Ghost from the Machine (2010)

After his parents are killed in a car accident, Cody is left dealing with enormous guilt, caring for his younger brother and the persistent thought of how to bring his parents back to life.... See full summary »

Director:

Matt Osterman

Writer:

Matt Osterman

Stars:

Sasha Andreev, Michelle Bergh, Lynette Biunno

Cast

Credited cast:
Sasha Andreev	...	Cody
Michelle Bergh	...	Emily Conlee - Ghost
Lynette Biunno	...	Cody and James's Mother
Matthew Feeney	...	Tom
Emily Fradenburgh	...	Becca
Bill Gorman	...	Mr. Kravitch
Ted Hall	...	Cutter
Mari Harris	...	Principal
Max Hauser	...	James
Katrina Hawley	...	Tom's Wife
Ellen Karsten	...	Jess
Gary David Keast	...	Cody & James's Father
Laurie King	...	Mrs. Conlee
Daniel Sjerven	...	Police Officer
Joel Thingvall	...	Jeff the Blogger

Storyline

After his parents are killed in a car accident, Cody is left dealing with enormous guilt, caring for his younger brother and the persistent thought of how to bring his parents back to life. Cody knows he is not the first person to have this idea or the first to have attempted to carry it through. After several attempts with his electromagnetic device, he becomes the first to breach the wall between the living and the dead But where is the line between life and death? And who actually comes back? What ghosts come out of the machine? "Phasma Ex Machina" is a sci-fi film that combines both heart and mystery with electronic veins and sheet metal.

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Plot Keywords:

male in shower | bare chested male | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ghost from the Machine

Filming Locations:

Lakewood Cemetery - 3600 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hodag Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Police car that we see in the background when the cop is questioning Cody and James was actually belonged to the film's Sound Designer, 'Jonathan Mohs' - an early 1990s Ford Thunderbird. Employed for use at the last minute, the car had a bad battery which required someone to start and run the engine a few minutes between each take to recharge and re-brighten the headlights.

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Crazy Credits

Includes the following humorous variation on the standard legal disclaimer at the end of the credits: "The events, characters and firms depicted in this motion picture are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actually dead, or to actual firms is purely coincidental."

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Connections

Remade as Our House (2018)

User Reviews

Excellent little indie sci fi horror

This is a more important movie than one might imagine. The premise is based on a rather odd science to do with ions still existing after death. According to the movie the theory was developed by a famous inventor many decades ago. So it has that as a premise, but the point is more the idea that possesses the grieving son, in that he must do all that is humanly possible to help bring back his parents, if only for the guilt he feels toward and the love he has for his younger brother. And that is the essential premise of this easy to watch and carefully plotted drama. The movie goes much further into the grief theme with other characters and a careful postulation toward the nature of after life. It rang true for me also how community responds to loss as well, with other sympathetic characters making a significant contribution. As an interesting sci fi movie (mind you, there are no special effects) it succeeded for me, and as a horror movie there is at least one genuine scary moment (with an appropriately unsettling yet simple lead up), one genuinely horrific realisation of the consequence of the experiment and a very tense scene of horror and drama just before the close. The acting is superb, particularly the lead and the younger brother. A lovely movie about two brothers suffering loss, somewhat remarkable as there is no significant contribution of a soundscape. It's so subdued that it creates a very eerie piece of suburban drama, a real oddity.