Maybe
Network’s Howard Beale won’t be the only TV celebrity to lose their lives due
to low ratings. The host of Haunt Squad, a fictional ghost-chasing
reality show, is facing cancellation, but he convinces his boss to give them
one last chance with a 90-minute summer special. They find someplace super-creepy
that has not been trampled by every other paranormal investigation show. Of
course, genre fans know what to expect when the crew arrives at the titular
summer camp in Andy Palmer’s Camp Cold Brook, which is available on VOD
and releases tomorrow on DVD.
Three
seasons is a decent run these days, but Jack Wilson, the host (not the jazz
pianist), has a family and a mortgage in arears. Through personal charm, he
convinces the network head to give them one last chance, claiming they have a
line on something big. Of course, he has no idea what that will be, but his shy
production assistant Emma suggests Camp Cold Brook, near Wilson’s old childhood
home in rural Oklahoma.
The
camp has been shuttered since the atrocities and its remote location means it
hasn’t been picked over by other paranormal shows. According to lore, a
suspected witch caused twenty-eight kids at the Christian camp to go crazy and
kill themselves, but she needed thirty to reincarnate her late daughter. Dead
kids are always good for ratings, so off they go. It is only supposed to be an
initial scouting trip, but weird, uncanny happenings soon complicate their plans.
You
probably think you know how this goes—and you will be largely right. Yet, CCB
proves how energetic execution and a game cast can still sell a familiar
premise. It is hard to figure why the legendary Joe Dante signed up as
executive producer and “presenter” based on Alex Carl’s screenplay, but the
final product is surprisingly entertaining. The big twist has credibility
issues, but the business involving creepy runes inscribed in each camp building
is memorable and effective.
Both
Chad Michael Murray and Hatchet franchise veteran Danielle Harris are
quite strong as Wilson and his ordinarily unflappable producer Angela. In fact,
there is notable moment when she takes a rosary out of her bag—it’s heavy
because Harris and Palmer do not over-play it. Plus, Doug Van Liew is colorfully
grizzled as Sheriff Gorton, in a genre appropriate kind of way.
