Judas Ghost (2013) User Reviews

More a filmed stage play than a horror movie

[Catharina_Sweden · 5/10 · 4 July 2015]

It was difficult to mark this movie, because it would not be right to give it high marks as a HORROR movie, because that would get people's expectations up. And this is not a good HORROR movie, in the sense of creepy atmosphere, excitement, good scares etc.. It is not creepy at all, the special effects are very crude and simple, the "ghost" is so obviously a person in stage make-up, the "blood" is so obviously paint etc.. There are no good scares at all. It is very low budget, and it is more like a filmed stage play than a movie.

But on the other hand: if you accept this as a stage play about a typical ghost hunt situation, and do not expect it to be "The Orphanage" or "The Others" - then it is in fact quite good! The script and dialogue are intelligent, and the actors are good too.

A bit slow

[superteduk · 4/10 · 10 May 2015]

There's not enough to keep horror fans entertained even if it is for under 70 minutes. The characters are wooden and appear to read a script 30 seconds before being filmed and there's no real development or story.

OK so we know they are ghost hunters but how do they develop magic powers and create lights with chalk and salt??? A door that moves around a room and a ghost that stands around not doing much. The music was OK but didn't have the suspense or purpose of a higher budget film.

Positives, Lucy Cudden looked amazing (worth a couple of stars for her)and it was better than watching terrestrial rubbish. Not horrendous but not great.

Not much to it

[venusboys3 · 5/10 · 5 August 2017]

I've been watching a lot of these 'ghost chaser' type movies lately... a lot of them are first person and often feature a group of amateurs who aren't really expecting much to happen... then get in over their heads. Judas Ghost differs in that the protagonists are supposedly seasoned professionals who have dealt with many verified hauntings along an established spectrum of difficulty/danger. In that way they're more like the academics in Ghostbusters than the dumb college kids in The Blair Witch Project. Also, seeing as the supernatural is an established and 'known' thing going in for these characters it does away with any chicanery of verisimilitude... it's pure fantasy from the get-go. The 'psychic' character is as powerful and reliable as their technology. Their techniques are scientific and magical. In a way, it's a bit more like a low-powered superhero movie or an episode of Dr. Who. And like Dr. Who, it felt a lot like a low budget TV show.

All in all, it wasn't very interesting and certainly not suspenseful or scary. Not particularly gory either. The writing is adequate but pedestrian. The acting is good enough. The special effects are TV quality and, again, adequate. It would be passable as a standard episode of some second-string occult show like Friday The 13th: The Series but as a movie? It's pretty weak stuff.

I really wanted to like this movie

[justprincesspeachy · 5/10 · 5 May 2015]

*minor spoilers * when I saw the trailer for this movie I didn't have much expectation for it looked decent and decent is all it is. It is somewhat similar to Grave Encounters but not enough to be a rip off. What did bother me about this movie is its inconsistency with the occult. Basically they took different myths from different areas and spiritual beliefs and threw them together in some bizarre cocktail. they also didn't really explain anything and while sometimes explanation isn't needed this is so all over the place that it would of been nice. Judas ghost was based on a Judas Goat they comment on that in the movie. It did make sense but because there was not a lot of explanation it just seemed thrown together I didn't like it but given the graphics and the budget I give it a 5/10

Led To The Slaughter

[shawnblackman · 5/10 · 9 October 2016]

A professional ghost hunting team set up shop in this hall and discover an entity unlike any other. It's not going to let them leave.

This wasn't too bad. The Judas Ghost is a play on The Judas goat that is used to lead sheep or cattle to slaughter. Instead of having ghosts bang things around and lights go on and off they have a black darkness surround the entire building from which there is no escape. Doors appear and then disappear. There is even a ghost spokesperson they pull through the window which was a pretty cool effect.

The film is pretty well shot in one room save for some flashbacks so it does have that stage play kind of feel. Hopefully your not film claustrophobic because for some time they are trapped in a little protective circle while they battle the spirit. I did laugh near the beginning when they were getting ready to confront the ghost the one guy tells the psychic "get your psychic shields up". I was waiting for her to say "Right away Captain" but she does better and says "Psychic shields up. Ready to go".

Not as bad as a lot of them out there.

Difficult to like ...

[parry_na · 18 January 2016]

"We take no s**t off the hereafter." With dialogue like that, it's easy to detect a certain casual arrogance from the team of ghost hunters on display here. And it is in plentiful supply; Martin Delaney plays designer-stubbled, unblinking host Jerry Mackay (a clever Jeremy Kyle name-check?), and Lucy Cudden is Anna Gilmour, the pouting, tight-mini-skirt wearing telekinetic, none of whom are short of posturing self-assurance.

There is the technology geek (Alexander Perkins), who operates the equipment for the subsequent broadcast, and the strong and silent engineer (Simon Merrells) who isn't asked to contribute much until the finale. Grahame Fox plays the manifestation of the Judas Ghost in probably the film's best performance.

Mackay's insistence on meeting with the ghost ("I want to talk to it,") comes across not as a brave stance, or even reckless determination, more testosterone-fuelled petulance. That's the problem really. The characters start off as cyphers and don't progress. Their CGI-influenced jeopardy doesn't help them become sympathetic and despite competent performances and apocalyptic dialogue, no threat is particularly tangible and chills are notably absent.

One development is that Mackay is seen to blink several times after the climactic moments, which suggest he has been moved beyond 'smouldering' by the fairly lame supernatural experience.

Well they tried.

[jmbovan-47-160173 · 3/10 · 3 January 2021]

The actors do their best in this film, squarely hitting their marks as scared paranormal investigators. Unfortunately, the plot is simple and one note. And doesn't make much sense ultimately. The resolution isn't clear in terms of why things happened and so it can feel as if the movie makes simple said, "This is how we will end things," regardless if it makes sense. Ho hum.

Unexpected Surprise

[dcarsonhagy · 7/10 · 29 December 2015]

I caught this little unknown gem on On-Demand the other evening. I will admit I was bored, and I did not put much stock in this movie being any different from the (what seems like) millions of others in the same vein populating the rentals. Boy, was I in for a nice surprise!

"Judas Ghost" is about a team of professional ghost hunters sent in to do some research on an old school hall. It looks innocent enough during daylight, but things do not stay innocent for very long. Doors appear and disappear; the same with telephones. The ghost hunters soon find themselves surrounded by a darkness...that bleeds. And the darkness seems to be everywhere. They all realize they are now in a race to fend off or defeat whatever is stalking them.

One thing about this movie I really enjoyed was the cast. No one tried to overact his/her role. The dialogue was sincere and believable. Also, as another reviewer pointed out, I actually CARED about what happened to all these people. In so many other movies of this type, there always seems to be one character you cannot stand, one character you want dead immediately, and you can pretty much determine what will happen to the others. Also, the people involved with this production told their story and got the hell outta Dodge. There was no unnecessary shots of people mugging for the cameras or staring off into space for absolutely no reason. Alas, that is also one of the drawbacks: the movie just did not last long enough. Coming in at 74 minutes, it just needed a little more story to have received a higher rating from me.

Still, I can recommend this one. The release I saw rated this "unrated." It does contain some disturbing images and language. I say go for it!

Well, not really "horror", but..

[DBLurker · 5/10 · 17 April 2017]

.. it is an OK movie to watch.

First things first. I wasn't scared, at all. TBH, I only get scared when movies do psychological horror right, and those aren't exactly common (hardest to pull off).

BUT, that said, was I bored when watching this movie? Not really.

Actors do their jobs well enough, they are playing clichéd roles (geek, a hot psychic, macho man, broken man) and play them just fine. The dialogues aren't painful, they are realistic enough (for the kind of people these are). And last but not the least, the CGI isn't completely bad (that darkness effect looks terrible in every "horror" movie tbh).

I didn't really care much for the ending and the movie doesn't exactly show us the "big bad", but only his minion.. which I guess is the case because they wanted to set up a sequel considering a lot of things (like the people they work for or their holy magic thingy) aren't explained properly.

BUT, like I said, it isn't boring. It's a popcorn movie and still way better than the abominations called "horror", Paranormal Activity directors poop out every now and then.

So yeah, popcorn horror. 5/10

Simple, mildly clever 'Ghost-Hunter' story. Holds together fairly well until the last 20 minutes... Blu-ray: Good A:8 V:7

[lathe-of-heaven · 6/10 · 3 April 2017]

I don't normally go for most of the films like this that have been coming out recently (and there have been a TON of them) but once in a while I do find one entertaining. I think what appealed to me about this movie were the consistent 'rules' of Good vs. Evil that held it's story together for most of the time. I'm a real sucker for strong religious 'Mythologies' such as the Classic Cross, Holy Water, etc. Anything from the Classic Hammer Horror films to more recent movies that are based upon a ritualistic 'formula', or the 'belief' you have to have in order to carry out what they want to do, such as 'THE SKELETON KEY' or even the entertaining 'FRIGHT NIGHT' {the original film}

Another thing that I thought was kind of interesting was this 'Institute' that clearly was an established center for studies into these kinds of Phenomena. I liked how this Institute came across as some distant Entity that was watching and perhaps knew more about why they were there than they did. It just gave a tad more menace and mystery to the atmosphere.

For this kind of EXTREMELY limited film, a LOT really rides on the way it is done, the way it is acted, and how well it is written. I thought they held it together pretty well right up until just about the 55 minute mark where, to me anyway, the story took a bit of a dive in believability. Primarily concerning how a couple of the characters suddenly reacted to the circumstances. A bit of a shame, really, because I can truly say that it genuinely had me right up to that moment.

Prior to that point in the film, I felt that the suspense and quality of the acting were fairly decent. I won't give anything away, but I really liked some of the simple tactics that the 'Hall' employed to keep the people off balance. I read in some other reviews on other sites that the lead guy came across as too arrogant. But, I thought he had just the right tone of confidence. VERY similar I thought to the way that Jeffrey Combs comes across in roles like this. And, I REALLY like him. Heh... he even kind of looked like him a little. No, I thought he just came across as a guy who really felt like he knew his stuff in doing this kind of work, that's all. But, in the hands of another actor, I can see where just a little too much that way and he would have come across as really stupid.

If you are like me (and, God help you if you are...) and you like a simple 'Good vs. Evil' story told in a Classic kind of way with the Classic Mythologies firmly in place, you might enjoy this movie somewhat. BUT... like I mentioned, and thus the reason why I only gave it a rating of '6', I honestly feel that the last 20 minutes or so REALLY harms the effectiveness and the suspension of disbelief that the film makers had worked very hard to develop up to that point. And, that is something that is ESSENTIAL for a film like this. But, up to that moment, I genuinely enjoyed the Mystery of it all, the clever things that the 'Hall' did, and the somewhat intriguing Institute with it's ambiguous motives as to why they were really there...

What was it ?

[igl-55560 · 3/10 · 16 November 2020]

I'm not sure about what I just watched. Was this supposed to be a movie ? Was there any subtle innuendo or any movie references that I didn't know ? What was it ? Probably a waste of time...

Ghost finders filming a how-to in a haunted schoolroom find more than anyone would bargain for.

[stackk · 10/10 · 5 October 2013]

Saw this at Shriekfest: literally the 1st "movie" I've seen at my 4 festivals. Terrific acting and story, solid story-driven camera-work, great "look," shot for half-a-Mil. Only flaws are nitpickies made in any film. My vote was a 9, but I kicked it to 10 for this first-time director because it's every bit as good as Cusack/Håfström's 1408 on a tenth the budget. - Really IMDb? Ten lines of text? - Okay: I thought this would be a standard indie horror when I saw the trailer, but it *way* exceeded my expectations. The characters were people you enjoyed spending the time with embodied by actors confident (for good reason) in their abilities. The camera-work was innovative without putting a spotlight on itself, in full service to the story. The effects were used to striking effect, the low-budget shadows notwithstanding. I especially loved the "main" character's one bright-red arm of gore, like some sort of military presentation/accolade. -- Nice job and can't wait to see more from this hat-trick of director, producer and screenwriter.

low budget horror wins again

[njs-55801 · 6/10 · 25 June 2015]

JUDAS GHOST Simon R Green writes his first film script and director Simon Pearce makes a rare move into feature-length films to direct a low budget horror that's confident and comfortable in its genre.

The plot is derived from Simon R Green's Ghostfinder novels about the paranormal investigations of the Carnacki Institute; a small team is sent by the Institute to a non-descript church hall that has seen some ghastly goings-on and they record events to use as a training film for the Institute's new recruits.

Judas Ghost benefits from a sharp, witty script, strong acting and direction that maintains a cinematic quality despite the single location and few actors – it never looks like a stage play. The film has won several awards for direction and acting at festivals and even the special effects look pretty good for the low budget.

The central drama is of a nameless horror shrouded in a creeping darkness that advances on the team, picking them off until vanquished by a heroic sacrifice. One criticism is that this is not the most sophisticated set-up, the film comes across as a light run-through of a horror tale and there is the feeling that it could have gone to a deeper level. Having the characters hold hands and chant the magic words to repel the darkness just seemed trite.

Overall, any criticisms should only be mentioned in passing. So many horror films are instantly forgettable or so sub-genre that you know what's going to happen almost as soon as the film starts. Judas Ghost has enough attractions to avoid that, not least the ghoulish Judas Ghost itself, well played by Graham Fox. It also has the name of Carnacki, and anything that keeps Carnacki the Ghost Finder and his creator, the great ghost writer William Hope Hodgson, before the public must be a good thing.

More Exorcise is needed

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 8 November 2020]

I guess I have a soft spot for independent horror movies and weird characters. And you have to get involved with them, which may sound easier for some than done. The low budget aspect is not that big, playing in one location (maybe the effects here and there, but other than that ...) ... still you have to dig what you are being served.

If that is the case (maybe watch a teaser to see how this is mood wise), enjoy the ride with the characters, that may be simple but somewhat likeable. What else can you ask for? Some twists of course ... and you'll get them. Are they sufficient? You be the judge

Stop That Right Now Or I Will Rip Your Keys Out!!!!!!!

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 3/10 · 31 May 2020]

Really struggling with this one at about the halfway point but just because of ....mediocrity????

-1 Star for being mediocre for the first half....

-1 Star Okay the Stupid Level really increases near the end. Nobody jumps into a pool of blood.

Okay and Crap Ending too really... would minus it a star except for the fancy fade in effect.........

Giving this a 3 is probably being generous..

Best Surprise In A Long Time!

[smakar · 7/10 · 10 December 2015]

What a WONDERFUL surprise this was! It's been a LONG time since I've watched a movie of this genre that I've enjoyed this much - the last being Oculus. There was nothing ground-breaking about the story, but how it was told is what won me over, plus the cast not only acted well, but they were all LIKE-ABLE - something sorely missing in the majority of movies like this.

I read another review complaining about the special effects - that they were obviously someone in makeup - and was reminiscent of a stage play. I agree with the stage play comparison, but this is part of what I enjoyed - instead of the use of CGI, everything was practical, as it should be! I compare this to old television shows, specifically The Outer Limits and Star Trek. The effects were not what was important - it was the stories and characters that were the focus and allowed me to be immersed.

Kudos to the director, cast, and all others involved in the making of this film. I watched it for free on Amazon Prime, but am now purchasing it, for they deserve it and will hopefully be an incentive to make more movies like this.

Much Better Than Expected

[MontagueW · 6/10 · 24 April 2021]

It really was much better than I expected! Granted, I came in expecting a 4.7 IMDB, movie.

I found it very entertaining. Not the scariest of horror films but enough; likewise, light on fantasy but enough. It's a bit lower budget, and this shows with some of the effects and a few points during the acting.

I don't know, I just enjoyed it. As far as this type of movie with this rating, it's at the top; much better than the rest of this fare.

The only real drawback is the lack of backstory. It drops you right in cold but explains it throughout the movie. This can work in movies, I just felt it a touch ham-handed here.

All that being said, again, watch it.

So much more than I expected

[missmanson-47747 · 8/10 · 4 May 2015]

I came across this film randomly and after reading the one review here, I thought I'd take a chance and give it a go. Like most people, I'm always wary of fake reviews on here, and I did wonder if that was the case here - but it wasn't. Wow. I'm a total horror addict and I loved this film. It wasn't perfect, but it was still excellent. It was very, very creepy, and one of those where you daren't look behind you throughout. I'll also be sleeping with the lights on tonight!

The effects were great and perfect for the film, and everything was the right amount of creepiness without becoming boring or silly.

If you like your supernatural/ghost films, definitely give this a watch.

great movie , very fun to watch

[atinder · 8/10 · 4 May 2015]

Judas Ghost (2013)

team of professional ghost finders are trapped in an old village hall. The haunting they set out to investigate turns out to be far worse than they anticipated

I thought this was going to be a full on rip off grave encounters but thankfully it was not, I am-sure that grave encounter may have been inspired this movie in some parts.

I love the fact the whole movie in just in that one room, with haunting ,the way they keep you clued to the screen , really clever with a lot things happen in that .

I enjoyed the humour added to the movie , it make feel more fun and enjoyable.

I didn't find the movie scary but I did really like the darkness scene , with I thought was really creepy.

The acting from the whole was great.

I going to give 8 our of 10

Great movie

I have waited a long time for this movie

[darthsparhawk · 8/10 · 6 May 2015]

I rarely review movies on IMDb, but I want to do it for "Judas Ghost", because it is truly a gem of horror. First of all, I'd like to say that I am a huge fan of the author of the story, Simon R. Green, who writes great fantasy series and this movie is based on one of them - Ghost Finders. I was pessimistic when I learned that it is a low budget movie, but I was wrong. "Judas Ghost" is well made, atmospheric and with decent actors doing a great job. The villain is particularly memorable and reminds me of great horror icons like Freddy and Pinhead /in their first appearances/ without being derivative. I think that all fans of clever, indie horror should give this movie a chance. They are not going to regret it!

This was never really intended to be a horror film.

[Omne · 9/10 · 22 August 2023]

A lot of people really don't understand the movie. To be fair Simon Green wrote this in such a way that unless you are familiar with his shared universe, i.e. The Nightside, Ghost Finders and Secret Histories books, it doesn't make as much sense. The Ghost Finder novels were fantasy-mystery stories not horror. The books revolved around finding the cause of various paranormal occurrences and resolving them. They also fought a competing organization that wanted to exploit ghosts.

The magic they use in the movie is a result of the universe he created that included magic, gods, demons and any number of other creatures and powers hidden from the general public. The team is a fairly accurate replica of his Ghost Finder team in the books. Although the tech person isn't nearly as nervous in the books. There was usually more humour in the books as well. I have a distinct feeling that he was pressured into the ending since it differs so much from all his books.

If you approach the movie as a non-horror fantasy it actually works quite well, although the ending wasn't very satisfying.

Overall a good try at capturing a very difficult and intricate universe on film. There are 30 books in the various series and they share a common universe, there's no way to set it up in one film. The Ghost Finder books were written after the other two series were well underway and they kind of assumed a familiarity on the part of the reader with the universe.

face the darkness

[jcroak-18174 · 8/10 · 14 December 2020]

I thought this was a good movie. I watch A LOT of horror movies and most don't scare me, but this one was very scary for me. Not knowing what was in the darkness scared me. I was on the edge of me seat until the end. The acting was good, the effects were good and the story was good. some people won't agree with me, but watch it and see if you think it is good.

Intriguing but dubious

[seviraniel-92043 · 8/10 · 9 April 2021]

I enjoyed the film, although I wouldn't really categorize it as a horror movie per se. I agree with user Catharina_Sweden in that to me, this seems better viewed as a stage play.

I did have a lot of questions in the beginning, not all of which got answered. However, upon learning that this was based off of a book series, I realized that this was very likely meant to be an addition to that universe and not a standalone work, which makes it easier to digest.

I thought the actors did a wonderful job. I did notice that the ending was rushed, and the ending scene left me with more questions than answers, though I think I understand why this was done the way it was. Personally, if I could choose one thing to fix about this, it would be to tie up some loose ends. The special effects, while obviously low-budget, are not so much so that they detract from the viewing experience, in my opinion.

In fact, I think the fact that their "ghost" is recognizable to the audience as a person in stage makeup serves as a metaphor for how we all have something in common with even the worst monsters, and how anyone can become a monster. I would even say that the ending scene does emphasize this, despite its many flaws. I'm probably reading too much into it, though.

A good twist on a a tale as old as time

[abonrad · 8/10 · 30 December 2023]

So it's movie night, and the Tubi list is up. You know what's about to happen. You click on a a catchy poster and a wild name, and oh my god it's 30m later and everyone's about to fall asleep. You feel lied too and betrayed because yet again you've been tricked into watching some 0 budget trek through the woods behind the director's house while nothing happens and people just wander around talking at each other for what feels like an eternity.

Well let me flip the script on you. Here's a movie with a terrible name, a poster that screams "no dawg, this is some exorcist knock off that will be turned off before the monster even shows up." In actuality, it's a fairly clever and enjoyable twist on a spooooooky ghost story about a team of a professional ghost hunters out to do their job.

This isn't grave encounter's though, it's not some hacks behind a camera hyping up as whole lot of nothing. (too be clear, I like grave encounters I am speaking in universe) These are real ghost hunters, literally hunting real ghosts and the absurdity dials up to 11 as they start casting magic spells to repel the haunting, a character at one point says "I drank 3 pints of holy water before even coming here my piss is holy."

So lets get down to brass tacks:

It's good use of a minimal budget leaving the entire movie to be filmed in basically a single set. They don't try to do more than what they know they can do.

The enjoyability is dialed up thanks to some hammy acting that feels completely in place given the teams job working for the mysterious "institute."

It's not what I or anyone I watched it with expected, and though it's a normal movie night 5 it's a Tubi trash night 8 and so that's what it's getting here. Totally worth it.