Occasionally, we come across a film that shouldn’t work – be it because of a ludicrous premise or simply for lack of budget and talent – so it’s refreshing when one such movie surpasses all expectations and rises above its humble origins.
Stage actor Judge Vaughn (Haynes) gives his co-star a lift home from the theatre one night and crashes the car. He wakes while having blood taken and then ‘is returned’ to his house. From here on in, he’s plagued with visions and is convinced that he is being haunted by things that have happened in the past. Things that shouldn’t have any connection to him, but somehow do. It gets worse when Judge actually believes he’s travelled back in time.
When a policeman tells him that his great-grandfather left him something that will interest him, things get even more complicated. He shows him a package that was found at the scene of a murder in the Deep South in the twenties – containing Judge’s driving modern-day driving licence. He also reveals that the person who was murdered was called Judge Vaughn!
We know what you’re thinking – it’s a low budget film directed, co-written, and starring the same person, how can this be any good? Well, we’re pleased to say that despite some missteps, Hamlet’s Ghost is surprisingly entertaining. It does have that ‘Hallmark movie of the week’ feel to it, but sometimes there’s nothing wrong with that. The story is interesting enough to keep one watching, although anyone who struggled with the ‘timey-wimey’ elements of Doctor Who will no doubt zone out fairly quickly. Imagine it as an extended episode of Tales from the Darkside or the like and you won’t be far wrong in the direction and tone of Hamlet’s Ghost.
Fortunately, Walker Haynes is as good an actor as he is a director; we feel his frustration with the situation and his empathy to make things right and stop a man from wrongly being imprisoned for a murder that realistically didn’t happen. However, one wrong step (or an intervention from the mysterious man who is following him) and his entire future could be erased. It’s enough to keep us on board and at a lean eighty minutes, there are very few superfluous moments.
Being a low budget effort, this could have been an unholy mess, but thanks to some inventive (and often convoluted) twists, it’s an engagingly performed tale and you’re never quite sure where it’s going to go next. Well worth checking out on a raining afternoon.
HAMLET’S GHOST / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: WALKER HAYNES / SCREENPLAY: WALKER HAYNES, CLEVE NETTLES / STARRING: WALKER HAYNES, GLEN MAC, CREAGEN DOW, JOHN LOPRIENO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
