Death of a Ghost Hunter

In 2002, renowned Ghost Hunter, Carter Simms, was offered $5,000 to conduct a 3-day and 3-night paranormal investigation of the infamous Masterson House. Twenty years earlier, Minister Joseph Masterson and his family were brutally murdered inside their home. With the aid of a videographer, a reporter, and spiritual advocate, Carter set out to prove or disprove claims that the Masterson House was haunted. What transpired is the most terrifying and tragic paranormal investigation in the history of modern Ghost Hunting.

Basically, a family was brutally murdered in the home and Carter with the help of a cameraman and journalist will try and find some evidence behind the supposed haunting.

Presented as a quasi documentary, Death of a Ghost Hunter feels a lot like watching an episode of the Ghost Hunters TV show on SciFi. Carter Simms explains why she is going to the house, the activity which has supposedly taken place there, the people involved and how she plans to document the activity. There is the quick overview of EMF, EVP and using the night vision cameras to record evidence.

The first part of the “movie” is pretty interesting and is just like watching the TV show. As we progress further we uncover that, Mary Young, is someone who isn’t actually supposed to be a part of the investigation. She is more concerned with protecting the family’s reputation and to make sure their name isn’t soiled by these Godless creatures.

So on with the investigation. Things start happening, figures are seen on the IR cameras, objects actually move. The team becomes unnerved and edgy, but they press on. As they go through the next night they focus on the kids’ rooms and hear and see parts of the crime that took place there. Their nerves are shot and everyone is at their wits end. Tempers flair and Carter and Mary Young come to blows over the family that lived there.

Mary is cast out and sent packing while they prepare for their final night in the house.

** SPOILER ALERT **

What’s starts off as a documentary turns into a horror movie for the final 30 minutes. The evil character is presented and the facts of the case are revealed. Through a slow narrative the details of the crime are presented on-screen, with the true nature of the family being revealed.

I won’t give away what happens specifically, but let’s just say history repeats itself and no one makes it out of the house alive. The evil presence that caused the first murders has returned to complete the cycle.

And in the midst of it all Carter Simms finds herself trapped as one of the ghost she has been previously trying to contact, her ethereal image speaking to the IR camera about the events which have happened.

The ending was only somewhat satisfying because quite frankly it’s a 20 minute narration on what really happened in the house and you have to be force fed the details because there is no way you’re getting this information from the movie itself. And in that big epilogue the whole atmosphere of the ghost hunting and paranormal is totally lost. So basically we shift modes and movie genres mid-stream and then trying and pull it all back together in a separate monologue right at the end. It all works together, but it’s not really seamless and considering the big lead up to the paranormal it’s somewhat of a letdown.

A bit too heavy on the horror movie aspect (but for hardcore horror fans this will be a Disney flick), it’s still atmospheric and creepy, with just enough of the paranormal to keep things interesting. It’s not high dollar or big budget special effects, but it is entertaining and worth renting.

But the big question is, is it a real story?

The movie presents itself as being pieced together from the journal of Carter Simms. From everything I have found and read there was no such person and no such investigation. There is no evidence to support that the story is real in anyway. Once you get to the end you will see it’s a pretty generic storyline with man simply being evil towards man. There is a very slim chance there was a Carter Simms and she met her death while on an investigation, but as you will see it has nothing to do with the ghosts and spirits she was tracking and was more earth bound.

If you scan through the web you get the sense that Death of a Ghost Hunter is film making in the finest tradition of the Blair Witch Project.

Technorati Tags: ghost hunter, horror, paranormal, investigation, haunting, documentary

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