It looks like the filmmakers and the actors meant well, but when you have a budget of $50 and your effects were done by a 14 year old with Windows Movie Maker what can you expect. I wish I could get a refund on my rental because there was not one redeeming feature to this movie. The acting was poor, the cinematography was about as compelling as a 1970's Mexican tele-novella, and the effects were down-right laughable. Perhaps this is what the filmmakers were going for and they were trying to match the cult classic "Troll 2" which reached it's fame by how terrible it is, but this one isn't even funny for being so bad, it's just bad. This is one of those times when you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover because the cover was decent. Overall it is poor, clumsy film making.
5 Reviews
Shot for a buck twenty-nine and no attention to details
dashadow15 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Ghost Trap (AKA Little Ghost Getter) is a low-budget film with little going for it. Shot for a buck twenty-nine and some Green Stamps, the effects, acting, editing, and script never manage to take flight. I bought the film from a video store in the cheap, used, section. I thought it might be cute, but it is no Girl Vs. Monster (a Disney flick that also shadows Ghostbusters). The reviewer who said it makes Ed Wood (of Planet 9 from Outer Space) look like Shakespeare was spot on. Having watched the movie, I doubt I will view it ever again, unless I wish to torture someone into a confession.
In an unusual move for a direct to video release, the original soundtrack by Livingwithanangel has been released on CD, and MP3, as Ghost Trap (Ost) with the Ghost Trap Theme, BarageGand (revisited), Let's Do This, I Love To Boogie (Jig Mix), Dangerous, Capture Rapture, Ghost Trap Theme (instrumental), Effectively Yours, Ghost Dog (edit), Gearing Up, The Courtroom, Dazed and Confused, Arrivals and Departures, & The Capturing Suite. The music is not inspiring and sounds more on the order of cheap video game sound.
Warning: Here there be spoilers
The plot itself starts alright; a bright young student, named Cynthia Carter, creates a small rocket as part of a science project. Two of her friends speculate if this experiment will result in disaster as so many others have. Upon firing the rocket it quickly goes out-of-control and causes a number of accidents each of which build into a Rube Goldberg sequence resulting in an old woman, named Isabelle Gotham, being injured by a skateboard. Cynthia is before a judge with a lawyer saying Mrs. Gotham wants the kid sent away to prison for her crimes; the judge decides to sentence Cynthia to community service by helping Mrs. Gotham with meals, cleaning, and anything else until the is able to help herself. Cynthia keeps hearing a dog, where there is no dog and noises where there are no people. We quickly discover that Mrs. Gotham is involved in the occult, but it turns out she is only trying to contact her dead husband and clear his name. She needs 3 people to summon her husband and has managed to capture 3 ghosts: Me-Myself-and-I, a Librarian Ghost, and a Judge Ghost (who for some reason wears an English barrister's wig) to help, but the connection cannot be established. How does one call up 3 spirits, but cannot call up another? I have no idea.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch school, the science teacher shows Cynthia a device that allows the wearer to see electromagnetic energy and, when she tried it on, sees Me-Myself-&-I. In cleaning the basement, Cynthia manages to capture the ghost dog and takes it to the teacher. The dog escapes, but the teacher's devices do hold it briefly and the three children are equipped with gadgets go back to the house and taking care of business. Me-Myself-&-I, has to be caught three times (which is never explained, but then they never explain why he is eating stuff from the refrigerator either.) During the chase a picture falls off the wall and reveals a letter proving Mr. Gotham was innocent, but that the current mayor of the town did the crime. A brief reunion between the husband and wife ensues and he leaves. The Judge Ghost walks Cynthia through a court proceeding to vacate the conviction of Mr. Gotham and start an investigation of the mayor.
In an unusual move for a direct to video release, the original soundtrack by Livingwithanangel has been released on CD, and MP3, as Ghost Trap (Ost) with the Ghost Trap Theme, BarageGand (revisited), Let's Do This, I Love To Boogie (Jig Mix), Dangerous, Capture Rapture, Ghost Trap Theme (instrumental), Effectively Yours, Ghost Dog (edit), Gearing Up, The Courtroom, Dazed and Confused, Arrivals and Departures, & The Capturing Suite. The music is not inspiring and sounds more on the order of cheap video game sound.
Warning: Here there be spoilers
The plot itself starts alright; a bright young student, named Cynthia Carter, creates a small rocket as part of a science project. Two of her friends speculate if this experiment will result in disaster as so many others have. Upon firing the rocket it quickly goes out-of-control and causes a number of accidents each of which build into a Rube Goldberg sequence resulting in an old woman, named Isabelle Gotham, being injured by a skateboard. Cynthia is before a judge with a lawyer saying Mrs. Gotham wants the kid sent away to prison for her crimes; the judge decides to sentence Cynthia to community service by helping Mrs. Gotham with meals, cleaning, and anything else until the is able to help herself. Cynthia keeps hearing a dog, where there is no dog and noises where there are no people. We quickly discover that Mrs. Gotham is involved in the occult, but it turns out she is only trying to contact her dead husband and clear his name. She needs 3 people to summon her husband and has managed to capture 3 ghosts: Me-Myself-and-I, a Librarian Ghost, and a Judge Ghost (who for some reason wears an English barrister's wig) to help, but the connection cannot be established. How does one call up 3 spirits, but cannot call up another? I have no idea.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch school, the science teacher shows Cynthia a device that allows the wearer to see electromagnetic energy and, when she tried it on, sees Me-Myself-&-I. In cleaning the basement, Cynthia manages to capture the ghost dog and takes it to the teacher. The dog escapes, but the teacher's devices do hold it briefly and the three children are equipped with gadgets go back to the house and taking care of business. Me-Myself-&-I, has to be caught three times (which is never explained, but then they never explain why he is eating stuff from the refrigerator either.) During the chase a picture falls off the wall and reveals a letter proving Mr. Gotham was innocent, but that the current mayor of the town did the crime. A brief reunion between the husband and wife ensues and he leaves. The Judge Ghost walks Cynthia through a court proceeding to vacate the conviction of Mr. Gotham and start an investigation of the mayor.
Generously rated
Agent1029 March 2022
Mark McNabb. He is a man that needs to be stopped. Fortunately he has not put his face on the internet because I am sure there are some people that wish to find him and yell at him for the utter embarrassment he has caused them due to his film career.
It's one thing to have a bad movie from time to time, but this guy fronted multiple terrible projects, and he has so far received no retribution for his crimes against cinema. Today we add Ghost Trap (or Little Ghost Grabbers, which is an awful name).
Much like the rest of his filmography, McNabb inexplicably uses the same kids for his projects, and once again, the kids are fully embarrassing. I hope they get a good chuckle out of this and are okay with these bad movies. I hate to think therapists are making huge bank off their suffering. Much like the rest of the world at the time of this film, we had had enough of Dan Akroyd biding his time on the Ghostbusters 3 movie, and so Mark mother loving McNabb decided to do something about it.
Why not a kids version of Ghostbusters? Except with no interesting characters, coherent plot and comedy. Ooof, when this thing ended it was a relief. Who gave this guy money to make all this garbage? Inquiring minds want to know. I'm so done with this. Adios.
It's one thing to have a bad movie from time to time, but this guy fronted multiple terrible projects, and he has so far received no retribution for his crimes against cinema. Today we add Ghost Trap (or Little Ghost Grabbers, which is an awful name).
Much like the rest of his filmography, McNabb inexplicably uses the same kids for his projects, and once again, the kids are fully embarrassing. I hope they get a good chuckle out of this and are okay with these bad movies. I hate to think therapists are making huge bank off their suffering. Much like the rest of the world at the time of this film, we had had enough of Dan Akroyd biding his time on the Ghostbusters 3 movie, and so Mark mother loving McNabb decided to do something about it.
Why not a kids version of Ghostbusters? Except with no interesting characters, coherent plot and comedy. Ooof, when this thing ended it was a relief. Who gave this guy money to make all this garbage? Inquiring minds want to know. I'm so done with this. Adios.
Post toddler film delivers back seat quiet time time in your SUV.
Beginthebeguine26 August 2013
Director Mark McNabb and writer Barry Cowan make direct to video children's movies. This particular type of film has one goal and that is to keep children interested. It has children slightly older than the target audience as the main characters and a goofy adult for comedy relief. The effects are unpolished as is most of the whole production because it does not have to be. It plays to an unsophisticated audience who still have imagination and wonder about everything. It has no other redeeming qualities, nor does it need them. If you want to keep your children occupied in the back seat of your SUV on a trip, or even at home this film will fill that need. Trying to dissect this film in adult terms is ridiculous.
The film adds some elements of science by making the adult a science teacher. When he speaks about science he is not goofy. I think it is a good idea to use such a character(non threatening adult) to perhaps interest the target audience in science and to make the main character(the older lead) interested in science is a plus. My only negative criticisms are that they use electricity as an experiment and I would be concerned that some young children might consider investigating electricity without adult supervision. It might also be a concern for atheists who do not want their children to think of ghosts or some type of mythological spirituality especially at such a young age. The ghosts are non threatening, however, and the old lady/witch is really just a nice old lady who misses her dead husband.
The film adds some elements of science by making the adult a science teacher. When he speaks about science he is not goofy. I think it is a good idea to use such a character(non threatening adult) to perhaps interest the target audience in science and to make the main character(the older lead) interested in science is a plus. My only negative criticisms are that they use electricity as an experiment and I would be concerned that some young children might consider investigating electricity without adult supervision. It might also be a concern for atheists who do not want their children to think of ghosts or some type of mythological spirituality especially at such a young age. The ghosts are non threatening, however, and the old lady/witch is really just a nice old lady who misses her dead husband.
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