Little ghost girls in old houses are a staple in horror film history. They seem to go hand in hand almost synonymously and people always seem to eat up the story, no matter how many times pieces of the plot have been recycled. I, personally, find it a little weird that people are so involved with the “what horrible tragedy has befallen the innocent little girl” mystery, but, hey, here we are with another new one titled Restoration. Based on the people involved with this feature film, I knew the quality of production was going to be great, but what about the story progression? Does Restoration bring anything new to the subgenre? Read my review to find the answer.
Restoration is written, directed and produced by Zack Ward, most known for his character work in A Christmas Story (1983), Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004). Restoration is Ward’s feature length directorial debut, an effort he created with co-writer and co-producer James Cullen Bressak. Lead cast members include Emily Roya O’Brien (Pernicious, “The Young and the Restless”), Adrian Gaeta (“The Acid Brotherhood,” Inner Demons), Zack Ward, Sarah Ann Schultz (Black Beauty, Wolvesbayne), Anna Harr, Nick Principe (Laid to Rest, Seed 2), Reatha Grey (“Bettie White’s Off Their Rockers,” Chocolate City) and Kevin Porter.
“While renovating their house, a young couple find a diary hidden in the walls, lost for 30 years. Opening the book releases the ghost of a child that haunts their dreams and waking life, driving them to find the cause of her death so they can can release her soul.” – Uncork’d Entertainment
To start things off, I’m not surprised that another horror film with James Cullen Bressack attached to it has secured a distribution deal. James Cullen Bressack is quickly emerging as one of the brightest (or should I say darkest?) faces in horror and he brings attention and a certain level of charm to anything he puts his hands on. What Zack Ward brings to the table, though, is history and the standard for professionalism that has been key to his decades long success. Both men know what they’re doing and proved to be an honorable pair when creating Restoration. I struggle to find a flaw, an error, a badly written piece of dialogue, or any production related critique, but I can’t find one. Restoration is a good old fashioned, supernatural horror flick that’s polished with gold (like Pernicious) and enthralling like fire. Well done, gentlemen!
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From the opening credits that were somewhat animated and featuring a catchy tune, I knew that Restoration was going to be different… but I wasn’t expecting the way in which it would be different. The opening scene of a patient dying at the hospital, a character being burned and traumatized, a special family announcement… Restoration is one of the few horror films in its category that is actually capable of pulling emotions out of the viewer, which in return causes them to care about the characters and their safety. There’s not a single horror film archetype character to be found, so they all seem so realistic and developed; not to mention all of the characters were brought to life by incredibly talented actors. You can’t have suspense without emotion and Restoration delivers on both accounts.
Restoration contains a subtle type of horror, again, going back to the old school haunted house type of storytelling. There’s a couple instances where the horror is in your face, or there’s a jump-scare, but the horror really lies in the quiet moments when the story is progressing. You know shit is going down, you know something is coming, you know that something is going to be really bad, and all you can do is sit around and wait for it to happen. That is how you tell a story. You don’t always have to be shock and awe; sometimes you can let the viewers scare themselves with anticipation and subtle plot progression, the slow march towards disaster. There isn’t too much gore to be found here, but I found one death scene in particular to be equal parts funny and impressive. Also, props for creepy teddy bears… Lots and lots of creepy teddy bears.
Restoration is a cornucopia of genres – horror, science fiction and mystery – and there’s also elements like romance, drama and thrills thrown in for equal measure. It’s a roller coaster ride of emotions and contains a suffocating amount of suspense. It’s so much more than that, too, but I don’t want to include any spoilers. So, to answer my question above, Restoration brings two new things to the subgenre. One of which I’ve already named in my review… and the other you’ll have to watch for yourself to discover. Restoration hits VOD on May 3rd and is out on DVD July 5th. Final Score: 7.5 out of 10.
