PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Blues players and the legend of selling their souls at the crossroads have long gone hand in hand, but to my knowledge, it has never been the subject of a film until now. Ghost Note tells the story of a demon possessed blues guitarist who is killed, only to return years later to terrorize the family of the man who took his life. Read on for my thoughts.
Ghost Note was written and directed by Troy Hart. The film stars Alicia Underwood (The Inflicted 2012), Justin Duncan (Anna 2017), Allyn Carrell (Kicking Zombie Ass For Jesus 2017), Earl Browning III (Don’t Look in the Basement 2 2015), Todd Jenkins (Cherokee Creek 2017), Kim Foster (Don’t Look in the Basement 2 2015), Cassie Shea Watson (Feast 2 2008), Martin Ezelle (The Inflicted 2012), Tiana Bratten, Alexis Viels, Raelynn Bratten, April Hartman (Howlers 2017), Todd Essary, and Justin Armstrong (The Ouija Experiment 2011).
The official synopsis:
An immortal blues musician terrorizes childhood sweethearts reunited over the Thanksgiving holiday.
What Worked For Me
The film has an intriguing concept of an immortal bluesman returning from the grave to kill the family of those who wronged him. While nowhere near a gorefest, there are some fairly nasty and effective kills, including a self inflicted throat slashing (from a child no less) and a particularly brutal throat ripping. The character of Eugene, the resurrected bluesman, is sufficiently creepy and unnerving. The characters were all fairly likable and the cast all did a good job, with Alicia Underwood and Justin Duncan as the leads, Mallory and Rodney, being the high point. Their relationship kept me invested in the movie even when things were moving a little on the slow side. I also really enjoyed Allyn Carrell as the grandma. She had some pretty funny one liners and was the typical squeaky clean grandma, which made her outburst near the end of the movie even more hilarious.
What Didn’t Work For Me
While the concept of a bluesman selling his soul to the devil and achieving immortality is an interesting concept, Eugene’s backstory was barely touched upon. We witness his “death” and the moments before, but that’s really it. We are told that, in addition to being a fantastic guitar player, he was suspected of several murders, but we are never shown anything. While I thought Eugene made a intimidating villain, he has very little screen time and only one true on screen kill. The rest is either off screen or aftermath. He doesn’t make a appearance in his resurrected state until the final act of the film, and he is dispatched fairly easily. It came off pretty hokey.
Final Thoughts
While Ghost Note moves a little slowly and wraps up fairly predictably, I was still kept interested due to the likable characters and their interaction with each other. The villain was unique and sinister but could have benefited greatly from increased screen time and backstory. Overall, Ghost Note is still a fun and enjoyable ride, despite some minor issues. Be sure to check out Ghost Note on VOD.
