Directed by Adam Stovall
Written by MacLeod Andrews, Adam Stovall (screenplay/story) and Matt Taylor (story)
Starring MacLeod Andrews, Natalie Walker, Sydney Vollmer and Amanda Miller
Running time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

by Judson Cade Pedigo

I am a mark for ghost movies. Give me a movie, put a ghost in it, I’m so there. Ghosts movies come in all shapes and sizes but you reach a point where you’ve seen one ghost, you’ve seen them all. This is why, when I first heard about A Ghost Waits, which was being billed as a “supernatural rom-com,” I knew that I had to track it down. I’ve been known to dabble in romantic comedies. I won’t admit to it now but in high school I was heavily invested in the fate of Ross and Rachel, but I digress. As much as I love ghost movies, I also enjoy a good mash up and I was interested to see these two genres combined. Much like how the great philosopher Cher once asked of us, “Do you believe in life after love?”, first time filmmaker Adam Stovall wants to know “Do you believe in love after life?”

The beginning of the movie is the climax for most ghost movies. A frightened family frantically abandons their home to the cacophony of ghostly screams. Except, instead of following the car down the driveway and off to better days, the camera stays in the house as we watch the ghost calmly straightening her hair, a satisfied smile on her face. Another job well done. Next we’re introduced to Jack, the maintenance man for the owner of the property, on his way to get the place ready for the next tenants and oh, by the way, while you’re there, maybe try and figure out why everyone ends up leaving so abruptly? After a few days of things going bump in the night, Jack almost flees the home himself when he turns back and decides to do what no one else has, talk to the ghost. Her name is Muriel, she haunts for a living. He’s a handyman. She prefers the term “spectral agent”. Does she know any celebrity ghosts? Is Johnny Cash a ghost? Here is where the story shifts from a “haunting” movie into romantic comedy territory. I wouldn’t call this a love story but a “falling in love” story. 

Tone is a tricky thing to pull off when you combine genres like this and I don’t think director Adam Stovall quite pulls it off. Now, this is a low budget affair but that doesn’t mean anything if you know what you’re doing. For example, compare this to any movie with “Amityville” in the title from the last few years. Whoever put any of those together must’ve thought all that was required to direct was to hit record and walk away. Stovall knows how to shoot and structure a movie. So don’t let the low budget fool you. The movie is shot in black and white and at first I thought it was to capture the mood of this past wave of paranormal found footage flicks but it didn’t feel like he really took advantage of the atmosphere inherent in shooting without color. He doesn’t play with the light and the shadows like you would expect in a story like this. What he does end up capturing the essence of ( and I’m not quite sure if it was intentional or not) is the spirit of the 90’s indie scene. Everything from the dialogue, to the acting, right down to the song selections on the soundtrack made me feel that this would be right at home debuting at Sundance circa 94’. Take it from someone who lived through the 90’s indie boom. Part of this has to do with budget. When you don’t have money to throw around on spectacle, you tend to put the focus on the dialogue, which brought to mind 90’s fare like Smoke, Go Fish and Henry Fool. Luckily, the script avoids being self indulgent like a lot of indie releases that cluttered up video store shelves during the latter half of that decade. Although, there were moments that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in a rain soaked Ben Affleck monologue to Joey Lauren Adams. 

Casting can make or break a romantic comedy. If either of your leads is lacking in the acting department it can sink the whole endeavor. Luckily, the cast in this picture is top notch and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of them in the future. MacLeod Andrews as Jack calls to mind the affability of a young Noah Wyle coupled with the modern day charms of Chris O’Dowd. Natalie Walker is perfectly cast as the lonely ghost who slowly begins to let her guard down. Since the script is so dialogue heavy, this is one of those movies that would work just as well as a play and because of this the performances might read better on the stage. There are a few moments that come off as actors being “actory” that works fine in the theater but doesn’ quite translate to the camera. However, this only adds to the “indie” vibe which I enjoyed. 

A good idea is a good idea and, for the most part, A Ghost Waits works. I think the first half could have been tightened up more so we could have spent more time watching our two leads fall for each other. Nearly half way through, we’re also introduced to Muriel’s ghost supervisor, which made it feel a little too much like BeetleJuice for my tastes. I would have preferred the afterlife to have been left a little more mysterious but that’s a personal quibble. It does, however, provide for some funny moments when a rival ghost comes to haunt the house who keeps popping up all over the place Evil Dead style. I do have minor complaints here and there, but Adam Stovall directs with all the aplomb of a lovestruck twenty-something and I absolutely love, love, love the ending. So I was won over by the time the credits rolled. If you are looking for a little something different in your ghost movie selection, I recommend letting A Ghost Waits haunt your television set for a little while.