Pay the Ghost (Uli Edel, 2015, USA)

Pay the Ghost is a 2015 horror thriller by director Uli Edel. Edel, a German director most known for the 1981 cult classic Christiane F., directs this film from a script by Dan Kay, who in turn adapted the script from a short story by Tim Lebbon. This film is noteworthy for being one of the many films Nicolas Cage made at the nadir of his career. While Cage has recently returned to prominence with several interesting and challenging roles, this era was notably marked by several direct-to-VOD releases - including Pay the Ghost.

Cage plays a father (Mike Lawford) whose son Charlie (Jack Fulton) goes missing during a Halloween parade in New York City. Before he disappeared, Charlie told his father Mike a mysterious message - that they have to pay the ghost. Mike, a college professor, goes down the rabbit hole and uncovers that their son's disappearance is connected to an old Celtic curse. Much of the film follows Mike's investigation into this ancient curse. Cage is relatively restrained here compared to some of his other roles at this time - we don't get much Cage rage here, though he does convey the father's desperation adequately.

Pay the Ghost's final confrontation leaves something to be desired. The intended scope of this film is admirable, though unfortunately the budget cannot be made up and the limitations are quite evident onscreen. Pay the Ghost is not an awful film, though it is unlikely to receive much of a re-appraisal as it is simply not weird or unique enough to merit much attention. Critics were not kind to this film at the time, and it is easy to see why. It bears the typical flatness and usual Canadian backdrop of most direct-to-VOD thrillers from this era - nothing stands out here visually or thematically.

5/10