When sinister powers run rampant, a man finds unexpected answers to his biggest questions. Dr. Sean Halton (Conner Floyd) is a hypnotherapist with a traumatic past, looking to start a new life when he moves back to his hometown. Hoping to turn his fortune around in the community despite his reservations and painful memories, he takes on the case of Brian Meyer (Scot Cooper), who’s been experiencing paranormal activity in his home. Otherworldly forces may be afoot, and Dr. Halton quickly finds himself fighting a battle on more fronts than he initially bargained for.
The story of River of Ghosts holds a lot of promise, and writer/director Jules East does a decent job at setting every vital part into motion. The backdrop features a seedy backwater town, a man’s broken psyche, and an odd supernatural presence. The opening scene featuring Cooper’s Meyer is terrifically lit and shot, everything you’d want from a horror film. It all looks quite enticing, but East really struggles to consolidate these concepts when the plot gets going. None of the supporting cast are remotely memorable as one-note characters who come and go through a revolving door, but what’s even more underwhelming is the acting. Floyd, in particular, never injects any charisma or urgency into Sean, making the doctor a monotone lead in a narrative that should revolve around his personal development. If anything, it’s Cooper’s Brian who ends up having more emotional nuance and meaningful screentime.
Of course, the question on all horror enthusiasts’ minds is, “Is River of Ghosts scary?” and the unfortunate answer would be a resounding no. Veterans of the genre will find little to appreciate in the rather cut-and-dry manner of East’s direction of such scenes, while newcomers will eventually catch onto the trope-heavy storytelling. With jumpscares and poorly conceived spiritual sequences, River of Ghosts eschews all manner of subtlety for a loud, uninventive gallery of frights you’ve seen before. In fact, many directors skillfully use jump scares, relying on the setup as much as the “punchline” to amplify certain scenes. Here, it’s all telegraphed, and you see what’s coming from a mile away.
When it’s not busy trying to conjure up scares, the film meanders in bland melodrama surrounding the town of Mendocina, where bright sunlight and overexposed images strip any atmospheric charm away from the environment. There are attempts to highlight Dr. Halton’s career failures and insecurities by having him interact with his former professor Trex (Robert Fleet) near the riverside through flashbacks, but these are rare and infrequent.
River of Ghosts intriguing plot never reaches its full potential. The allure of small-town horror flicks will always remain, but Jules East’s latest film adds very few worthwhile additions to the genre and leaves its audience with wanting more.
