COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN: DAY 6-“WE ARE STILL HERE” (ON BLU-RAY AND DVD NOW!)

DARK SKY FILMS RULES!

Article by Adam Mast

In honor of the witching season, we’ll profile a new Halloween-centric title every day throughout the month of October.  

WE ARE STILL HERE (R)-2015

Yesterday, in our “Countdown to Halloween” column,  I recalled an affectionate story from the mid-80’s in which my friends and I were lucky enough to experience a test screening of EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN with director Sam Raimi sitting just a few rows behind us. My first experience with WE ARE STILL HERE,  was even cooler. Not only did the Cinemast.net team enjoy this movie immensely, but we were fortunate enough to watch WE ARE STILL HERE with writer/director  Ted Geoghegan  and star Barbara Crampton sitting directly in front of us during a sold out screening at The Stanley Film Festival last April.

Geoghegan proved to be incredibly friendly, mingling with festival attendees after the screening while a sweet and vibrant Crampton took some time to chat with us a bit before the film began. Conversing with Crampton was quite thrill for me  because I grew up on her work in Stuart Gordon’s RE-ANIMATOR, and may I just say, she’s every bit as lovely in person. In fact, this woman has barely aged in the 30 years since RE-ANIMATOR first hit theaters.

Now, had WE ARE STILL HERE sucked, meeting Geoghegan and Crampton after the screening might have been an awkward experience, but happily, WE ARE STILL HERE didn’t suck. It’s a lot of fun and I can’t thank Dark Sky Films enough for sending us a screener.

Great ghost stories are hard to come by, but movies like THE CONJURING and the INSIDIOUS franchise  have breathed new life into a seemingly dead subgenre. The independent gem WE ARE STILL HERE is terrifically entertaining because it throws an off-kilter sense of humor into the mix, and the end result is creepy, campy delight.

WE ARE STILL HERE focuses on Anne and Paul Sacchetti (played by  Crampton and Andrew Sensenig), a grieving married couple who move into a weathered, snow-laced New England countryside home. It isn’t long before local Dave McCabe (Monte Markham)—an odd but well-spoken member of the community—drops by uninvited to share stories of the home’s rather macabre history. Shortly after, the Sacchettis discover that there might be an evil presence lurking around in the basement.

Geoghegan’s chilly, atmospheric, and very funny haunted house picture benefits from a handful of solid performances, creative gore effects, and a central location that serves as more of a character than just a locale. Most importantly though, WE ARE STILL HERE offers up  genuine scares, particularly during a very effective final act.

In terms of tone and style, it’s clear that Geoghegan worships at the altar of Lucio Fulci (THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY), but in addition to being a loving tribute to the works of that Italian genre filmmaking legend, there are also portions of WE ARE STILL HERE that remind me a bit of John Carpenter’s THE FOG, most notably the vengeful-based mythology behind the home’s haunt and the design of the ghostly inhabitants themselves.

Crampton is outstanding as a mother in mourning. She brings real sadness and vulnerability to the role of Anne– a parent trying to move past a tragedy. Sensenig (UPSTREAM COLOR) is amusingly dry as Anne’s loving skeptic of a husband.  Independent horror king Larry Fessenden and lovely Lisa Marie are an absolute riot as a new agey hippie couple who attempt to help Anne and Paul determine what exactly is happening in their house. Of the cast though, it’s Markham who appears to be having the most fun. As a shifty Dave McCabe, he’s simply a joy to watch throughout this picture.

WE ARE STILL HERE is an absolute blast of a throwback ghost story. It’s complemented by nifty little twists, dramatic flourishes, wonderful bursts of humor, and a fitting tongue-in-cheek attitude. It even offers up moments that are surprisingly tender. In the end though, it’s about the scares and the creep-out factor, and WE ARE STILL HERE  delivers in both departments.

WE ARE STILL HERE hits Blu-Ray and DVD on October 6th! It’s a gorgeous transfer and the disc includes a brief but entertaining behind-the-scenes featurette, trailers, and a very informative commentary from a lively Geoghegan and Producer Travis Stevens.

If you love an entertaining ghost story punctuated by a campy sense of humor, effective scares, and eerie atmosphere, you’ll definitely want to check out WE ARE STILL HERE this Halloween season.

COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN:

October 5th-“Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn”–Click Here
October 4th- “Phantom of the Paradise“-Click Here
October 3rd-“Poltergeist“-Click Here
October 2nd-“The Babadook“-Click Here
October 1st-“John Carpenter’s The Thing“-Click Here