Director – Andrew Spencer (Dark Eyes)
Starring – Ian Brooker (I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle), Peter Wright (Hot Fuzz), and Louise Paris
Release Date – 2012
Rating – 2.5/5
Tagline – “Something is calling, one man is listening”
In several reviews I have stated that I am not a fan of ghost stories and other spirit based horror flicks with the exception of just a few. These tales typically just bore the shit out of me with all the paranormal lingo they use and very little action takes place in thes tales. What usually happens is the film is full of jump scares and cliched images that has been put through the ringer since the 60s.
Recently, Alternative Cinema and Shock-O-Rama sent me the paranormal film The Casebook of Eddie Brewer to review. Typically, I would turn this one down but the name pulled me in. My surname is Brewer and I find it fascinating that that last name has rarely been used in film and television. I greatly accepted the chance to check this one out!
*Spoiler Alert**The film follows paranormal investigator named Eddie Brewer (Ian Brooker). Eddie is the subject of a documentary and the film crew follows him on several investigations involving an old building with a strange presence in the basement and a case involving a single mother who is being harassed by something evil in her old home. His investigations turn into survival as he fights for his life while dealing with skeptic and the guilt of losing his wife.**Spoiler Alert**
Paranormal films are plagued with poor story development and slow burning scenes. It is hard to build the atmosphere for a great ghost story while using tons of action and I understand this but I can’t stand watching a movie that wastes too much time setting up the suspense and not delivering on the story. Sadly, The Casebook of Eddie Brewer falls prey to the same problem for me. Slow moving film while trying to craft a dark and ambient film. They do pull off the suspense but they pay the cost.
The acting in this one is top notch by everyone. Ian Brooker delivers an amazing performance as a paranormal investigator and his supporting cast does just that, they support his performance greatly. The film is watchable and we have him to thank for that. The story is just another paranormal horror film with nothing new.
The story is another one that moves at a snails pace to create some nightmarish atmosphere. They are able to make the film look dark and menacing and we have some great camera work to thank for that. The story’s speed will definitely put some of the viewer’s asleep.
Finally, the film is not bloody and has no real on screen deaths. Those of you looking for a ghost story in the same line as Ghost Story then look somewhere else. Overall, The Casebook of Eddie Brewer is a paranormal film that looks great and has an amazing cast but suffers from poor story setup. The film would have worked as a short but as a feature film it is way too long. It deserves a watch but has no replay value.
