If
poverty and crime are a magnet for the sinister supernatural than Gary, Indiana
should be Demon City, USA. It was there that Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans bought a notoriously haunted house
sight-unseen and got far more than he bargained for. At least that is the story
he tells in his documentary (sure, go ahead and scoff) Demon House (trailer
here), which opens today in Los Angeles.
Whatever
went down in the house before Bagans took possession, it was freaky enough to
make veteran police officers and child protective services case workers vow to
never step foot in it again. Bad things happened to those who had been inside,
including several near fatal accidents. The previous tenants had actually had
an exorcism performed by Father Mike Maginot, a major supporting character in
the film. They now refuse to have any dealings with Bagans, because they are
afraid he could re-infect them with the demons or whatever it might be.
It
would seem Bagans’ investigation extended the house’s tragic history by
delivering up new victims, such as his home-inspector, who is reportedly diagnosed
with cancer shortly after finishing his appraisal. Things really get ugly when
a family of former tenants pays a spontaneous visit. Yes, we should all be
skeptical, but at least in some cases, such as the murder of a psychic Bagans
frequently worked with, the details can be quickly verified with a google
search, which is sort of unsettling.
Retired
Gary PD Captain Charles Austin also appears to be totally legit and not the
least bit inclined to hysterics. Even for us rational positivists, he and
Maginot lend the film a lot of credibility.
So,
was the now demolished house really haunted? Of course not. Don’t be stupid. However,
we can believe that Bagans and his crew really believed. Who knows what that
can make possible when combined with some really terrible Feng shui. Frankly,
Bagans over-relies on the sensationalistic tactics of his Travel Channel show.
His constant teases and recaps always sound like they should end with “after
these commercial messages.” Nevertheless, the demonic business is genuinely
scary at times and often quite convincingly filmed/staged/produced/documented—whichever,
take your pick.
It
is inevitable that Demon House will
be described as a feature-length episode of Ghost
Adventures, but it is also an unusually effective one. We prefer to think
of it as a found footage horror film that recruited talent connected to the
real-life house that inspired the film. In any event, it is a creepy film that
will not do the Gary Chamber of Commerce any favors. Recommended for fans of
ghost-chasing TV and found footage horror movies, Demon House opens today (3/16) in Los Angeles, at the Arena Cinelounge Sunset.
