Ghost stories have always been a staple of the horror scene, but as with zombies, it seems to be simply coasting on past success and lack of new ideas. In Widow’s Point, we get a truly eerie film, with a great lead, wonderful setting, and a director in Gregory Lamberson who knows exactly what he wants to do and how to deliver it to an audience.
Thomas Livingston (Craig Sheffer) is a writer who comes up with a great publicity stunt to secure money for his next novel: Record his stay at Widow’s Point, a lighthouse which holds a long and bloody history of murders, madness, and mayhem. Sounds great in theory, research, and visual eye candy for the masses, but things quickly go south as Livingston begins to realize the lighthouse is more than just a collection of stories and tall tales.
Lamberson does a good job weaving the backstory and flashbacks into the main part of the story surrounding Livingston, giving the overall story, adapted from the book written by Billy Chizmar and Richard Chizmar, some depth and moving things along at a nice pace. There are agendas at work here, including by Livingston, the lighthouse, and its occupants. Thankfully, Lamberson doesn’t follow the usual ghost story playbook and gives the viewer some different twists and turns along the way, including the ending.
The movie does really depend on the character of Livingston, and the actor playing him, Craig Sheffer, was up to the task. He builds the paranoia and sense of dread in the film to some great heights and is very believable as a man who is not only losing his grip on reality but realizing that maybe ignoring the warnings about Widow’s Point was not such a good idea. While Lamberson weaves a good backstory surrounding those who dwell in the lighthouse, it is Sheffer who brings it all together with his realistic depiction of his descent into madness.
It was interesting to see the inside of the lighthouse be less gloom and more about better lighting and performances. It goes to show you that not all films have to be filmed that dark, and instead rely on your actors and story to sell the film. The cinematography was well-done and the music/score reminded you numerous times that you were indeed watching something creepy.
As a small indie film, I understand the limitation those involved faced, time being a huge factor in terms of getting the movie done. However, I wish the film could have been longer, explored the backstories of the characters even more. Some were effective, but others not so much. Livingston’s descent into chaos happened quickly as well, but it seemed very natural, thanks to a smart script and the wonderful work by Sheffer.
The film ends in an unexpected way and that is not a bad thing. A solid movie that understands exactly what’s it’s trying to do, Widow’s Point is a breath of fresh air in a genre that sometimes is far too happy with simply repeating itself in order to appease the masses.
Widow’s Point releases on September 1, and is now available for pre-order on Amazon.
RELATED: ‘Lovecraft Country’ Episode 2: “Whitey’s on the Moon” Recap
