Ghostkeeper (Video 1982)

A group of three friends on a snowmobiling trip find themselves stranded at an abandoned lodge isolated in the mountains. They discover that an old woman resides in the hotel, along with an evil entity that she is keeping in the basement.

Director:

Jim Makichuk

Writers:

Jim Makichuk, Doug MacLeod

Stars:

Riva Spier, Murray Ord, Sheri McFadden

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Riva Spier	...	Jenny
Murray Ord	...	Marty
Sheri McFadden	...	Chrissy
Georgie Collins	...	Ghostkeeper
Les Kimber	...	Storekeeper
Bill Grove	...	Danny (as Billy Grove)
John MacMillan	...	Windigo

Storyline

A trio of friends on a snowmobiling trip in the Canadian rockies become lost after venturing up a trail during a snowstorm. They stumble upon a seemingly abandoned hotel lodge and decide to spend the night, unaware of the grave danger that they have put themselves in.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | lodge | mountain | old woman | entity | 

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Taglines:

Their ancestors spoke of the evil being that lived in the mountains. Too late they heeded their warning...

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ghost Keeper

Filming Locations:

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Badland Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to director Jim Makichuk the film's money started to run out when the movie was only half shot, so rather than cancel the production altogether he decided to abandon the remaining script and make things up as he went along, hoping to at least retain the film's creepy atmosphere. He said this explains the released film's rather uneven, incoherent second half and sparse use of the plot's monster.

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Quotes

Marty: I'm a lawyer. I'm in control.

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Connections

References The Living Desert (1953)

User Reviews

Good setting, bad plot

Ghostkeeper is not as good as others would have you believe. It does have a beautiful and creepy setting, and the film itself is rather creepy, but in a rather fake way. This is achieved mainly through the use of music, and whilst this is effective for the first 30 minutes or so, you get a bit sick of hearing the same music over and over.

I think this film could have been a whole lot better. You can see the potential whilst watching it, and within the first 30 minutes I had figured out several ways it could have been better. The plot is where everything falls apart. It's really about nothing much at all. The ending is a bit of a surprise, but is so shallow that you think "jeez, that's what this film has been building up to?" Despite the excellent setting, I can't really recommend Ghostkeeper. It's like a very poor mans version of The Shining. If slow pace, creepy atmosphere yet lack of plot is your thing, you may enjoy this, but otherwise I would skip it.