GhostKeeper

Films about the Wendigo( aka Windigo) are few and far between. I had first read about GhostKeeper in Caelum Vatnsdal's book They Came From Within : A History Of Canadian Horror Cinema. Its one of the earliest films depicting the Wendigo that I know of and Im a big fan of Larry Fessenden's Wendigo films so I jumped at a the chance to grab a copy. Now there are a few things I look for in a good horror picture. Atmosphere, erie soundtrack, haunting images, nightmares as a result of the haunting images, etc. Ghostkeeper has all these wonderful things.

Picture this. Jenny and her horrible boyfriend Marty and their terrible friend Chrissy find themselves shooting up a snowy back road deep in the mountains of Lake Louise, Alberta Canada. They reach the spooky Deer Lodge and quickly get snowed in. They find the lodge all but deserted...but warm inside. Marty blatantly flirts with Chrissy in front of Jenny for while before Chrissy regales the group fireside with a delightful tale about how she once had sex with a man for $40. They then run into a creepy old lady played by Georgie Collins who lives there. They convince her to let them stay and she soon shows them to their rooms. Thats when things start to go wrong. I dont want to spoil anything but I will say that Georgie Collins steals the show with one of the scariest performances Ive seen in a very long time(and she has an adorable interview in the bonus features of the Code Red DVD release)...and yes a Wendigo does appear on screen. Paul Zaza's sparse and haunting soundtrack brings delightfully erie feel to the entire film that seems to flow in and out with the constant sound of the wind. The DP John Holbrook does an amazing job bringing a dark natural look to the film and Jim Makichuk does a fantastic job directing.

Ghostkeeper combines elements from films such as The Shining, Black Christmas, & Screams Of A Winter Night and I mean that in the best way possible. Its true the film has gotten alot of criticism for lack of gore and the slow moving plot. But to me its damn near perfect. Its the type of film that sticks with you. The type of film that gave you nightmares when you were a kid. Its an essential canadian horror film to add to your collection. I recommend it highly.

Enjoy