Zach Lorkiewicz’s new horror short film is a huge departure from last year’s The Knock. More avant-garde than anything we’ve seen this year, The Ghost House will definitely be polarizing viewers.
I had no idea what to expect from Lorkiewicz’s new film, although I did remember his last offering rather fondly. The Knock was a clever short that played on our primal fears and boasted some very well used SFX. I was definitely excited to see what creation would next grace my screen. Roughly ten minutes after hitting that play button, I’m sat here both bemused and amused.
The Ghost House is an altogether different entity from an altogether different world. If I had to put it in a box and label it, I supposed that “arthouse horror” would have to suffice. It is cheap, experimental, raw, monotonous, and oddly captivating. The film has a singular character residing in a singular residence being sincerely sinister. There are a few simple scenes, all of which repeat incessant echoes of noise and chaos, almost like an ebb and flow of some respiring entity from another plane.
There is no dialogue; no story to follow or discernable plot. The Ghost House is more an experiment in filmmaking–perhaps art made for other artists to enjoy. The issue here is that art–as I’m sure we’re all aware–is patently subjective. The Ghost House does not have the elements that would make it an objectively good film. It is an assault on the senses and one’s imagination, leaving it wide open to deserved scrutiny. In plainer words, most folks aren’t going to like this film.
And that’s OK. I don’t think that The Ghost House was made for “most folks” in the first place. The production value is akin to a student film, the editing off-kilter, and the image quality purposefully poor. This is an experimental indie film meant for like-minded creators that shows off some good ideas and showcases some talent. I enjoyed the watch for what it was. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. I’ll pop the link to the short film below the poster.
