Directed by:
Petr JáklCinematography:
Jan ŠusterComposer:
Karel HavlíčekCast:
Jennifer Armour, Alina Golovlyova, Jeremy Isabella, Paul S. Tracey, Debra Garza, Инна Беликова, Vladimír NevedrovPlots(1)
While filming a documentary about cannibalism of the 20th century, a crew of American filmmakers must face the real life story of probably the most violent serial killer of all time, a cannibal who killed more than fifty people. They travel to an area of Ukraine where people have been mysteriously disappearing, and soon find themselves trapped in a supernatural hunting ground, the next victims of a malevolent spirit. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (7)
Since I'm going to see Jákl's new film Medieval today, it seemed fitting to revisit his earlier work. Besides Kajínek, this Czech director also made a found footage horror set in the intriguing landscape of Ukraine with a rather interesting premise. Sure, Western cinema has produced higher-quality entries in this genre over the years, but keep in mind that this is a Czech horror film (with an international cast). The setting in remote Ukrainian forests provided a reasonably chilling atmosphere. The acting wasn’t top-tier, but it wasn’t particularly off-putting either. I was pleasantly surprised by the way they combined the theme of cannibalism with the case of Chikatilo, the serial killer who murdered dozens of people in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. This gave the ending an extra punch. For me, it’s 5.5/10.
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This is still found footage, and in its execution, it’s quite typical. I'm not enjoying these films, and neither Jákl nor Czech coproduction nor the fact that it has a very good visual side helps with that. This genre doesn't have much left to say, and the interesting information that Ghoul conveys could be communicated in a classic horror movie, which, of course, there was not enough money for.
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This is a western genre standard undermined by the absence of a single moment of surprise and the fact that for the sake of effect, the characters are willing to act like monumental dullards. This fact could be forgiven if they were given an extra drop of personal life. However, all of this is unfortunately absent, and so in the end it is... a western genre standard. [Whether that's praise or scorn is up to you]. 3 ½.
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Finally, someone from Czechia whose genre films are not hindered by Eastern European shittiness, have balls and can be sold globally. Ghoul is a universally effective horror movie in the Hollywood Paranormal Activity / Blair Witch style, with better direction than a lot of similar projects, such as Chernobyl Diaries and The Dyatlov Pass Incident (which makes Petr Jákl a better director than Renny Harlin :-D). The film is composed of things we’ve seen elsewhere, but it works, especially because of the name Chikatilo, which sends chills down one’s spine. Too bad this name is not evoked earlier in the film, as it would have lent the introduction a more powerful atmosphere. And
too bad that Jákl didn’t make this earlier. Today, this film is just one of many.
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I don't understand why the creators cling to the label "dark thriller" when it's as horror as it gets. Although it's not as scary as its reputation makes it out to be, being more of a cheap B movie, it's qualitatively fully comparable to American horror movies of the same genre. In this respect, it is a victory for Petr Jákl, who managed to make a genre-pure Czech film that has a chance to make a mark in the world. It is relatively functional, atmospheric and in some respects even better than the equivalent foreign competition, so there is no need to be ashamed of it.
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Photo © Bioscop
![Ghoul - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/245/160245579_f79fd7.jpg)
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