Review: ‘The Blackwell Ghost 8’ chokes you and won’t let go

To survive and thrive in paranormal land, a filmmaker must fuse a gripping tale of suspense and drama with enough eerie flame to warrant its existence. A personal investment needs to be established, grounded with real character and scares that make you jump out of your skin. For his eighth film in The Blackwell Ghost franchise, writer/director Turner Clay, who also stars in the films, manages to tighten the genre screws way more than you might expect. While the series has morphed into a serial killer mystery, there remain flakes of the paranormal that make your skin crawl. The Blackwell Ghost 8 doesn’t just maintain the spirit of the whole franchise but it contains one of the best scares of the series, leaving you frenzied and gasping for air.

As Clay continues to unravel the mystery of a series of abductions and murders, he falls deeper into the clutches of a menacing presence. The unknown killer, who’s been taunting him and threading together disturbing clues and cryptic codes, winds Clay up just to see him spinning in place. He draws nearer, yet he doesn’t want to kill Clay. He only wants to terrorize him. While his children remain in the care of his mother, Clay finds himself drawn back to the house in Florida, where he discovers that the residence plays a much bigger role than he anticipated.

The Blackwell Ghost 8 might feature very little paranormal activity, but Clay utilizes a Speak & Spell, rigged up into a ghost transitional radio, to tremendous effect. D-A-N-G-E-R has never sounded so chilling, as the film’s most colossally, soul-rattling moment reveals to be one of the best scares in all of horror. With the urgency to discover more dead bodies pressing down upon him, Clay loses his head in this particular sequence, unable to detect the literal danger lurking in the shadows. Nothing, not even his Speak & Spell, can save him. Fortunately, the killer only wants to play with him as a cat does with a frightened little mouse.

The Blackwell Ghost 8 demonstrates that Turner Clay is only just getting started. As “to be continued” dots across the screen in the final frame, you can’t help but shudder — not only for the sheer terror you’ve just witnessed but for the implication the director could outdo himself next go ’round. He did it before (see the shift between 3 and 4), and he’ll most certainly do it again.

What is clear after the eighth installment of this franchise is that Turner Clay deserves to be a big-time filmmaker with studio-backed money. Sure, I’d love to see him continue and finish this franchise, but can you imagine what he’d be able to do with more financing? The possibilities are limitless.

The Blackwell Ghost 8 is out now on Amazon.

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