his flight away from this haunted place. He turns around and goes back in to meet Muriel, which throws her for an existential loop. We learn that the haunting of this house – her house – is her job, and she is part of a larger Beetlejuice-esque corporate bureaucracy that thrives on the scaring away of the living. It is at this pivotal turning point where the movie truly finds its identity and heart; the unlikely friendship between Jack and Muriel and the ramifications that spawn from it is an endlessly fascinating story. Andrews plays the emotional rebirth of Jack with a careful subtlety that highlights how sad his life was before knowing what happiness could be. Natalie Walker delivers the performance of the film as the endearing Muriel. Walker brings an immense amount of nuance to a role that requires her to be fearsome, lovable, insecure and more in rapid succession. In one cracking bit of social commentary, we see that creeping modernity is an issue that plagues the spirit world as much as ours, as the subtle haunting techniques of Muriel are put in stark contrast with assaultive style of a younger ghost, Rosie (Sydney Vollmer), enlisted to help Muriel complete her job.
The question of purpose is one that looms large over the film. At two separate points in the movie, characters are put on the spot with a simple question: why do you do what you do? The answers vary somewhat; one initially lightheartedly answers with “they pay me” before awkwardly fumbling his way to something a bit more profound, while the other is saddled with the truth of “it is just what we do.” Neither have much of a driving force behind their actions besides the fact that it is what they believe they are expected to do. It is what society – or whatever space they belong to – has conditioned them to do day in and day out. While it would be easy to pity these characters and their lack of authority in their own situations, the sad truth is that their positions are more universally understandable than society would want you to believe. It is the way in which these characters come to find value in their lives outside of the functions they perform that makes the narrative work on an emotional level.
A Ghost Waits can be slightly rough around the edges, but given its budget limitations and three year production schedule, it feels like one cohesive vision that does not let money stand in the way of the message. The script from Andrews and Stovall understands that the humanity in the story is key to elevating it to something special, and on that front it succeeds on all accounts. The film is an unconventional love story that shows the power of finding someone to (figuratively) bring you to life – to be the version of yourself that you were meant to be. At a spry 80 minutes, the movie never overstays its welcome as it builds to an emotional crescendo – supplemented by a truly transcendent soundtrack – that will leave you a teary-eyed wreck in the best way. While the film initially presented itself as an offbeat haunted house tale, it developed into something with much more depth that became one of my favorite films of the year.
Video Quality
A Ghost Waits debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in 1.78:1 from a high definition master that captures the film really well. With this being a very low budget affair, it is quite impressive how striking the film is with pretty stunning camerawork along with some lovely black-and-white photography. The movie presents with a great amount of detail and clarity in the textures of the ghost makeup and production design. The contrast in the black-and-white photography is very stable with deep blacks and bright whites that do not veer into blooming. Cinematographer Mike Potter has a great eye for lightning that is utilized well here. Objects hold up pretty well in the shadows and retain their depth. Overall, this is an excellent presentation that showcases the work well.
Audio Quality
Arrow Video delivers this new Blu-Ray disc with a LPCM 2.0 audio track that gives nice life to this subdued production. The dialogue is the driving force of the film and it holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the score or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely with some eerie house sounds and noises from the “haunting” moments. The soundscape is very contained, but it is powerful when it needs to be. The movie is accompanied by both a lovely score and a selection of emotionally affecting songs that are rendered well here. This is a track that represents the film in a very pleasing way. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
The first-pressing of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of A Ghost Waits includes a booklet featuring the essay “Worked to Death (and Beyond): A Ghost Waits in a Capitalist World” by film scholar Craig Ian Mann. This piece provides a great analysis of the film through the lens of how it portrays the characters as workers in a perpetual system of oppression. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary #1: Writer/Director Adam Stovall and his friend Cori Luffler provide a really entertaining commentary track that details various aspects of the production from the decision to not put a directorial credit up top, the placement of the magnets on the refrigerator, creative decisions made in the midst of production and more. With Luffler here, it is nice to have an outsider who is still close to Stovall asking insightful questions about the process.
- Audio Commentary #2: Writer/Director Adam Stovall is joined by star MacLeod Andrews in which they discuss his performance, the music in the film, lessons learned during filming, the casting process and more. There is a tiny bit of overlap with the preceding track, but there is a lot of unique information.
- Audio Commentary #3: Stovall and Andrews are joined by cinematographer Mike Potter, actress Sydney Vollmer, co-producer Nicholas Thurkettle and eventually executive producer M.F. Thomas in a very lively and exciting commentary track that is chaotic in a good, informative way.
- Humanity and the Afterlife in A Ghost Waits: A 15-minute video essay by Isabel Custodio in which she examines the themes of the film and depictions of ghosts on film throughout history. This not only examines the film in great depth, but draws rich connections to other films.
- Cast & Crew Interviews: A collection of interviews conducted by film critic and festival programmer tt stern-enzi over Zoom.
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- MacLeod Andrews (Producer/Actor/Writer/Sound Design): A 21-minute piece in which they discuss the tone of the film, the special effects in the film, playing guitar in the film and more.
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- Deborah Parag (Executive Producer and Adam’s Mom): A 7-minute piece in which they discuss the origins of the project, the character dynamics in the narrative, the evolution of the film and more.
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- M.F. Thomas (Executive Producer): A nearly 12-minute piece in which they discuss how he got involved in the project, working with genre narratives, working with Stovall and more.
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- Michael C. Potter (Director of Photography): A 13-minute piece in which they discuss his relationship with Stovall, the inspirations he brought to the look of the film, the collaborative process and more.
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- Sydney Vollmer (Actor, “Rosie”): A 12-minute piece in which they discuss the casting process, the challenges of inhabiting her character, what she personally brought to this role and more.
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- Margaret Darling (Composer/Co-Lyricist): A 9-minute piece in which they discuss her entry into scoring films, how the script inspired her writing process and more.
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- Mitch Bain (Composer): A nearly 10-minute piece in which they discuss his work with scoring films, how he got involved with the project, what it was like getting involved with the film so late in the process and more.
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- Adam Stovall (Director/Writer/Producer/etc): A 30-minute piece in which they discuss the process of collaboration, getting his team together, what he wanted the film to mean to people, an unused ending and more.
- FrightFest Glasgow 2020: Two pieces moderated by Alan Jones at a March 2020 screening of the film.
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- Interview: An 11-minute interview with director Adam Stovall in which he discusses the origins of the film, the process of writing for a specific actor, the need for reshoots and more.
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- Post-Film Q&A: A 14-minute interview after the first screening of the film with director Adam Stovall in which he discusses the journey of making this film, the casting process and more.
- Outtakes: A 12-minute collection of humorous moments on set, flubbed takes, forgotten lines and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: A two-and-a-half minute trailer for the film that pretty wonderfully captures the spirit of the film. It may give slightly too much away, though.
- Image Gallery: A collection of images from the film are provided here.
Final Thoughts
A Ghost Waits is one of the most pleasant surprises I have seen in some time. While this may be a shaggy, independent production, the love for the material comes through at every point as everyone collaborates to bring this deeply touching story to life. The blending of genres works well to give this story rich emotional stakes along with levity when it is needed. Arrow Video has released a Blu-Ray that provides a stellar A/V presentation and a spectacular array of special features that only go to enhance your appreciation for the film. If you are looking for something unique and heartfelt, please give this one a chance to cast a spell over you. Highly Recommended
A Ghost Waits is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
