'Ghosts of the Ozarks' Review: Too few frights to redeem this tame horror flick
There's just something about the way horror films start, especially the montages that establish the environment in which the story is set, that lure you in. 'Ghosts of the Ozarks' gets this part right. We get an aerial shot of the woods surrounding the town of Norfork as the film begins and we also get a voiceover with a dialog that outlines a metaphor about the predicament the townsfolk find themselves in.
The film is set in the 1800s and is about a man who moves to a remote town that seems to be surrounded by ghosts. If you're new to horror films set in a different era, you could consider watching Robert Eggers' 'The Lighthouse' and 'The Witch,' James Watkin's 'The Woman In Black,' and Jordan Peele's 'Us.'
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A word to the wise — if your four-legged ride vehemently refuses to enter a certain area and runs away with it; chances are that the place is just no good. However, James McCune (played by Thomas Hobson) doesn't pay heed to his spooked horse and sets up a campsite in the woods when a stranger ends up attacking him. He manages to toss his attacker aside and the very next moment we see the whole place engulfed in red smoke. Something or someone within the smoke grabs the stranger and this jolts McCune into action. He hurries away, eventually making it to his destination, Norfork.
If the experience in the woods was a strange one for McCune, the town of Norfork and its inhabitants are even stranger. To begin with, there's racial harmony in Norfork. But the part that baffles McCune the most is that the townsfolk actually revere the ghosts. Now, this is where 'Ghosts of the Ozarks' differs from other films that have sequences where a stranger addresses the supernatural elements prevalent in the new town that he/she moves to. Normally, the residents of the town would brush the topic aside, neglecting and negating it. Refreshingly, that's not the case with the people of Norfork. They believe in the ghosts and even have paintings in honor of the mystical beings who they believe are God-like.
The ghosts are said to guard the town and are also quite stringent, violently attacking those who go against them. McCune doesn't take too long to warm up to Norfork and its people, settling in rather smoothly and going about his duties as the town doctor. There are a few moments that shock him but he seems to get over them rather quickly for most parts and is seen merrily mingling with his new neighbors.
It's only after an attack on someone close to him that McCune really begins to question the practices of Norfork. The film takes some unexpected turns after this and though the revelations aren't that shocking, it does build a little bit of momentum for the final stand-off. The film is part horror, part techno (for the era it's set in) thriller, and part historical.
Thomas Hobson does a decent job at playing James McCune but it's Tim Blake Nelson as Torb the blind barkeep and Phil Morris as Matthew McCune, the town's leader, who steal the show. We also get to see David Arquette and though his screentime is somewhat minimal, his character is instrumental in the film.
The problem with 'Ghosts of the Ozarks' is that it takes too long to get to the point and it becomes rather bland and uninteresting by the time it gets there. The background score doesn't blend well with the visuals at all times but it somehow manages to elevate the high points of the film. Special mentions to the art director and team. Their efforts don't go to waste and we get authentic set pieces that take us back in time.
All in all, 'Ghosts of the Ozarks' does have a scene or two that makes you go 'whoa' but it is mostly meh.
'Ghosts of the Ozarks' is currently available for streaming via VoD