Pay the Ghost (2015)
2015
94 Minutes
One year after his young son disappeared during a Halloween carnival, Mike Cole is haunted by eerie images and terrifying messages he can’t explain. Together with his estranged wife, he will stop...
User Review
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Pay The Ghost most likely only paid Cage's salary. Y'know the feeling where you watch the first twenty minutes and think to yourself "wow, I'm actually surprised. So far this is really decent!", only for it to quickly decline into a predictable bore that relishes in clichès and stupidity? Yeah, this film. The disparity between the first third and the remaining two thirds can only be defined as a cosmic mess, and that really exasperates me. A father loses his child during Halloween and is soon convinced that a supernatural entity took his son and many other children. We have a self-confessed deity that steals children and brings them to their world, quite like 'Sinister'. We also have an entire third act where the father goes through a portal into another dimension in order to find his son, a lot like 'Insidious'. Put these two films together for a steamy one night stand and welcome their new child Pay The Ghost. Except this child has the power to genetically absorb all of the frightening innovative qualities of its parents and turn itself into a snoozefest. Absurdly weak jump scares that consist of a flashing image followed by a piercing noise. A plot so predictably boring and illogical that you start to question Cage's choices for roles in films. Why? He is better than this! The first act proves he still has credible talent. The emotive drama and realisation of every parent's worst nightmare captivated me. Both Cage and Callies reacted with authentic fear, you can see it in their eyes. The sheer panic that proceeded the realisation of their son going missing, again, felt authentic. Such a promising introduction, and perhaps the comeback we wanted from Cage. Heck, he made for such an endearing fatherly figure, that I myself want Cage as a father. Alas, "one year later" shows up and this supernatural horror slowly possessed me into taking a nap. Everyone looks bored, the script coincidentally goes missing and scenes become laughable. "I can't sleep, can you?", "Yeah, I'm gonna try.". You either can sleep, and therefore don't need to try, or can't. Urgh, more recycled than a plastic bottle.0 member like this review.
