The first short film from Behind the Rabbit Productions, Ghost Story brings us the story of Sophy (P.J. King). Five years earlier, Sophy and a small group of his friends encountered an evil force that was holding the spirit of a young girl hostage in a house. Now, Sophy is the only survivor among this circle and he must enlist the help of Father Mike (John Kwiatkowski) if he is to defeat this evil and save his own soul.

The film started in 1999 as a short film project. That footage, shot in black-and-white, now serves as a flashback sequence in the film and provides a nice contrast for the camera work by Patrick Reis. Smartly written by Joseph Bongiorno and director Jason Godbey, Ghost Story is a solid first cinematic effort for the growing production company that focuses on creating content for new media.

There's a nice dynamic that exists between Sophy and Father Mike, a dynamic that helps to build the tension as the film moves along thanks to the performances of both King and Kwiatkowski. While the film never really flies as far off the handle as one might hope in terms of developing its horror, Ghost Story has moments that chill and make you want to spend even more time with these characters.

In addition to Reis's fine camera work, Reis also manages the film's sound mix quite nicely with little to no indication at all of the film's low-budget indie status. For more information on the film, visit the Behind the Rabbit Productions website listed in the credits to the left.


© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic