Directionless and now girlfriend-less, Denny (Devin Ordoyne) is in a rut. To make things worse, the man Denny lost his girlfriend (Sara Tomko) to is local cable access horror TV host, and all around douchebag, Count Dracool (writer/director Kurt Larson). As Denny watches Count Dracool rise in popularity, while disrespecting the legacy of the horror hosts that came before him, such as Denny’s favorite icon, Ghostman (Daniel McCann), Denny decides to make a stand against Count Dracool by putting together his own show, and taking on the persona of the Son of Ghostman.
The initial attempt ends horribly, with Denny passed out in his driveway, where he meets neighbor Zack (Matthew Boehm), who just moved into the neighborhood with his aunt, Claire (Angela Gulner). Zack steps up to help Denny make something of his Son of Ghostman idea, and friend Carlo (Marlon Correa) comes along for the ride. With Zack’s tech savvy, and Son of Ghostman’s lack of polish, the show quickly becomes an online viral sensation.
Can Son of Ghostman dethrone Count Dracool? Will the truth about his secret identity, and Zack’s involvement, derail Denny’s new relationship with over-protective neighbor Claire? Will Denny finally get his life together?
Kurt Edward Larson’s Son of Ghostman is a welcome spin on the “guy in his 30s can’t seem to get it together” genre (whatever we’re calling that nowadays). The horror TV host concept adds an air of unique nostalgia to the piece, while also showing how sometimes forming an identity, any identity, can help someone find out who they really are.
It’s a funny film, though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it laugh out loud. More understated humor, usually involving the absurdity of something Carlo says, or the overall situation of filming a low budget trainwreck of a show. And in that regard, the film does a great job of presenting the Son of Ghostman show content; you can see how it could go viral with all its low-tech charm. I’d watch Son of Ghostman.
The audio mix seemed to have some trouble in spots; every once and a while the sound would feel like it was recorded in a tin can, with an echo-friendly quality to the recording. Not throughout, but enough to be noticeable when it happens. That’s the only real tech issue I could think of, however, as the rest is solid, particularly the look of the film. The cinematography is predominantly strong, and the film makes the most of its resources.
Sometimes the dramatic elements drag, and some conflicts seem forced for the sake of having conflicts, but it’s not awful in these respects. Overall the vibe of Son of Ghostman is entertaining and even somewhat cute (which is odd to say, but it fits). Even though Denny is lost in his life, he’s not really all that much of a loser, and that helps him from becoming a depth-less stereotype while also making the film more relatable. A charming, good-looking film overall.
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