GHOST GAME
Jill Gevargizian (Aka Jill Sixx) brings us her sophomore feature, GHOST GAME. A group of internet thrill seekers bounces from house to house, playing pranks on the owners, all while stealthily spending as many nights there as possible. Laura convinces her new boyfriend to join her at the notorious Halton House, a place with a horrific past.
The mixed visual approach engages us with reenactments, surveillance footage, Travel Channel-esque ghost story TV spots, and DP Justin Brooks’s immersive real-time cinematography. The FX team does an excellent job.
I have mad love for The Stylist, so it’s no surprise that GHOST GAME entertained the hell out of me. I’ve been following the film since its inception since I’m “internet friends” with Jill and cast member Emily Bennett (Alone With You). As broad as the horror community is, it’s also incredibly small, in the best way. Ps-in case you already didn’t know, they both rule. Genre filmmaking from a femme-centric lens hits differently.
Speaking of Emily, her performance as a protective mother is drastically different from her previous roles. Meg is life-weary as they arrive at the new house. Watching Bennett navigate Meg’s arc is oh-so-satisfying. She is securing her spot as a Scream Queen.
As an Autism Parent, Vienna Maas does a lovely job portraying Sam, a child on the spectrum. Writer Adam Cesare handles it with such care. I genuinely appreciated both the delicate touch and the representation, so cheers.
Sam Lukowski is Laura’s hyper-aggressive Ghost Game partner, Adrian. Lukowski’s toxic masculinity seeps from his pores. His demise is welcome. Zaen Haidar is her boyfriend, Vin. His performance improves as the plot thickens and the character grows a pair.
Aidan Hughes is hands down one of the best players in this ensemble. His chameleon shifting is bone-chilling. Kia Dorsey gives Laura a fearless passion. She begs your attention in the morally grey area she exists in. She effortlessly leads this large cast, and I look forward to whatever comes next. Casting directors, get your eyes on her ASAP.
GHOST GAME combines three separate storylines to create an increasingly tense buildup. To be clear, this is not a found footage film, it’s a screen life clout film told from a way more intriguing angle. It’s a solid watch for Spooky Season.
GHOST GAME Trailer:
Epic Pictures’ specialty horror label DREAD presents GHOST GAME, following a couple’s internet challenge that turns fatal as they trespass into a haunted house, facing sinister evils lurking within its walls. GHOST GAME will have a limited theatrical run beginning October 18, and on October 22 the film will be available to rent or purchase on video-on-demand (VOD). The film will be available on Blu-ray beginning December 10.
GHOST GAME is the second directorial feature from Jill Gevargizian, best known for her feature debut THE STYLIST, which developed from an award-winning short film of the same title and debuted in 2020 from Arrow Video. GHOST GAME premiered at Panic Fest 2024 where Gevargizian won the audience award for Best Director.
Epic Pictures CEO Patrick Ewald says, “Jill’s debut film THE STYLIST was nothing short of transformative, a truly one-of-a-kind experience. So, I knew she’d infuse GHOST GAME with her signature spine-tingling brilliance. Her vision is as daring as it is haunting, and we can’t wait for audiences to be utterly captivated by this electrifying DREAD original.”
“It was a dream to tackle two iconic horror sub-genres at once: a home invasion thriller mixed with a classic haunted house film.” says director Jill Gevargizian. “GHOST GAME is the kind of film that keeps you on your toes, peeling back layer after layer until the very last frame.”
The official synopsis for the film reads: As part of an internet challenge to live undetected in a stranger’s home, a daring couple target an infamous haunted house and endure a series of chilling incidents as they witness a family descending into madness.
GHOST GAME is directed by Jill Gevargizian (The Stylist) and written by Adam Cesare (Last Night at Terrace Lanes). Starring Kia Dorsey (The Man in the Guesthouse, Secrets in the Building, A Date with Deception), Zaen Haidar, Michael C. Williams (The Blair Witch Project), Emily Bennett (Shelby Oaks, Alone With You), Sam Lukowski (Satanic Hispanics), and Vienna Maas (The Stylist). Produced by Eduardo Sanchez (The Jester, Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, Queen of the South), Carlo Glorioso (Satanic Hispanics, V/H/S/2, The Jester), Corey Okouchi (The Jester, Butterfly Kisses, Ninjas vs. Monsters) and Jamie Nash (V/H/S/2, Satanic Hispanics).
About Epic Pictures Group
Founded in 2007, Epic Pictures is an independent content studio with the mission of delivering the best-in-class genre entertainment “for fans, by fans.” Epic Pictures produces, finances, and distributes approximately twenty-thirty independent genre films a year. In 2013, the company established Epic Pictures Releasing which is its US focused distribution division. In 2017, Epic Pictures acquired the world’s most popular horror website, Dread Central, and launched its unique horror label, Dread, followed by its AVOD channel, DreadTV. In 2019, Epic Pictures started the horror gaming site, DreadXP, with a focus on editorial, reviews, podcasts, and original streaming content. In 2020, DreadXP began a video game production and publishing division in collaboration with some of the most innovative developers in the independent gaming space.
Back in 2016, I saw a disturbing and memorable short called The Stylist. Some of those images are still burnt into my brain. It’s not often I say that about a short. Now, writer/director/ producer Jill Sixx Gevargizian has developed that very short into a feature. That’s the funny thing about hairstylists. We totally end up telling them all about ourselves. It’s this unspoken, universal rule. We trust them with our hair and our secrets. Returning in the titular role is Najarra Townsend. She has this timeless look, with her gorgeous red hair and her vintage wardrobe. Signature colors people. Bravo to the costume department here. She has incredibly low self-esteem and social anxiety. Also, she’s a serial killer. This woman hates herself and craves connection. Gevargizian’s expertise as a real-life hairstylist shines through the opening scenes. She clearly guided Townsend’s hands to perfect the realism.
Brea Grant, who can do no wrong in my book, shines as Olivia, magazine exec, bride-to-be, and the unique object of Claire’s affection. She’s a firecracker. Her energy is the perfect foil for Najarra’s (mostly) quiet demeanor. Townsend has an amazing presence. Even when the focus is supposed to be on Olivia, her silhouette looms like a ghost in the background. She lives in the complexity of Gevargizian ‘s screenplay. She is both unsettling and mesmerizing.
We have to talk about the audio. The sound editing will make you cringe. The original score will throw your brain off-kilter and feels like an ode to 70’s horror classics. The editing is smart with side by side frames showing us Claire and Olivia as they navigate what seems mundane. The more we see them together, the more we realize how different these two women are. This script is built on the need for acceptance. There was a bit of a Single White Female (1992) meets May (2002) thing happening and I was all in. The Stylist is visually striking. You are enveloped in the lighting and overall color choices. The cinematic elements combined with stellar performances and an intense script creates a wildly successful atmospheric film dripping in nuance. Your heart is in your throat, constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s a very uncomfortable and bone-chilling watch. That. Final. Shot. And Cut.
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