A little research reveals it was built by an inventor of torture devices a man considered "an evil version of Leonardo da Vinci. They called him the Devil's Craftsman." The coffin is a "ghost machine" constructed to allow its users to safely experience the sensation of death without actually dying. One goldfish test later, Kyle and his wheelchair-bound roomie, Sutton (J. Walter Holland), give er the ol college try themselves, resulting in out-of-body experiences.
Naturally, this is a Very Bad Idea. It has to be, or else The Ghostmaker would have no reason to exist. While not a rock-em-sock-em horror picture, its a pleasant blend of the supernatural suspenser and morality tale that dates back to the genres literary roots: Power corrupts. Kyle climbs in the coffin often in order to grab money to pay off credit card debt and a ferocious meth habit, while Sutton uses it to get close to women who dont give his handicapped self the time of day in particular, Kyles girlfriend (Liz Fenning), who sure does bathe a lot.
Directed and co-written by Mauro Borrelli (Haunted Forest) and co-produced by Oklahoma City native Ford Austin (director and star of the bug-nuts-insane Dahmer vs. Gacy), the film reminded me in theme and setting of the recent Australian effort Needle and not only is the word spoken by a character, but a trailer for the 2010 flick plays before the main attraction on this Lionsgate DVD.
Without spoiling how things turn out, The Ghostmaker benefits from being well-shot and its uniquely designed creature, whom I wish received more play. (Sequel, perhaps?) The one element in which the film errs is that Kyle our protagonist, the audience surrogate is an utter douchebag. Its hard to latch onto him, leaving you to root for the reaper. Considering the success of the Final Destination franchise, thats not always a bad thing. Rod Lott
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