BOO

Better than a lot of the "studio" horror films that are out there right now, BOO is a safe bet to get a great thrill ride. While studio films in the horror genre are becoming more and more predictable, or are simply re-hashes of previous films; it is refreshing to see a film like BOO with its original storyline and use of more scares than gore to freak the audience out.

BOO is the tale of a group of college teenagers who get trapped in a haunted hospital on Halloween. The story starts off with the kids believing the "haunted" parts of the hospital are all gags created by a friend, but once they realize they are really in the presence of ghosts, the real fun begins. Locked inside they must find a way out, with the help of former 70's B movie star turned policeman Arlo Ray Baines aka Dynamite Jones (Dig Wayne). The ghosts manifest themselves in all kinds of creative ways from walking dead to sudden appearances in the dimly lit elevator (which only takes you up to the 3^rd floor).

Anthony C. Ferrante makes his directorial debut with BOO, though he is no stranger to the horror genre. Ferrante is a journalist and special effects artist whose resume stretches back for years in the horror community of Hollywood. Obviously comfortable in the world of scares, Ferrante wrote the script as well as directed, and he understands all the subtle nuances of a good fright. BOO handles the idea of a ghost story in a manner akin to HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, but does one better, and convolutes the idea of what ghosts are capable of accomplishing in a haunting.

One of the best aspects of BOO is not the ghost or the scare factor, but the casting. So many horror films cast people who can't act, and more often than not portray one-dimensional characters that are just meat to be picked off by whatever evil is pursuing them. BOO has a great cast of new faces who not only believe in what situation they are caught in, but also make an audience care whether they live or die. The band of people trapped in the hospital are a well functioning ensemble who play off of each other extremely well making you forget at times that this is a horror movie, and not a drama. Dee Wallace Stone (THE HOWLING, E.T.) puts in a cameo, which is an integral part of the film. Stone is a great actress who is no stranger to the horror genre, and as always she turns in a stellar performance.

All of the effects created for BOO are superbly done. The make-up FX in BOO supervised and created by Kevin Wasner, are fantastic. Going above and beyond what you might expect to see in an independent film, Wasner does top-notch appliances that look shockingly real. His masterpiece in the film is a reanimated K9 corpse that attacks one of the hapless people trapped in the hospital. Visual effects are equally impressive created by Michael Shelton, who uses them in such a way that you often forget you are looking at visual effects shots. The ghosts are brilliant; fading and strengthening in frame, suddenly appearing, and dissolving with flawless green screen work.

The filmmaker's commentary (including Ferrante, producer David E. Allen, editor Chris Conlee and co-producer Sheri Bryant) is fun and interesting, divulging details about locations, and or people involved in the scenes. The track also involves interaction between the filmmakers, which is sometimes lost on other DVDs with isolated track commentary. The featurettes themselves have interesting behind the scenes moments detailing how the location was used, and really great explanations and applications of the SPFX make-ups used in the film. The most unique featurette is a segment involving cast and crew recounting ghost stories about the Linda Vista Hospital in which the movie was shot.

The deleted scenes show slightly longer or alternate takes of scenes in the film, including an alternate ending that has a bit more comedy to it than the one used in the final film.

BOO hits DVD today and see why the film harkens back to more original horror films, before the era of sequel after sequel.