Ghost Stories (2011)

Studio: Echo Bridge Entertainment

DVD Release: June 14, 2011

Not Rated

Review by James Klein

Thanks to the popularity of films like Paranormal Activity and T.V. shows like "Ghost Hunters" and "Celebrity Ghost Stories", the paranormal and the unexplained have become the "in" thing with certain horror buffs. Dan T. Hall's four made for T.V. features of his "Ghost Stories" mini-series has now come to DVD courtesy of Echo Bridge.

The first feature is Walking With the Dead, which travels to various haunted parts of the U.S. and briefly explains the history behind the haunted areas. Unmasking the Dead deals with Michael Jones, supposedly the inspiration of the film The Sixth Sense and shares with the viewer his beliefs and insight in the paranormal. Conversations With the Dead is almost the exactly the same as Walking, which is more footage of haunted areas. Following the Dead centers on serial killer H.H. Holmes, a legendary serial killer.

Of course, the most interesting of the features is Following the Dead which also happens to be the shortest of the four, clocking in at just 48 minutes. I personally find the story of a real serial killer more interesting than a bunch of psychics and demonologists spouting off opinions and what they feel are haunted areas. The features are also very cheaply made and tries too hard to be edited in a stylish manner that backfires and makes the features look downright amateur. I also couldn't stand the music by director Dan T. Hall which just sounds like pure noise. I do feel that some people who enjoy these kind of stories may get a bigger kick out of them but for me, I found them boring and at times laughably bad, although I was admittingly a bit captivated by the last installment.

It's nice that Echo Bridge has put all four of Dan T. Hall's features on one DVD for those who may be fans or at least interested in these supposedly true ghost stories. But consider me a non-believer.