A Ghost Waits (2020) User Reviews

Ultra low budget, cult classic sort of film with a good amount of charm.

[TheFilmGuy1 · 6/10 · 2 February 2021]

An ultra low budget romance/horror that actually has some really great and emotional moments, unfortunately brought down by a lot of pretty obvious flaws.

First let's get the low budget stuff out of the way. It was clearly made on the cheap. One of the first panning shots we get looks like they didn't properly loosen the tripod so it just jitters along. Some shots seem pretty flat in terms of framing and lighting. But occasionally, maybe by luck or maybe but skill, the film does look good. Certain moments look great with the black and white emphasizing some purposeful lighting choices. While it never quite shakes it's general cheapness, it's not student film bad. More like a student filmmaker who actually has some talent doing something a little more interesting.

But then there's the story. It's an extremely interesting concept, but something about the execution doesn't quite work. Maybe it was the restraints of a low budget, but it just sort of jumps into things in an awkward way. It also takes quite a long time to get into the meat of things, lingering on the "haunted house" aspect that I found to be weaker and more clichéd (although some of that is purposeful and contains nods to many different horror films.) Considering it's a short film, the extended first act causes the development of the main characters to feel way too fast to be fully believable, which is a shame because I found the ending to be extremely emotionally powerful.

Then there's the two leads. They both have a slightly amateurish quality to them, but they also have their moments. I found Natalie Walker to be the stronger of the two. There's something about her performance that made the romance believable. You feel for her and her situation, even though it's something otherwordly. MacLeod Andrews who plays our lead also has some really good comedic moments, but he sort of felt like he was always aware of the camera being there. Not that he gives an awful performance, but it always felt like he was saying "I'm acting!" as opposed to being fully relaxed and immersed in his character.

I had a lot to say about this because there's something there that I really liked, but it's kind of poorly executed in a few too many ways for me to fully invest myself in. But considering some of the really high praise other people have given it, I see it becoming a bit of a cult classic in the future.

Monsters Inc. for adults

[moviefansme · 5/10 · 28 February 2021]

I'll give this movie E for effort and originality. It's far more comedy than horror, mostly an ironic humor. It creates several interesting premises but they end up going nowhere. The second act gets bogged down in long bouts of exposition at the expense of action or character development. The last act contains a sweetness quite unusual for horror movies, but involves an ending much less uplifting than it's supposed to be.

Beetlejuice Lite

[qyzenreviews · 5/10 · 3 June 2021]

A quirky film which was dependent a lot on the musical vibe and warm tone.

Initiating with the plot as an odd-jobber falls in love with the ghost.

The cinematography is black and white and when you look at it, it will make you feel how cheap it looks as some scenes have gloomy jitters but the film looks sub par.

The dialogues are surface level however, it touches some of the emotional aspects of life where few audience can relate.

The film ultimately is dedicated to the loners and directing for the first time Adam Stovall This isn't a bad start but the film could have been much better.

The score is obviously what holds this film, this movie is dependent a lot for its musical appeal as some songs fit the scenes impeccably.

The acting is average but not bad.

One goof I found was around 45 minutes time when the camera man snickers which they should have easily retaken the shoot.

Generally, it is a mix of Romance-Comedy-Drama and not a bad one to watch but also not a good one either.

A solid low budget drama-dy (Drama/Comedy)

[alexivalle · 6/10 · 10 February 2021]

I agree a lot with FilmGuy's review. In fact, his review is what convinced me to give this film a chance. Obviously you can tell that this film is low budget and because of that, there are going to be confines and limits to the filmmaking. There are some editing errors, sure, but I didn't think any of it was too distracting.

I wouldn't exactly call this a comedy, nor a horror-comedy. There are some funny comedic moments, but it isn't structured like a comedy. It's kind of a three part mix: drama, horror-comedy-esque, and romance. Because of the mix, the tone is kind of inconsistent, which is probably the biggest problem. I would classify it more as a drama-dy romance with horror elements.

However, there are some really interesting ideas here about the afterlife, life itself, and death. It can take a bit to get there, but when it does, the film has interesting and unique ideas that elevate it beyond the usual "Ghost" movies. The two leads are fine and even have some good moments, but the film hits hardest in its emotional moments. These are easily the strongest portions of the film.

It's not the Conjuring, it's not before sunrise, but it's also not the Room or Paranormal Activity. If you're curious, I'd give it a watch. An interesting movie with some interesting lore 7/10

Boy Meets Ghost?

[gsurveil1 · 7/10 · 20 January 2023]

I am required to submit at least 600 characters which isn't necessary for this film. I am not saying I didn't enjoy it, far from it. I saw a trailer and found the concept amusing and clocking in at around 80 minutes you won't be pining for your time back. You This may be pining for a ghost played by Natalie Walker. She is adorable in this role The chemistry between her and Mac Amdrews is simple and charming. No ridiculous jump scares or gore which makes this little gem all the more reasons to watch it. Clever writing and use of b&w helps keeping itself more indie than using B rolls and college film schlock. I meant stock. Or did I?

Flawed but decent

[stevenfallonnyc77 · 7/10 · 17 March 2024]

"A Ghost Waits" has a great promise, where a lonely man meets a lonely ghost and they start to like each other very much. While there are some negatives, they don't really stop the film from being an enjoyable viewing once.

The story does start off a bit slow and dull, and frankly the "romance" between the handyman (paid to fix up an unoccupied home so others can move in) and the centuries-old pretty ghost happens way too fast and seems too contrived. A better ides would have had the man move in the home as the owner, so the relationship can grow over time. Here's it's just way too rushed.

The movie is also partially described as a "comedy," but I'm guessing that wasn't the initial case. There seems to be some instances that were intended to be serious, but they came off an unintentionally funny, so to play it safe, "comedy" was added to the film's basic description.

"A Ghost Awaits" is shot well given the budget, and the actors try their best and do a decent job, no worse than anyone in a major production really.

The ending is done well, but we're not really convinced as to why that had to be done, at least not yet. Again, way too much too soon in the relationship.

If this idea was done on a higher level, the film could have been much better. But for what it is, "A Ghost Awaits" is good, just more likely than not, something you won't view a second time.

Low budget awesomeness.

[dead_like_me_13-570-709917 · 10/10 · 15 June 2021]

I don't know what it is about this film but I found it so wonderful.

I wouldn't call it a horror, more of a love story.

Emotional and funny.

Guy falls in love with a ghost

[selfdestructo · 6/10 · 25 October 2022]

Movie's from 2020. Felt like I needed to point that out. A grown man cries because he can't be with a rather frumpy ghost, and both stars break out into song at various points. Oh, that was a treat. One bad song is played three times throughout the film.

A Ghost Waits reminded me a bit of Warm Bodies in sentiment, a movie I detested. To its credit, this movie has a few good things going for it. Certainly not the ending, which I found insanely predictable. Actually, it surprised me it didn't happen sooner, and cut into this already-short running time. The protagonist's job is apparently to fix up vacated houses? The movie suggests this, but I wouldn't have known judging by his accomplishments or work ethic.

I did enjoy the fact that there seemed to be a scaring business, with a bureaucracy, where they send in a scarier ghost, who is actually insecure! Both ghosts have a higher up to answer to, and when all else fails, the head honcho has a word with the unscare-able. I thought this was all great stuff. The kind of sappy love story, not so much.

Arrow extras: An interesting dissection of A Ghost Waits and what it is saying, along with discussions of other movies involving the afterlife... with clips of which I'm positive permission was not granted. ZOOM interviews which I've grown real tiresome of. An energetic and excited writer/director Adam Stovall at Frightfest in Glasgow. He tells the exact same stories pre-screening and post, but has some really endearing things to say about how his life led to moviemaking, and what it's meant to him (This is his first feature). I enjoyed the story about how Ghostbusters was partially responsible for the inspiration of this story, and what I found so clever about it. Outtakes that make me think, could I actually relate to these two youngsters? Also a trailer and image gallery. Oh yeah, 3 commentaries I don't have time for. YMMV, depending on how much you dug the film.

Advocating suicide?

[mjtboston · 2/10 · 9 May 2022]

This movie tries real hard to be a different type of ghost story and it fails miserably. Granted, the flick is a step above a home movie, and there's a scene or two which is decent but beyond that, this movie blows. What I didn't like at all is the suicide aspect of the flick. I feel this movie advocates suicide. I'm not going to go into details or give a lecture on the morality of suicide.

Surprising

[cjgravel87 · 8/10 · 20 May 2021]

This 'movie is a interesting spin on boy meets girl story... The ending is adorable and romantic but overall movie is great well paced no long moments or useless time filler scenes. It is a low budget but was well presented and overall very satisfying.

It's neither comedy, nor horror

[jason_13 · 3/10 · 20 May 2021]

Experimental filmmaking by untalented hipster director, falsely advertised as horror, goes nowhere. We've seen this so many times before. The "ghosts" are merely used as plot device to introduce a boring drama about the romantic connection between a ghost and the main dude. The movie tries to say something about loneliness, but it's done poorly and without character development, resulting in an abrupt ending that resembles a commercial for suicide. The actors are somewhat decent which is basically the only decent element about it.

P. S. Oh yeah, the black & white for no reason trope? Really? The unmistakable sign of pretentiousness.

Interesting Take on Haunting and Romance

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 8/10 · 17 August 2021]

This is a movie that I learned about through podcasts. It is getting a bit of buzz for being on the Arrow player and quite a few people were stating how much like enjoyed this new service. There are a few things on there that caught my attention, so I decided to sign up for a free trial. I also thought this would for an interesting double feature for Journey with a Cinephile: A Horror Movie Podcast. The synopsis here is a man's job requires him to clean house, which turns out to be haunted. While trying to exorcise the ghost, he falls in love with her.

For this movie, we start off hearing a family in a panic. They are trying to flee and we see it is from a ghost. We will learn that her name is Muriel (Natalie Walker). We then shift over to meet our other main character, Jack (MacLeod Andrews). He is told by Neal (Adam Stovall), who is his boss, to go over to a house to get it ready for the next tenants.

Jack soon realizes upon arriving that the previous family left all their things. He finds this odd and when he inquires about it, Neal tells him to not worry. He is told to do what he can to get it prepped and when the movers come, they will take the items away.

What I find interesting here is that while Jack is working, he doesn't notice the haunting around him. This made me chuckle since this movie is playing with the troupes here of the haunted house movie. We have like a rocking chair or doors opening. Jack doesn't notice it and just chalks it up to things he has to fix when he does.

That is until he hears a woman's voice. He also has nightmares of Muriel. Jack is struggling since he doesn't have a place a stay currently and when no one will help him, he makes his stand. He learns much more than he was bargaining for in the process.

Now I'm going to leave my recap there. I don't want to go into spoilers, but there isn't a lot to the story either. This is more about the interactions between Jack and Muriel as well as finding themselves in the process. When I heard the synopsis from podcasts, I knew this was leaning into comedy, but not necessarily to where it ends up which is a good thing.

Where I want to delve into first would be the interesting duality of Jack and Muriel. Now for the former, he works a maintenance man of sorts. We learn in the beginning he needs a place to crash due to cockroaches from a neighbor getting into this place or something along those lines. We see that he enjoys what he is doing, but not necessarily in the traditional sense. He seems more like a millennial and doesn't care about money. Muriel is interesting here as well. There is mythology having ghosts be 'spectral agents'. Her job is to haunt this house and get people to leave. I love this idea that what they're doing is a job for both. It also makes them 'enemies' since he needs to finish his work and she needs him to leave.

The idea of haunting being a job is where I want to delve more. Muriel visits her 'ghost supervisor' as Jack calls it of Ms. Henry (Amanda Miller). We learn that Muriel is a legacy at what she does, but she might have met her match. Ms. Henry is willing to send in Rosie (Sydney Vollmer). She is new at what she does but has had early success. I like the idea of taking something that is a horror movie troupe where a haunting are terrifying and making them a mundane thing. It takes it back to something like Beetlejuice. It feels like it also fits in this vein where Muriel haunts in a more traditional sense, where Rosie is a newer ghost and it reflects in how she haunts as well.

There is also a love story here. Since that drives the movie as the issue with this haunting being completed or Jack finishing his job, I'll shift there. I think that Andrews and Walker have good chemistry. It is interesting as I said that Jack feels like a millennial while we get hints Muriel has been doing what she is for some time. We never learn what era she is from or when she died, but Walker does well in playing this role timeless with words she uses and dialect. I also thought that Vollmer, Miller, Stovall and the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed.

Next, I want to go over to the effects and the cinematography. I think I'll start with the latter. This movie is shot in black and white. It makes it feel arthouse, which I don't normally have a problem with, but it feels slightly pretension here. Not enough to ruin it though as the cinematography looks good. I'm almost wondering if part of it is due to hiding of effects. We don't get a lot of them, but Muriel, Rosie and Ms. Henry are done up with heavy make-up to make them look ghostly. I'm thinking black and white helps to hide this and I'll be honest, it looks good. I'd say this is well done overall.

Then finally the last thing to go into would be the soundtrack. It focuses on this quite a bit as Jack is listening to music while working. This helps bring Muriel and him together as well as she was a singer in her life before passing away. I did like that connection. The soundtrack works for what the movies needs. Not necessarily songs that I liked or would listen to, but I had no issues either.

In conclusion here, this is a solid movie. I'm not sure it will be for everyone though. This is an arthouse film that takes a love story and does something a bit different with it. I like the performances of Andrews as Jack and Walker as Muriel. The rest help to push them to where they end up. It is shot well, even though I'm not sure if it really needs to be in black and white. The effects are aided there and look good to me. The soundtrack also fit for what they needed. This is an above average movie for me. If what I said sounds good, I'd recommend giving it a go.

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10

9/10. A masterpiece

[athanasiosze · 9/10 · 3 July 2022]

I can't find the right words to express my love for A GHOST WAITS. This is one of the best movies i have watched, and i have watched thousands of movies.

I was deeply touched and i got emotional watching the ending. This is a comedy/drama/horror/romance movie, and it is unique because it combines successfully these genres.

If you were ever truly in love, you will understand and love this movie too. Same if you had an existential crisis in your life. Same if you are a romantic person. Same if you like poetry.

I felt a connection with this movie, with the characters, with the music, with everything that happened.

It is a low-budget movie, filmed in black and white.

If you don't hate indie movies, watch it.

Comical and astute

[nicholasvince-31264 · 9/10 · 7 March 2020]

A wonderful, wonderful film. Funny and moving. A great meditation on life, love and loneliness. You know it's hard not to reach for cliches, which feel kinda hollow when I'm so moved. I will happily sit and watch this with friends so I can share their enjoyment of it.

A ghost arrives.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 9/10 · 1 September 2020]

Before deciding on which Sunday listing from the 2020 FrightFest I'd get a ticket for,I checked to see if any of the titles had gotten reviews. Finding that one film had gotten high praise from playing at the Glasgow FrightFrest earlier in the year, I decided to wait for the ghost.

View on the film:

Revealing in the discussion after the streaming that the movie was formed from extensive workshops with the cast, the screenplay by co-writer/(with MacLeod Andrews and Matt Taylor) director Adam Stovall is given a huge amount of warmth from the method,thanks to the dialogue getting a worn-in casualness in Jack's comedic conversation's with Muriel.

Nailing a left-field Horror character introduction by Jack entering the house in order to do repairs as a blue collar worker, the writers take Jack's handyman skills as a opening to the quirky office politics of ghosting, with Muriel's glowing romance with Jack,under risk of fading out from newbie ghost Rosie being sent out to spook Jack from the house.

Having not even made a short film before, debut director/editor Stovall displays an impeccable subtle touch,closely working with cinematographer Michael C. Potter to cover the haunted house in icy monochrome, bringing a striking Silent Movie star quality to Muriel (played by a alluring Natalie Walker) thanks to emphasising the delicate placement of white lights,rather than the traditional long shadows usually in a haunted house.

Gradually revealing that the real thing haunting Muriel and Jack ( played with a rugged, dead-pan charm by MacLeod Andrews) are them each being in a marginal existence, Stovall conjures up lo-fi indie vibes to the final montage, turning what could be presented as tragedy, into heart-warming romanticism,as Jack waits for the ghost.

A terrific film

[rklein123 · 10/10 · 11 September 2022]

Frankly, I'm surprised at all the harping on this being a low-budget film. The sets are simple, it's filmed in B&W which I think adds immeasurably to the mood of the story, and the acting is, in my opinion, first rate. There are some wonderful, WONDERFUL scenes, where each of the two main characters shine from their own, individual emotional point of reference.

Jack is a happy-go-lucky, if lonely guy, who enjoys his work readying houses for new tenants. Muriel is a serious "spectral agent" who enjoys her work scaring tenants out after they move in.

Both find something they need in the course of the story. The path is entertaining - maybe a little sad at points, but joyous and heartwarming at other junctions.

Everything about the film works for me. (Except maybe the fact that Jack is such a sweet, honest guy that I have a tough time believing he has no friends.)

It's tight, and well paced. Each of the characters contributes meaningfully, and often humorously to the story. No wasted words or scenes here.

It's a ghost story, but not a horror movie. I'd call it a lovely romance story.

Go watch it!

[neilfrancis2 · 8/10 · 30 August 2020]

Artily shot in black & white this could be lazily described as a cross between Beetlejuice and Ghost. It is so much more than that, a real grower, it is essentially a tale of two very lonely people - one a 30 something house cleaner and the other a singer who happens to have died 200+ years ago. If the ending doesn't get you then you have no feelings. The excellent soundtrack fits just perfectly.

It is a mockery to use scars that are not your own.

[Otkon · 8/10 · 30 December 2022]

This is a deceptive little movie. It seemed at first like a really cheap amateur horror thing made by people clowning around. But it quickly turns into a wonderful (mostly) two-person playlet about purpose, authenticity and love.

Jack has a thankless job cleaning and repairing rental properties after the tenants trash and vacate them. He doesn't mind working alone because he really doesn't get other people all that much - especially how they succeed at things like companionship. He's a bit lost and just plodding along. He also has nowhere to live so he is crashing at the house he has been assigned to clean. Problem is the house already has a "cleaner" - enter Muriel, the spectral agent, who is the reason the residents never stay.

And try as she might to get rid of him, things don't go to plan as Jack is first more annoyed than scared by her antics - which quickly ramp up to personal dream attacks on his failings in life.

Through a series of relentless questioning and trust exercises, he starts to bond with Muriel - much to the chagrin of her boss and younger rival co-worker.

I will leave the synopsis there. Because the story grows in such a wonderfully organic manner to a conclusion that will leave you speechless, smiling, in tears and/or yelling at the screen. For such a small production to do that with humor, thought and audacity is refreshing.

Yeah, it's not quite a horror movie. But it works nonetheless. After you watch it, ask yourself: "what are you the king of?"

I love this movie!

[indigohawkk · 10/10 · 29 August 2022]

I came upon A Ghost Waits looking for something to watch on Shudder. I don't expect a lot from most horror movies (not that this is really horror).

There is a lot of crap out there, but this one hit the jackpot for me.

I love the story, I love the characters, and I love the 2 lead actors. The black and white is perfect, and the concentration on Jack and Muriel is as well. Most other characters are just voices, which I love.

Such a pleasant surprise to find such a charming movie amid the dreck one sits thru as a horror aficionado! I even stopped playing games on my iPad to concentrate on this movie. And believe me, that doesn't happen often! I will return to this movie again and again, I am sure.

Good Indy film

[mitpen · 9/10 · 10 October 2023]

Spoiler warning:

I really enjoyed it. There should be a trigger warning involving suicide but that also might spoil the film.

I liked the choice to film it in black and white and that there was an underlining theme of trying to find oneself and define oneself that still feels universal beyond living and dying.

It was enjoyable and for what it was. The acting was solid. The jump scares were effective. It was a well told story

Who knew "scaring" could be a job? Also the slight female empowerment within the work place subplot really payed off.

This doesn't get 10 stars because it was more whimsical then frightening, and suicide is a touchy heavy subject that seemed only to serve as a plot point. But this is more a romantic comedy masquerading as a horror film if anything.

Horror Romance

[newyorkjesus · 8/10 · 7 March 2021]

What started out as a quirky, humorous ghost flick with a stellar soundtrack turned into a romance movie that seem to surprise even the main characters in the storyline - besides myself. The self-realization of loneliness, particularly in these Covid-influenced times, perhaps makes the film that much more poignant. A welcoming simplicity of presentation and a cast one takes a liking towards is something I usually found absent in the multitude of works I've viewed while in isolation. A Ghost Waits certainly will not on its path destined to be a classic.

Ghost story

[Stanlee107 · 8/10 · 14 February 2021]

This film took me by surprise as I had no expectation from it and it struck a chord with me that came out of left field. It is an endearing ghost story that tugs at your sentimental strings leaving you with a warm feeling inside & an unexpected smile upon your face (like when your crush first notices you). It is remarkable that something shot in black and white can elicit feelings like that.

The actings from the cast are top notch & the chemistry between the 2 leads are organic. It goes without saying, the script is very smart, funny in parts and makes this cynic grow a heart like the Grinch! Some may call it a dark comedy but it is so much more than that. It is a definite recommendation from me.

Review

[catpantry · 10/10 · 22 April 2020]

The picture is this: piece of clay sitting on the banister is suddenly given thoughts. Small indentation forms on it, siezes one of its corners. Oprah walks in on the phone (shes smart) with her fallower and says: its being effected,' while she stares straight ahead with the smile of our lurking god on her face.