Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
12-year-old Clarice Cheung loves to play hockey and often gets lost in her own little world, which leads to a lot of fights with her older sister. But one day, when a ghost begins to target Clarice’s home, she finally realizes the importance of family.
Created by Erica Eng and Kevin Jihyek Park, “The Ghost” is a twenty-minute short horror film that simplistically explores the themes of family dynamics. Hana Marie Kim portrays hockey enthusiast Clarice Cheung, while Andie Ju takes on the role of the older ‘responsible’ sister, Naomi Cheung, who is preparing to leave for college and expects Clarice to become more attentive to their parents in her absence. The sisters’ strained relationship inadvertently awakens an evil spirit in the house. (I mean, I am guessing, ghosts feed of negative energy right? It’s just a theory)
Honestly, “The Ghost” feels like a moral lesson disguised as a ‘horror’ tale for kids and teens in their rebellious phase. It’s not scary; instead, it’s unwittingly funny (or it could be deliberate) in some scenes. For instance, there’s a scene where the lights go out in Clarice’s house, and they light up a 100 candles (not even kidding) around the house, which made me question if my family was simply poor, because we would light literally one candle on the rare occasions when the power went out when we were kids. Even fancy candlelight dinners don’t feature the number of candles the Cheungs put up in this film. So, that scene made me crack up a bit.
Except for the power-cut scene, the writers refrain from incorporating any clichéd horror tropes, so there are no sudden jump scares or jarring screams to startle viewers. I like how the ‘ghost’ isn’t drowning in ghastly makeup and bizarre special effects; instead, the filmmakers rely on lighting techniques and eerie music to create the supernatural ambiance. Actors Hana Marie Kim and Andie Ju deliver convincing performances as bickering sisters, although their portrayal is slightly shaky in confrontational scenes.
Overall, “The Ghost” is a quick family-friendly horror film which packs in a neat little message at the end. So, it’s worth a watch.
You can stream the short film on Disney Hotstar.
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