Scared to Death
Jasper James has had enough, enough of being taken for granted, of being treated like a gopher rather than a production assistant, enough of his supposed friend Champ messing him around, enough of having the credit for his ideas and suggestions taken by others, and in particular enough for Max Wolf, the erratic and demanding director of Dead House, the new horror film starring Lena Cooper and horror legend Gregory “the Grog” Grogstone for which he has been scouting locations.
The Stern Orphanage in Altadena steeped in tragedy, abandoned for seventy years since five children were found dead with no cause discernible, apparently scared to death, Jasper has found the perfect place for the key séance scene, suggesting that key cast and crew might gather before the shoot to get to know the atmosphere, location manager Felix offering his services as a medium, Champ and producer Ruth making excuses but Jasper, Max, Lena, the Grog and leading man Johnny holding hands across the table.
Its international premiere the penultimate film of FrightFest at Glasgow Film Festival, Scared to Death is written and directed by Paul Boyd, a comedy horror which plays with the idea that “you only see ghosts if you believe in them; it is the brain that sees, not the eyes,” where half the joy is enjoying the chaos which descends on the characters caused by their own actions and arrogance, particularly the great Lin Shaye, a genuine horror legend, normally sage and sanguine, playing against type as Max.
Highly strung, highly caffeinated and high in addition to being congenitally incapable of expressing gratitude, Max demands absolute obedience, her determination to be in control of every situation an overcompensation coming from a wounded place she fights to protect which surprisingly also manifests in an urge to protect others just as fiercely, the layers of Shaye’s performance genuinely moving making it a shame that much of the later action moves away from her.
Felix played by another genre stalwart, Bill Moseley, rounding out the cast as Jasper, Lena, Johnny, Champ and Ruth are Olivier Paris, Victoria Konefal, B J Minor, Jade Chynoweth and Rae Dawn Chong, while as “the Grog” Kurt Deimer is determined to enjoy himself, up for anything and giving it his all and even contributing to the soundtrack, the butt of a running joke about his career as a bottom shelf horror icon which continues through the end credits.
The Grog living every moment of his life loud and large and loving the adulation of his fans while Lena dresses for the occasion in layers of black veils and grab bags of white powder, that Scared to Death is predictable is not to its detriment, akin to a Scooby Doo investigation where unmasking the guardian of the haunted house lands as a satisfactory comeuppance before further horrors descends from the attic or arise from the basement, a horror film about horror films which knows how to please an audience.
Glasgow Film Festival continues until Sunday 9th March
