DANIEL MANCHESTER I was in a second hand DVD shop and so this - The cover looked intriguing, the notes looked good and for a quid... You have to say nothing ventured nothing gained.Wrong! This is slow, badly acted, badly directed, badly shot and a complete waste of a quid! The plastic for the DVD and box must have cost more than I paid for it and all that is in that is a waste of energy. The chap who made this, directed and starred in this gave not a single chance to any actor in the production to show if they can really act or not.The trouble is if it wasn't for the advent of DV and the fact that anyone can now make a movie, the film industry may not of progressed at all and Hollywood would still be only churning out cannon fodder. But sadly when you see an indie like this, regardless of how much it costs, it's a shame such shambolic drivel. I'm sorry to say this it went in the bin where it belongs.

magicpink I can only assume the reviews already on the site are written by relatives or those profiting on the release of the film or I saw a completely different movie then they did.First tip: When your cast list and production team are made up of the same three people, you're going to have a bad movie no matter what.I really don't have the time to devote to talk about all the errors and shortcomings this movie has. I wish I did. But I don't think I'll live that long.The acting is terrible (count how many times the main character, who is also the writer, director and executive producer, grabs his face when he has to display an emotion. I lost count at 50 and the movie wasn't half over), the dialogue is clumsy, the "brothers" seem to be from London AND Italy, characters show up for no reason and add nothing to the story, we have ridiculously long, drawn out scenes that do absolutely nothing for the film, the special effects are a strobe light, a fog machine, and an unfocused camera and worst of all the thing just isn't scary. And this is the EXACT kind of movie that should have scared me.I gave it two stars because, really, the heart is there. In the end, the movie reaches too far with far too small a budget. I'd really like to see what this writer/director could have produced with adequate funds but this thing was like turd cake. They may have tried making a cake but it's still made from turds.

madjacktorrance A year after his pregnant wife was brutally murdered, Chris (Russ Diaper) returns to the hotel that they both owned and ran. Not only is the hotel his home and his business, it is also where his wife's murder – at the hands of a psychotic guest – took place. It's not surprising, therefore, that Chris is less than certain that he wants to stay and it quickly becomes apparent that the main thing keeping him here is the encouragement – bordering on pressure – from his brother, Mark (Rami Hilmi), who is keen to see Chris start to rebuild his life.Not right in the hotel, however, and Chris' initial discomfort at being back starts to give way to the feeling that someone – or something – else is also living in the building… Spirits of the Fall takes a bit of time to get going, largely because of the very exposition heavy dialogue in the initial scenes. A fair chunk of time is spent early on explaining both the set-up and backstory and, given that the nature of the film is also heavily hinted at, much of this explanation feels both leaden and redundant.That said, the acting is competent throughout and both of the leads do a good job of maintaining the believability of the two brothers at the centre of this film and the relationship between them. And it's this relationship that provides both the initial impetus of the film and the veracity for the characters' reactions.Where the film really scores strongly, however, is with its atmosphere. The big old hotel (it certainly feels both big and old) in which the film is set is superbly oppressive and this is expertly enhanced both by the darkly ominous cinematography and the excellently chilling soundtrack. When all of this comes together – and it does for most of the running time – the film becomes a genuinely gripping experience that really does take on a life of its own.Although the plot of Spirits of the Fall relies a little too heavily on convenient characters turning up to explain what is going on, this is a competently told ghost story. But to focus overly on the storyline would be to miss the point which is that this is a film that sets out to unnerve its audience and, when it lets rip with the sounds, the sights and the glimpses of things that shouldn't be there, it succeeds spectacularly.Writer/director, Russ Diaper has a very strong visual sense and an excellent grasp of how to build a genuinely chilling atmosphere. On the strength of this film, he really is a talent to watch out for.

Devokees So instead of going out to see Saw V when it did, me and some friends decided to head to watch this film, which was being held at my house, I had received the DVD in the mail, after asking for it. I have known russ for some time, and loved his earlier stuff. So I went into this film with my friends with High expectations.I was not disappointed, yet there are somethings that make you wonder... so... Watch out there are spoilers!SPOILERS!!!!!!!!For one near the end of the film you begin to wonder what exactly happen to the brother... not giving anything away he kind of just vanishes... not sure if he dies or not... he was a likable character, and you kind of feel lost when he vanishes.One thing I liked a lot were the camera angles... which added to the dark and eerie atmosphere. There are a lot of close ups which add a bit of claustrophobia to the viewer to kind of show what the main character is going through. There are some great scares in this as well, especially the key hole. The music really builds up tension, and reminds me a lot of the halloween films. One listen to the sound track and you will feel that the music was inspired by John Carpenter. It is very subtle, but when it is time for a scare it really jumps on you.Some characters were not needed, and are only there for one scene, you sit there hoping they will come back to be a larger part of the film... but they don't which was my only disappointment. At one point where you think a female is going to be the new love interest of the character which could add problems, due to he is trying to get over his long lost love.... and moving on at the same time, thought it would of added a nice twist. but who knows, there is always room for a sequel.Being a fan of indy films, and maker... you have to go into movies with an open mind. Some reviewers will slam an indy film because it doesn't have a larger budget than some films, or has no well known actors, or doesn't have charlie clouser scoring it. And some indy films are just... well crap. But they try is what I am saying. You have to know all the pain and troubles a director goes through, and I could relate with Russ on this. By watching you can tell they might have run into problems, which makes me respect the film more.Some of the acting might be a bit stale in some parts, but other than that, it was a really good movie, with some great effects, and one hell of a crazy ending. Keep it up man, this was great! Keep bring horror back where it belongs! I give this film 9 skulls. Will Hartman