Home Video
[BD Review] ‘Ghost Team One’ Is An Uneven Horror-Comedy with a Horny Ghost
Ever since Paranormal Activity took cinemas by storm (for better or worse), there has been an onslaught of imitators and parodies. This year alone saw Scary Movie 5 and A Haunted House, both really horrible films. While it wasn’t found-footage, the recent Hell Baby managed to scrounge up some laughs – although the film overall was very uneven. And now just in time for Halloween, Ghost Team One enters the ring…
Directed by comedians Ben Peyser and Scott Rutherford, Ghost Team One is one of the best horror-comedies of 2013. That being said, it suffers from a lot of cheap, frat boy humor. There are several moments of zooming in on boobs and crotches, mimicking sex with a camcorder, and other lazy crap you’d expect from a DTV National Lampoon flick. Thankfully, not all of the comedy relies on infantile flourishes – there are some genuinely clever moments and the plot is as gleefully immature as it is original. The finale honestly had my funny bone crying uncle. Ghost Team One is a bumpy experience, but a worthwhile one.
J.R. Villarreal and Carlos Santos star as Brad and Sergio, roommates who are into getting laid and…getting laid. The two have genuine on screen chemistry, which helps make the tired sex humor tolerable. Both are trying to impress Fernanda (Fernanda Romero), a beautiful girl whose belief in the supernatural borders on the unhealthy. When Brad and Sergio suggest that their house is haunted, they go along with Fernanda’s insistence that they perform a full-on paranormal investigation (in hopes of getting in her pants). The trio soon discover that the ghost of an Asian prostitute is tormenting their home. The more Brad and Sergio become aroused by Fernanda, the more the ghost hooker makes her presence known.
C’mon, don’t even try to act like that’s not a fun plot, Professor Highbrow.
Brad and Sergio’s other roommate, Chuck, has been sober for over 200 days. To keep himself from slipping, he stays locked in his room, making video blogs about how much he hates Brad and Sergio. Chuck is absent for most of the film’s first half, but once he becomes a crucial part of the plot, the film really picks up. Playing Chuck is Tony Cavalero (who’s part of The Groundlings in L.A.) and holy shit is this guy manic comedy gold. I won’t give anything away, but during the film’s finale, Chuck manages to get more laughs in five minutes than the entire cast does in 80. This Cavalero cat is definitely one to watch.
Leading up to the finale though, Ghost Team One tends to drag its heels a bit, like they were desperately going for a feature length without the content to fill it. Something the film does do well is provide its ghost with an actual backstory. Unlike parody flicks like A Haunted House in which the apparitions are barely important, Ghost Team One gives its ghost some character. There are a few predictable jump scares in the film, but really no attempts to be actually scary. Which is fine in a parody.
In an era where horror parodies are cranked out just as frequent as the material they’re making fun of, it’s nice to find an original and fun flick like Ghost Team One. While the frat boy humor gets old very fast, once the film picks up it gets absolutely bonkers. It’s a rocky road to the payoff, but a worthwhile one.
Ghost Team One hits digital outlets and theaters on October 11.
Home Video
Watch the Opening ‘Mortal Kombat II’ Battle Scene Now Ahead of Physical Media Release in July
Sequel Mortal Kombat II is now available to watch at home on Digital before heading to physical media in July, but you can test your might now and watch the opening scene.
Mortal Kombat director Simon McQuoid returns to the helm for the new sequel from a script by Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight,” Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire).
In Mortal Kombat II, the fan-favorite champions — now joined by Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) — are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.
Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada are also part of the ensemble cast of Mortal Kombat II fighters.
Watch the opening below, which introduces a young Kitana (Sophia Xu) as Emperor Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) prepares to conquer her father, King Jerrod (Desmond Chiam), and her kingdom of Edenia. It sets the sequel’s entire plot in motion.
From New Line Cinema, James Wan’s Atomic Monster, Broken Road Productions, and Fireside Films, Mortal Kombat II is rated R for “strong bloody violence and gore, and language.”
Look for Mortal Kombat II to arrive on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on July 28, 2026.
The physical media release contains the following special features, as unveiled by IGN:
- Mortal Kombat II: Evolving the Saga (Featurette)
- Returning characters, new alliances and even bigger fatalities! Go behind the scenes to learn all that went into creating the latest chapter in the Mortal Kombat film saga and how the sequel expands the universe to bolder, bloodier heights.
- Building the Realms of Mortal Kombat (Featurette)
- From the decaying streets of Edenia to the terrifying Pit featured in the iconic video game series, discover how the Mortal Kombat II design teams blended practical sets with groundbreaking VFX to create the legendary realms in the film.
- Mortal Kombat II: Choose Your Fighter (Featurette)
- Awaken your Arcana as you meet the cast and explore the brutal weapons, epic costumes and fierce training that went into bringing their characters to life.
- Klose Quarters Kombat (Featurette)
- Cast members and key creatives share insights into how the stunt preparation, intense fight scenes and weapons training shaped both classic moves and new, merciless combat styles.
- A “Boon” to Gamers Everywhere (Featurette)
- Sit down with chief Mortal Kombat mythmaker and creator Ed Boon for a deep dive into the franchise’s storied history and ongoing evolution that spans three decades of near-infinite games, films and comics, culminating with the live-action sequel.