Playing at select theatres nationwide
Quite often, fans of the paranormal reality television genre rarely get to look at what goes on behind the making of. Although Don’t F**k With Ghosts does not want to bore viewers with all the meetings and paperwork required to get permission to investigate locations, what it does is to show how some places get chosen, and why some media personalities behave a certain way. Here, the focus is on Adam Rodness and Stuart Stone (Donnie Darko), wanting to make a documentary about ghosts.
In the investigations, this pair of wannabe paranormal investigators rely on the occultists, mediums, and celebrity guests (including a cameo by Colt Cabana) to prove whether ghosts are a product of the mind or just made-up to sell tickets. This cameo blurs the fine line between reality and fiction, and when Ghost Magnet with Bridget Marquardt is also included, I couldn’t help but wonder!
What’s captivating about this film is that the tale is multi-layered. It begins with these two yuk-yuks talking about what they’ve experienced to an off camera interviewer. I suspect this individual is hoping they will explain to their fellow Manibotans the trouble they got into recently. Between the hilarious flashback moments and the now, this cautionary tale is quite good.
For a modestly budgeted film about looking for paranormal activity, I’m glad the best bits are saved for last. Just how it plays on the imagination is as perfect as that moment in when Ghost Hunters first debuted, and Brian Harnois freaked out and yelled, “Dude, run!” The comedy is golden, and to break out of that stigma is going to be hard.
When it comes to facing the supernatural head-on, these blokes better have balls of steel rather than think none of it is real. Although the last place they went to is supposed to be authentic, everything that goes on is very Scooby-Doo. It’s best not to prank your team during an investigation, and what happens next is fairly standard for a carnival house of terror.
The story concerning why the house is haunted is nearly the same as Ghost Game (review coming soon). As for the poltergeist activity they encounter, none of it really makes sense. Like in most real cases, they rarely do until someone looks deep into the history of a location, but in this case, it seems the people they’re hired to be their support–Karen Tusa (Locations Manager), Parsa (Production Assistant), Kevin Bacon (Audio) and Ray Strachan (Fixer)–don’t know what they’re doing either. These people are basically playing themselves and I wanted to see them at work, digging up information regarding the locations. Although that would have slowed down the movie, to present everything that goes on prior is just as important.
While Adam and Stuart make a perfect comedic foil pairing, I have to ask if they can take this double act on the road. I’ve seen a Fringe theatre version of their concept with Fake Ghost Tours. You’re watching this film for them rather than the locations they visit, and as for whether these places in Winnipeg, Manitoba are haunted, a quick Google search is easy enough to do before going to visit. When this film says this murder capital of Canada must have a ghost around every corner, even I will want to see if I can catch some of that myself!
I loved how this mockumentary satirised the whole paranormal reality genre and it’s about time this happened! As for offering a moral: I’d say what’s implied is more important than saying it outright. It’s best not to mess around during a case unless you want to get hurt. When this film shows the consequences and before going full on Enfield, not everything is fun and games. There’s a chance of being liable for damages, and as for everything else, well, it’s best to see how this work ends for yourself. It’s everything I would expect when I joined my paranormal investigative group: and these blokes didn’t think about insurance.
4 Stars out of 5
Don’t F**k with Ghosts Movie Trailer
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