Pay the Ghost (2015) User Reviews

Enjoyable ghost film with Nic Cage. Whats not to love.

[angiris · 6/10 · 23 September 2015]

6 out of 10. A damn good film. Now that we got my own personal score out the way...

Its an entertaining, well made horror film for people who enjoy Cage's performance and for lovers of standard horror flicks with ghosts, jump- scares and more of that kinda stuff.

I think people are overthinking this WAY too much and just getting used to hate on Cage's flicks.

Come on. This is not a masterpiece. Nor is it supposed to be. Its just a horror film that people can sit down and enjoy. Im unsure about replay value but its definitely worth a watch if you like this genre. The acting is good. Story is decent. Looks and otherwise visuals of the film are good too.

The strange thing is that this film is supposed to be a thriller... even though we're dealing with the supernatural. But yes :) Im liking it regardless.

There's not that much else to say, my dear readers.

Its just a decent film. Something to watch if you're in the mood for a stand-up horror/thriller flick or just wanna see Nick Cage star is a spooky flick.

Thats it, fellas. Don't over think it. Im not anyway and I think its a decent film.

But Im just a reviewer who looks for films that entertains me and has replay value above all.

Entertaining Not Groundbreaking

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 1 January 2016]

After about five minutes into the movie I thought, "Oh no, not another child that sees ghosts." Then, as though the writers heard my plea, the movie changed directions. Now, to be fair, it didn't go into unchartered territory. In fact, the movie revisited a well established premise.

Professor Mike Lawford (Nicholas Cage) loses his child at a Halloween fair right under his nose. This leads to a split between he and his wife, Kristen (Sarah Wayne Callies), as she blames him for their son's abduction. Shortly before Charlie's (Jack Fulton) abduction he had strange visions and even heard something tell him to "Pay the Ghost". All of that plays a major role in Mike's subsequent search for his son as it takes him to stranger and stranger locations.

I would call the movie eerie and ominous even but not quite scary. There is a particular frustration when a terrible thing happens to you in a desolate location because no one is around to help you. There is another, more intensified frustration when a terrible thing happens to you in New York City and there are literally thousands of people around you. That's precisely what Mike was dealing with. "Pay the Ghost" was entertaining and it held my interest but nothing groundbreaking.

So very mediocre, commonplace, average, middling, undistinguished.

[Finfrosk86 · 5/10 · 11 October 2015]

Pay the Ghost is pretty much as mediocre or average as they come. It's not bad, it's not good. It's just there in the middle. Right in the middle.

(In Norway we have a saying that directly translates to "in the middle of the tree", that expression describes this movie perfectly. I don't know what word in English is most suitable though)

Pay the Ghost had one jump scare that definitely did the job for me. I jumped, and got that cold chill inside my chest. But that was also the only time the movie was remotely scary. Not that it is much horror anyway. It's way more thriller/drama than horror, really.

Nick Cage is usually entertaining to watch, and also here. Sara Tancredi (you know, Prison Break) does an alright job, her character is a little annoying, but that's the scripts fault. The kid, well, he's.. OK. he has a couple of lines that sound out of place, but hey.

The effects are mostly good, except a couple of small problems here and there. The story is just interesting enough for me to wanna watch it through. But like I said, the main keyword here is mediocre. Meh. Commonplace. Average. Call it what you will. There are a couple of problems with the script, doesn't seem like a whole lot of thought went into it, at least not into all of it. But that was as I expected, really.

The movie looks pretty good. I don't know the budget, but it doesn't have that low budget-feel to it. I like it when movies look, you know, at least a little expensive.

This is one of those horror movies you can watch in the evening on a Sunday or whatever, not the kind you build a movie night around, see what I mean? It's right there smack-dab in the middle.

Nick pays the ghost, and we pay to see Nick!

[Coventry · 5/10 · 10 December 2018]

I strongly suspect that, around 2009-2010 or so, Nicolas Cage participated in a secret scientific experiment to have himself cloned, and that since then there are at least three of four Nicks walking around in Hollywood! How else would you explain the large number of Nick Cage vehicles that is getting released each year? I seems that, every time I blink my eyes, two or three titles are added to Cage's filmography here on IMDb. I don't mind, though, and it's even quite clever because I (and surely many others with me) will pretty much watch everything that Nicolas Cage stars in, regardless of the quality. And, granted, a lot of the B-type action/horror movies that he starred in lately are bad. Take "Pay the Ghost", for instance. I probably never would have bothered to continue watching if it weren't for Cage's name prominently decorating the opening credits, as it looks like just another derivative and predictable ghost story with a weak plot and an overload of fake scares. Make no mistake, "Pay the Ghost" IS a forgettable and weak supernatural horror entry, but hey, maybe I was in an exceptionally good mood because I nevertheless enjoyed it. The script is obviously trying to cash in on "Insidious", "Sinister" and every other recently released thrillers featuring ghost children, and Cage strictly acts on automatic pilot, but I was still interested in the plot of his missing son. Charlie mysteriously vanished during last year's Halloween parade and, nearly one year later, his father discovers that several children go missing every year on All Hallows Eve without ever getting found. Mike reunites with his estranged wife and together they stumble upon a harrowing tragedy that occurred nearly three centuries ago. Being a sucker for folklore/urban legend stories involving witchery and burning at the stake, I really dug the tale of Annie Sawquin, and director Uli Edel ("Christiane F.") did his best to insert a creepy atmosphere, decent special effects and eerie scenery. Certain scenes are quite brutal, like the fade of the spiritual medium, and the happy ending doesn't feel too forced. But, like I said, I was in a good mood and Cage himself probably already doesn't remember "Pay the Ghost" anymore.

A decent horror flick

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 4 February 2018]

I'll go against the grain here. I think this is a fairly good horror/suspense film. Certainly better than many of the slasher type horror films that seem to come out every few months.

There is a problem -- Nicholas Cage. Not that there was anything wrong with his acting (not that it's his best outing, either). But, he's (gasp) too old for the part. In his mid-50s with a kid who's about 7. And he looks so much older and flabby in the face, too. I know what you may be thinking -- why am I being so mean. I'm not. He's just too old for the part and it shows.

But beyond that, the movie held my attention. And, I disagree with a number of other posters in that this is not "the" standard plot. Sure, there are things you kinda guess and expect along the way, but it's been a long time since I saw a unique horror film. And there are things -- particularly the ending -- that are quite different from much that I've seen before.

Yes, I know it was direct to DVD, which is not a good sign. But give it a chance.

Simple fright for Sunday night

[google-742-846698 · 5/10 · 21 September 2015]

Having enjoyed 'vintage Cage' in The Rock, Con Air, Face-Off, Captain Correli etc, frankly, I was hoping for a comeback, but, I didn't find it. Scripting at times is woefully simple, used to stitch the scenes, 'we need to discover xyz', 'how will we do that' and into the next scene! It feels predictable, it doesn't go deep, on the plus side, there were a couple of goose-bump scares, so I was submerged well enough at points and certainly the pace picks up during the final third. If there was a blackout power cut during the film, I wouldn't even consider to go back to finish it, it is not a good film, but, its not a bad one. Sunday evening B grade fodder.

Better Than I Anticipated

[larrys3 · 7/10 · 12 November 2015]

With its low rating on IMDb and some poor reviews I read, I wasn't expecting much from this ghost/horror flick. However, I found it to be better than I anticipated. It's presented well, and although it probably won't please the die-hard horror fans, it had just enough chills and surprises for me.

Nicolas Cage stars as Professor Mike Lawford, who takes his 7-year-old son Charlie (Jack Fulton), on Halloween night, to a local carnival in New York City. However, while buying some ice cream, Charlie goes missing, and Mike frantically tries to find him to no avail.

Fast forward one year, and Mike has found his marriage, his career, and his own psyche in a tailspin, with no definitive word on Charlie. Mike, though, gets the sense that his son is trying somehow to communicate with him, while his wife Kristen (Sarah Wayne Callies) begins to get the same type of messages from the spirit realm.

With help from a fellow professor (Veronica Ferres) and an Irish celebrant at a traditional Celtic Halloween service, Mike and Kristen begin to finally realize what might have happened to Charlie and what they can do about it.

All in all, this movie directed by Uli Edel and written by Dan Kay, based on a novella by Tim Lebbon, is not going to win any awards for plot originality, as this theme has been used numerous times in other movies. However, it kept me engaged and offered up just enough chills for me to like it.

A Middle Of The Road Horror Flick

[dfa120374 · 5/10 · 16 February 2016]

Is Pay The Ghost a Cage classic like 8mm or Face/Off? Nowhere near it. Is it as bad as some people are making it out to be? No, and at least it's better than guff like Gone In 60 Seconds or Bringing Out The Dead. I mean what's better? A film that at least tries to put together some sort of a story (even if it is a bit lacking) or films that have none or are just earlier versions of Fast & The Furious? I know what I'd rather go with.

Pay The Ghost isn't that fantastic, and I'm not suggesting that it is, but for all the complaints it has received, it's altogether not THAT bad. I mean granted the story has been done a thousand times before and it's loaded with clichés (hard to find movies that don't have clichés to be honest), but this film never sets out to be a fantastic Oscar winning epic. It's a middle-of-the-road Horror film, and you get pretty much exactly what you pay for here. Nothing about the story kept me on the edge of my seat, but nothing about it wanted me to slit my wrists for something better to do either. There were a few decent moments scattered throughout, but it wasn't really all that scary.

Some people moan about him but for the most part I enjoy watching Nicolas Cage. Is he over-the-top in some films? Yes, but generally he's a pretty solid actor. You tend to kind of know what you'll get with Cage. His performance in Pay The Ghost isn't anything to write home about but I think with this type of film & story if he put any more into it, then it would have been too much. I don't generally mind Sarah Wayne Callies', but the characters she plays do tend to rub me the wrong way. Her character in The Walking Dead was like that and her character here did the same.

I'd say to give this film a shot if you like Nicolas Cage films or if there's nothing else better for you to watch, but other than that it's a bit of a watch it and forget it type of movie.

Suspense not violence

[Tak005 · 7/10 · 20 October 2019]

The best part of this movie was that it was basing the intensity of the story in suspense. Most current movies of this genre seem to be based on over the top violence. Whereas this film it is kept to the bare minimum. This is definitely in the style of the good old fashioned ghost stories

Watchable but pretty bad

[jmbwithcats · 4/10 · 22 September 2015]

I think this could be a pretty good movie, but it doesn't develop and pace scenes very well, the script feels poorly edited... the scene where the woman comes and sees the ghost and dies... that whole scene is setup too hastily, it lacks atmosphere and intensity, it misses its mark and is just very lukewarm, and it should have really drawn you in, actually you should have been drawn in already... so this movie suffers from quality directing, pacing, and editing, and the sound engineering also seems a bit of a miss...

A great idea, similar to the movie SINISTER in some ways, but really lacking the cahones of SINISTER...

This movie just got worse using a Celtic symbol for the goddess to make it a story of black magick, when that symbol is used in white magick. "I'm only a school teacher I know nothing about your son" wait five seconds and she knows everything...

Oh boy this movie just gets worse with every passing minute.

Good old fashioned horror film

[findher · 9/10 · 19 August 2019]

Totally entertaining- no blood no guts - just old fashioned horror that you can watch without cringing, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Watch it if you are not a fan of slasher horror.

Mediocre Horror-Thriller

[Samuel-Shovel · 6/10 · 28 April 2017]

A lot of reviews are giving this movie flack but it's not that bad. I feel like people go into Cage movies now expecting the worse and have already decided how to feel about it before they've even watched it. I'm not about to argue that this film is good (because it definitely isn't) but you could do far worse than watch this movie. Sure, the CGI is terrible and the plot is no good. But we have okay dialogue in the script and everyone in the movie (minus the child actor) does a fine job. Cage isn't hamming it up like he often does and Sarah Wayne Callies does a great job. The scene after they lose their son is rather heartbreaking when you look at her. This movie does fall apart a bit down the stretch, however.

All in all, it's very forgettable, not recommended, but not terrible either.

How many Clichés can you put into one movie??

[MikesIDhasbeentaken · 4/10 · 20 September 2015]

Lots, apparently, more bizarrely though, is how the unaware the movie seems to be about it, everything is here, witches - check, scary monster thing in black clock - check, scary possession of a main character - check, climatic scene where dad says to his child 'I got you' - check, 'there's something outside the window' jump scene - check, bring in a clairvoyant to sense out the house - check, Halloween - check, scary masks on children - check, ask random people about ghost legends who then describe the storyline of the movie as if reading from text - check... (legend has it that the portal shuts at 12pm... 'oh my, that's in two hours time!!)

it's almost embarrassing how many they try to squeeze in, completely randomly and unnecessary, It just ends up being weird, and the last scene? just thrown in for one last jump that's nothing to do with anything.

One scene that sums up this movie, is when cagey sees son on the bus, as a viewer that's watched ANY movie before, you know it's not his son on the bus, and you know your going to have to watch him run after the bus, for a couple of minutes, dodging traffic blah blah blah and finally getting on the bus and seeing the boys not there while everyone on the bus looks at him oddly... (why were there two empty seats on a bus that had like 30 ppl crammed and standing?) And the whole movie plays to these types of rules.

Stupid film, cliché ridden, random jump scenes, no plot, utter rubbish, nic cage doing what he does best and looking confused for the whole movie, but... i do like that kind of stuff, so for me wasn't a complete waste of time.

One of the better horror as well as Cage movies in a while. I surprisingly liked this.

[cosmo_tiger · 5/10 · 15 October 2015]

"What if all these children, missing on Halloween, in New York City are connected. What if there's something behind it?" What starts off as a fun trip with his kid to a Halloween carnival becomes a nightmare when the child goes missing. Now Mike (Cage) will stop at nothing to find him. When the one year anniversary comes and still no sign of his son he starts to experience strange things. He hopes these clues will help him, but the more he looks the more eerie things become. There seems to be some actors that seem to be in everything you see. Nicolas Cage is one of those actors. There is a new movie with him coming out constantly, and for people like me who don't like him it seems that it happens more than it should. His last movie, The Runner, wasn't bad and I did like it. Much like that movie this is actually a pretty interesting movie that was fun to watch and did have a little Poltergeist feel to it. As far as Cage goes, much like in The Runner he didn't do anything to distract from the movie and it was good in spite of him. Overall, one of the better horror as well as Cage movies in a while. I surprisingly liked this. I give it a B.

Hey, that was quite good.

[nzswanny · 7/10 · 25 July 2017]

I'm completely aware of all the hate Nicholas Cage gets (which I disagree with), however I actually consider him a good actor that commonly falls into the wrong hands. In this little horror film, Nicholas Cage actually gives an acceptable performance as the main role with good, sentimental angry outbursts of rage. It's nothing special, but I enjoyed this film because of it's imaginative, dark cinematography and quietly creepy atmosphere. It's got good jumpscares, surprisingly eye-capturing visual effects and an alright storyline to keep it going, and as long as you expect little from this film you may find yourself pleasantly surprised. I have to remark, this is actually one of Nicholas Cage's better films after all the crap he's acted in previously, and it's good that he's still acting in some films worthy of your time.

Made to pay the bills?........

[FlashCallahan · 5/10 · 25 September 2015]

One year after Mike Lawford's young son disappeared during a Halloween carnival, he begins to experience strange, unsettling visions, and terrifying messages he can't explain.

Together with his estranged wife, he will stop at nothing to unravel the mystery and find their son, but in doing so, he unearths a legend that refuses to remain buried in the past........

You know that an actor is in trouble when every DVD cover featuring them graces the words 'Academy Award Winner' before their name, and their face is obviously airbrushed on to a separate body, because they didn't have the time to pose.

What is particularly funny about this cover is that it's the exact same pose Cage had for last years 'Classic' left behind. Oh, and they always look a lot skinnier than they actually are.

Who can remember the days where Seagal had those hilarious photo-shopped pictures. I just used to buy the DVD for the cover.

So Cage decides to go down the horror route, and whilst the idea is sound, a kind of Jacobs Ladder meets a very dodgy version of Don't Look Now, the makers of the film just do not know how to generate a scare, or even an air of tension.

So we begin with the boy having visions of a vulture circling him, and then disappearing whilst Cage is buying him Ice-cream in a comedy cowboy outfit.

And then it's almost a year later, where Cage has turned into the desperate father looking for answers. This is where the film falls apart, because they don't use the full potential of Cage and his wonderful maniacal acting arc.

Nope, they have him spend the rest of the film looking concerned and perplexed while he meets a whole bunch of weirdos who talk to him in riddles and send home on wild goose chases.

He begins to see his son here, there, and everywhere, and as we all know in films like this, once he gets to where his son should be its someone who looks just slightly different.

It's your typical cookie cutter, almost family friendly horror, which features a strange scene involving school kids in masks and a teacher, who is claiming that she knows nothing, and then proceeds to explain the whole myth of the title (there is a reason why his son went missing, and it's a little bland).

So all in all, it's another bland effort from Cage, but to be fair on him, he just isn't given anything to get his teeth into, other than playing concerned dad running around the streets.

But there was a reassurance toward the end. Remember that Kevin Costner horror released a few years back called The New Daughter (didn't think so). Well that vanished without a trace, but soon after, he was given a new lease of life with supporting roles, and now he's back with bigger, cinematic releases.

Here's hoping this is the beginning of the end of Nics slump.

In Cage we trust.......

Pay The Ghost.....Attention!

[albereinstein · 6/10 · 20 September 2015]

Pay the Ghost was for my money, a very decent not trying to be a horror but more suspenseful drama unfolding. Nicholas Cage who son is abducted by three century vengeful ghost who takes little children on Halloween. The flow of the story was very smooth with not a lot empty clues to leave you wondering what would happen next. I'm not Cage fan, but I do like a good Sunday afternoon film that keeps your attention span for more than an hour, and this road to recovery for his career film did just that. There were even a few parts that took me by surprise (in a good scary way) and kept me wanting to know how this story would end. That's how you know got my attention. Overall it was good to see Cage is something that just made sense. The last film I saw him in was Left Behind, and that title is exactly where he should've left that script. If you just like a decent story with a few good jumps, give this one a watch, You can pay the ghost attention.

Hmm

[vnino-94666 · 3/10 · 22 March 2019]

This movie was very bland. It was very average. Nothing about this movie is a "horror film". I understand this movie was "a supernatural horror film" but for me this movie just didn't cut it. This movie does not deserve to be in the horror genre. This movie is something you put on just to fall asleep around 3 am. I do not recommend. Boring, bland, average, and just overall lacked any cinematic standards.

IT'S HERE

[nogodnomasters · 7/10 · 13 November 2018]

The film opens with and incident in 1679 New York and jumps to the present. Mike Lawford (Nicolas Cage) is a professor of horror literature in NYC. While celebrating Halloween with his son Charlie (Jack Fulton) he suddenly goes missing with his last words being "pay the ghost." Mike is not convinced his son is dead, and goes on a search. The film plays out like a modified POLTERGEIST, which I though was a better movie.

This would make a decent Halloween film for the kids complete with turkey vultures and a creepy blind man. Could give them nightmares with the shadow images. For seasoned horror film watchers, this is just one of a pack of ghost films, done well, but not over powering.

Guide: No sex or nudity. Don't recall any swearing.

A B movie "lovechild" of The Woman in Black and Poltergeist

[michaelant555 · 5/10 · 23 September 2015]

I don't like it when people compare a movie to other movies; it's unfair. It should be reviewed on it's own merit. I know my heading seems like a contradiction in terms in that sense, but I'm not comparing this movie to those. Leave the comparing to the meerkats. This maybe classed as B movie, but it's definitely watchable with plenty of scares throughout. I'm not usually a fan of cheap jump scares, but in this case, although there's lots of them, they are a cut above the rest and pretty well executed, too. If you want to sit and watch a spooky seasonal Halloween movie and you're not too critical, or have your head shoved up your own a**e, then give this one a go. There's no bad language, sex or violence, so the kids could probably watch it, but they might be having nightmares for, well, the rest of their life, really. :) Be warned!

Not bad at all!

[cristinaisthename · 8/10 · 12 December 2015]

It's pretty generic "lost my son! someone believe me supernatural forces are at work! i'll go get him myself!" plot. The acting was well done. It wasn't super annoying (if you watched the Last Witch Hunter, it's that sort of quality of writing and acting but the CGI was worse in pay the ghost) Very predictable dialogue and storyline, but I am a fan of horror movies that aren't super gory or too much thriller or jump scares out of nowhere so this was PERFECT for me! I recommend entirely! I like Nic Cage movies and this is another one of his better films. I just like it when he's a dad and not a treasure hunter. I think he's getting to that age that he can't play the dad of young children anymore. He looks over 50!

Nicolas is Trying

[swnsasy · 7/10 · 28 September 2015]

He's a great actor and I can't wait for him to get back to the old Nick but, this movie actually wasn't that bad.. Kept my attention through the entire movie.. That, "Man, what is going to happened next" feeling.. Of course it's not his finest work but, it's definitely not his worse. I liked the story, the plot was good and so was the acting.I think it's a good watch. I read many of the other reviews and many didn't like it but I think, and wonder, if it's more because we are so use to the old Cage movies, Con Air, the Rock, and my favorite FACE OFF, THAT seeing him in this type of genre is a bit different. I really do HOPE he comes back strong after this film. Again, I think it's worth it guys.

Bland

[fistofgonzo · 4/10 · 20 February 2022]

For a movie that deals with something as harrowing as a missing child, I sure found it hard to get invested in this. The story drags, Nic Cage seems like he's on autopilot, the special effects are dodgy, and the whole thing just felt like a half hearted love letter to NYC. Everything here is stuff we've seen done better a million times before.

Whatever happened to Nic Cage...

[clintmercieca-1 · 4/10 · 22 September 2015]

Back in the 90's, Nicolas Cage was one of my favorite actors. The Rock, Con Air, Face/Off, Leaving Las Vegas. Now, I just can't understand what he's doing. This has got to be one of his worst movies I have ever seen. I gave it 4 stars as the acting is OK. I enjoyed The Wicker Man much more than this! I don't know which was worse, this or The Runner. The last Nic Cage movie I enjoyed was Dying Of The Light which was quite good.

I wish Nic Cage steps back up to what he does best because the truth is he's not a bad actor.

Not worth the watch.

Better than I expected!

[dv_wife · 7/10 · 27 November 2015]

First, I don't care for Nicolas Cage. Really only liked him in National Treasure.

However, this is a good movie! Not great, but a good movie and worth watching. It has a good plot. The plot has a purpose. The plot is believable. The Movie flows well. The movie's ending is satisfying. The acting is good and not overdone.

The special effects are good. Not many, but they are good.

These are good qualities for a movie.

It has a nice dark creepy feeling while watching the movie which I liked.