“THE GHOSTS OF MONDAY” (2O23) SHOWS US THAT THERE IS MORE TO A HAUNTED HOUSE THAT CAN SCARE US

There is something about the day that we live in where people are determined to bring us a great and original horror movie. In the early years, horror seemed to be ‘taboo’ when it came to the general public, so seeing so many people wanting more and is more available to us due to awesome streaming services (I’m looking at you Shudder), truly makes me feel that we are in the age of some of the best horror movies to come.

I recently got to enjoy a new horror movie trying to do just that. This film “The Ghosts of Monday”. This movie stars Mark Huberman, Julian Sands, Marianna Rosset, Elva Trill and Anthony Skordi. Here is the synopsis for the movie:

“Mark Huberman (Vikings Valhalla) stars as a television director who becomes embroiled in a supernatural conspiracy after traveling to Cyprus to make a tv pilot about a haunted hotel. Julian Sands (Warlock), Marianna Rosset (Survive or Sacrifice), Elva Trill (Jurassic World: Dominion), and Anthony Skordi (Onassis) also appear in the frightening profusion of suspense and scares.”

In the film, Eric (portrayed by Mark Huberman) is taking his crew (Christine portrayed by Elva Trill, Bruce portrayed by Julian Sands, Ursulla portrayed by Christina Marouchou, Jennifer portrayed by Flavia Watson, and Rosemary portrayed by Maria Ioannou) to a hotel in Cyrus to film footage for their show about the tragic story behind the famous Hotel Gula. This hotel was once a high-end resort where more than 100 people died due to poisoning caused by mysterious circumstances that are to this day still unsolved. Thinking that they are going to film a standard “maybe it’s haunted, maybe it’s not” hotel, they are surprised by a series of events that they cannot explain.

Throughout the movie, a few things make you think that there is some kind of supernatural element here. Not to spoil anything, but there is some of that here and it is used very well. This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. You have the side story of Christine suddenly gaining back some memories from the hotel when she visited there as a child, their hosts Frank and Pat (portrayed by Anthony Skordi and Joana Fyllidou) who seem to be a bit odd but gives you the feeling that they have an ulterior motive, and the fact that they never leave the hotel makes you wonder what is going on.

There are a lot of interesting things that happen through the 1-hour and 18-minute runtime that definitely will grab your attention. The score for this film and the way it is shot really amp up the horror for me. I loved how the score built up tension for the film and the camera angles that made you feel that you were part of this scary cinematic adventure. The best way I can compare this movie is that it has an original storyline but is a bit of a mix of “Ghost Ship”, “Grave Encounters”, and “The Shinning” which works very well for it. The fact that the pacing of the film also doesn’t provide any lulls while watching it.

The pacing is a big reason why I enjoyed this movie. Sometimes in movies, there are moments where you feel a bit bored, I’ll be ignoring the will to be distracted but this movie had my eyes glued to the screen the entire time. You also know you are watching a good horror film if you are formulating theories while you watch them alone, or with other people. This film had me doing just that. I was tossing around different theories through my head multiple times when I had to just tell myself “Shut up brain and let me see what happens and what might play out!”.

As things start to progress in the movie, you start to form really great connections with some of the characters. They are all unique in their own way. You have the “jerk director” in Mark but might have a heart of gold, the “what’s going on with her?” moments with Christine and her struggles to piece together her memories, the “old man perv who is trying to be professional” with Bruce and “relationship we hope works out” with Jennifer/Rosemary. Not only that, but you have a few of the side stories of potential cult history, paintings hanging in the hotel of a demon, and death scenes with gruesome outcomes that really shine in their attempts to provide scares.

I will say that this is one movie that I would recommend. It is a fun time; the scares aren’t trying too hard as some movies can be with the overuse of jump scares and has a third act that you won’t see coming at you. It really makes you feel that you have gone through all of this with the characters and makes you wonder how different things could be if some of their decisions would have changed how the story unfolded. These elements to me really make a great horror movie, hell a great movie in general. With so many remakes and tropes that have been done a million times, it is so refreshing to see something that really stands out.

The acting I will say was very good. I think there were a couple of things that threw me off with the Eric character and his random need to always come off anger when he talked to anyone except Christine. There wasn’t really any mention of that besides their failed relationship and the stress of directing the show, I couldn’t really figure out what his deal was. With that being said, the scenes with Eric and Christine flowed really well and had a genuine feel to them. That can be said about the entire cast of actors in the movie. When they were talking to someone, they cared about you could really tell, which I love how that plays out in any movie I watch.

“The Ghost of Monday” is now available on digital, blu-ray and dvd now from Cleopatra Entertainment. Be sure to experience this movie for yourself and comment on our social media pages your opinion on the film.

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