Movies
[Review] ‘Ghost Team’ is Painfully Unfunny
Those who have already decided that the new Ghostbusters wasn’t for them, it looked as if they had another option: Oliver Irving’s Ghost Team.
Irving co-wrote the new comedy with Peter Warren in which a paranormal-obsessed man (Napoleon Dynamite‘s Jon Heder) mounts his own investigation into the beyond with his depressed best friend (Harold and Kumar‘s David Krumholtz), a cable access medium (“Broad City’s” Paul W. Downs), an overeager security guard (Jeepers Creepers‘ Justin Long), and a god-awful psychic (“Strangers With Candy’s” Amy Sedaris).
Ghost Team not only boasted the perfect low budget comedy bro-casting, but a concept that appeared to be the low budget counterpart to Ghostbusters. Unfortunately, the filmmakers lied to you.
From laughs to capturing spooks on camera, Ghost Team fails to deliver on any promise.
Albiet a bit of a spoiler, but quite necessary in explaining why Bloody Disgusting readers should avoid this title, there are no ghosts in Ghost Team. Yes, they go hunting for the supernatural, but there’s nothing remotely spooky here. So, if it’s not scary, it’s funny, right? No. Ghost Team has one of the better low budget comedy casts in recent memory and yet, somehow, Irving manages to deliver zero laughs. It’s painfully unfunny to the point of boredom. It’s so bad that I have to question whether or not there was even a script; is it possible they improvised everything? And if this is the truth, it makes it look as if the aforementioned cast has zero talent, which I refuse to believe (this would destroy my world).
The only thing that ties everything together is that Irving and Warren attempt to offer redemption to the unlikely heroes who are otherwise failures in their everyday lives. It comes as a wasted effort for the reasons mentioned above.
Ghost Team is the worst of independent releases in that it’s going to be successful based on the names boasted on the cover, yet leave every single viewer disappointed. There’s middle of the road and there’s this, which is a road that’s yet to be paved. The only thing scary here is that someone may actually pay hard-earned money to rent this.
Ghost Team is now exclusively on Google Play with a theatrical run set for August 12th.
Sunrise Films has announced the official North American release of William Bagley‘s horror comedy Hold the Fort, and it’s accompanied by an energetic new trailer.
Hold the Fort debuts on digital platforms on June 23.
In the film, “Lucas and Jenny think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.“
Watch the new trailer below, which introduces one wild HOA gathering during an equinox. Things get bloody fast.
Chris Mayers (Adult Swim Yule Log), Haley Leary (“The Walking Dead”), Levi Burdick, and Julian Smith star.
William Bagley writes and directs, in addition to producing with Smith, Matt Dodd, Luke Williams, and Tim Reis (Adult Swim Yule Log).
Ahead of the release, Bagley said, “My goal with this film was to make a hilarious, fast-paced thrill ride while also telling a great story with heart. Hopefully, through all the blood, laughs, fights, and gags, you leave the film feeling inspired to tackle whatever life throws at you.“
Hold the Fort premiered at Fantasia last summer before going on to play FrightFest London, Toronto After Dark, and Beyond Fest.
I wrote in my review, “It’s an infectiously charming assemblage of jokes and monster vignettes bound together by a barebones plot with not much on its mind beyond delivering an entertaining time.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.