- Directed by Jennifer Reeder
- Written by Brett Neveu
- Stars Geno Walker, Kate Arington, Michael Shannon, Isaac Dees, Felonious Munk, Daniel Kyri, Theo Germaine
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 21 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38coslSZcWg
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
A guy all alone at home with only online human connections. Wait, was that a ghost in the background of that Zoom call. Naw, it’s only in his head, right? This one is a good watch as things get worse and worse. Maybe it’s all just in his head.
Synopsis
The camera moves through a house that’s in the process of being renovated. We hear someone counting down numbers as he tries to sleep. He’s Ken Barber, a YouTuber with several different channels. He seems to really try to avoid sunlight; he’s taped paper over the windows and doesn’t go near the front door.
His friend Terry gives him some advice on releasing videos. Terry points out that he thinks he saw a taxidermied bird fall off the wall behind Ken. Ken hadn’t noticed. Ken’s into taxidermy, and he has dead birds in his refrigerator.
Kelsey talks to him online, and she thinks maybe Ken’s new apartment is haunted. He should get that checked out. She says being holed up like that isn’t healthy, and he needs to get out more. She also thinks he should get a real job.
When Ken is done with the call, he does research his history of the apartment. He finds something he doesn’t like, but has to stop researching due to a nosebleed. Back in 1915, a woman fell out of the window; her name was Roberta Wellwood.
Terry suggests that Ken just focus on the ghost angle and give up his other channels. Terry tells him to contact another guy on a site called Dark Corners, and get his story on that channel. He also talks about a “spirit jar.” He runs to the kitchen, and when he returns, there are two dead birds laying on his keyboard. Maybe that “ghost channel” thing isn’t a bad idea. Or maybe he’s just cracking up; he starts to have his own doubts.
We see that there’s more going on in Ken’s apartment than even he’s aware of. He makes a spirit jar and buys a book on ghosts, online of course. Ken reads the Latin from the book over the spirit jar; he opens the jar, screams, and weirdness ensues. Terry explains that he saw the door shut, lights blink, and heard screaming, but Ken doesn’t remember any of that. Later, Ken pukes up a long ribbon-like thing.
He tells Kelsey and her husband, Isaac, about the experience. They’ve already heard Terry’s side of things. They’re both into ghost videos now, and they want him to make more. They’re both big fans of Dark Corners. We learn that Kelsey is also Ken’s ex-wife.
Ken watches the Dark Corners channel. He then talks to Colin Alberston, the guy who wrote his ghost book. Colin tells Ken to open the spirit jar. He explains that ghosts are like smoke; they have no physical power in the world of the living. Ken opens the jar, and nothing happens.
Ken has another nosebleed and dreams of a man with an ax. The dead woman, Roberta, was supposed to have attacked her father with an ax. He starts hearing and seeing things regularly. Or maybe he’s going insane– Ken’s not quite sure which it is. Either way, he’s terrified. His online friends start to worry about Ken. Are Terry and Kelsey conspiring against him? We learn that Ken absolutely has a history of mental issues.
Colin calls back, and he’s looked into Roberta’s death a bit more. Roberta’s mother actually murdered her after her failed ax attack on her father. The mother then confessed and comitted suicide in the asylum. Colin says that by using the spirit jar, “You may have inadvertently harvested her deranged soul.” Colin has made a real spirit jar that may solve the issue. We see that Colin may not be entirely on Ken’s side, but Ken missed that.
Ken gets notified from Dark Corners that his video will be featured. He starts to feel better now that things are coming together for him. Various experts chime in on Ken’s videos as the YouTuber “Dark Corners” interviews them. They unveil the spirit jar that Colin sent, right there on the livestream; they hope to exorcize both of the Wellwood ghosts.
Inside the jar are various artifacts, including Colin’s thumb. What!? Yep, hand-bandaged Colin walks him through the instructions for the ritual, and they begin. They livestream the ritual to everyone. The lights go out in Ken’s apartment. Things go downhill fast, but Colin only smiles at the developments. Everyone sees “Roberta” come up behind Ken with an ax. Colin welcomes the demon he’s just tricked Ken into summoning with glowing red eyes. Colin then bursts into flame right in the middle of the livestream as he apparently busts the gate to Hell wide open. Terry, Isaac, Kelsey, Lyden, and Dark Corners himself are possessed next. Ken picks up the ax and waits.
Lastly, Ken’s door bursts open and the red-eyed demon comes in. Ken gets out and goes outside for the first time in ages. He watches as all the neighboring apartments light up as everyone becomes possessed.
Huh. I guess Ken wasn’t crazy after all.
Commentary
It’s clear from the get-go that Ken has some mental issues, but we aren’t sure whether what’s going on is real or delusional. The counting, the very-organized foods, and eating the same thing every day are all very much to show us his OCD or whatever it is.
This is super-obviously a “Covid” movie. Literally everyone but Ken “phones in” their performance. Characters appear on Skype, Twitch, YouTube, and the like. The only actors who appear together are Michael Shannon and Kate Arrington, who are married in real life. It actually works here, as the story is obviously written around this limitation, so it’s not like this was a substitute for real acting; it’s all part of the story.
The acting from Geno Walker, as Ken, is quite good, but it’s a little hard to judge the others, as they are all just on the computer screen. The special effects are pretty minimal overall, but what is here is very well done.
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first “seance by Zoom” that we’ve reviewed here, but it’s certainly the best… so far.