Film Review: Inner Ghosts (2018)

SYNOPSIS:

“If ghosts can think and remember who they are, then the physical brain is not the only place where we store our inner selves. Helen is asked to train two young women into the art of communicating with the dead. But Helen’s days as a medium are long gone. In fact, she gave up that life 15 years ago when she lost her daughter. Today Helen is a different woman dedicated to her career in brain research. Things start to change when a visit from the other side offers her the design of a device that can-do amazing things. But to everything there is a risk.”

REVIEW:

Written and directed by Paulo Leite, Inner Ghosts is a traumatic, stunning film that gives us a look at the afterlife. Helen (Celia Williams) is talking about magnetic fields. She is explaining everything that she possibly can. Rachel (Iris Cayette) is Helen’s assistant. She wants her to go to see “mother.” Mother wants to die. She apparently is part of these experiments that Helen works on and Helen is also a medium. Mother wants Helen to carry on her work.

Lilly (Patricia Godinho) is someone important to Helen. She was unable to contact her as a medium. It hurt Helen badly. Celia Williams does an excellent job of blurting out all of these medical terms and she is believable as a great professor/doctor and medium. Paulo Leite does such a good job of focusing on the actors and these tragic events they are dealing with. The sadness and horrific reality of Alzheimer disease is so sad and heartbreaking.

Mother is leaving and Helen feels her “soul” leaving however Mother has some advice and words of wisdom for Helen. Helen and Rachel discover secrets while going through the mother’s remains.

Inner Ghosts is one these horror movies that is great to watch with friends or by yourself. It is a good movie that covers the genre with supernatural theories. Celia Williams is great in the film. You find yourself invested in her character. The “spirits” with the Jigsaw voice over was interesting. You can still hear the actors voice yet it was an interesting choice to go, voice-wise for a spirit. Albert (Joao Blumel) is the spirit that Helen is communicating with.

Helen discovers she captured a few photos of the ghosts. She tries to tell her nay saying colleague and he is a buzzkill. He wants scientific data which is understandable. If you have ever been to a “Ghost” hunt or event, they often start with asking random questions, taking photos and sometimes you see something or maybe it is just our mind playing tricks on us.

Helen meets Elsa (Elizabeth Bochmann) who is a graphic artist that…. wait for it…. Draws demons and her “visions”. She sees the entities in dreams and feelings that she has. Helen is going to help her. Helen and Rachel work together to help Elsa. Instead of Ouija boards and flickering lights this movie does explain some of the ghost factors and what happens in dreams and how spirits can be nice, use electricity to appear and the malevolent spirits. “Ghosts go where the energy flows.”

Rachel is getting messages from the spirits as she sits with Helen and Elsa to communicate with them. Celia is excellent with her lengthy, scientific dialogue. The demonic ghost in this movie isn’t playing around. He is angry. Helen’s boss is also bad. You kind of see that one coming. The special effects get wild. The boss shoots Helen and it’s a grisly, horrific turn for this film. He thinks this ghost device will work better with her dead. Helen finds herself in a strange afterlife. She is still trying to solve a relentless puzzle.

Rachel and Elsa are still tied up and in in such a bad predicament. Someone help! (Yelling at the screen never works. I still do it though.) There is weird flashing now and liquid. (I’m concerned. Is it ghost residue? What is happening?) Oh, nope… it’s a monster ghost forming, at least that is what I can make out during the flashing. (Does this give you vertigo again?) This reminds me of Poltergeist. When he coughs up the “worm” and well, its not a worm at all.

“Stay quiet” – Rachel and Elsa continue to yell and scream. Oh, out of nowhere, Helen for the save. It just got intense. (I feel invested again. The flashing though. I’m sure its for a reason but it’s a tad mind-altering.) The oozy-gooey ghost demon thing was bizarre and I kind of dug it. The ending left a few unanswered questions. But it was a decent film. Good special effects, the characters were interesting. The actors did a great job.

Make sure to check out Inner Ghosts