by The Blackwell Ghost 6 caught me off guard in a number of different ways. First of all it had been so long since the last one was released I assumed Turner Clay was done with the series. So when the Blackwell Ghost 6 dropped late last month I was surprised. Secondly, this sixth installment deviates pretty far from the source material. It has been pretty clear from the start that the story in the Blackwell Ghost is faked. Somehow though Clay manages to make one of the most emotional fake documentary horror films I’ve ever seen. It’s surprisingly compelling even if you must suspend even more disbelief than ever before. Today we’re going to take a look at it in this review. Buckle up because the Blackwell Ghost 6 is one heck of a ride.
So right off the bat I’m going to tell you that this is not a good jumping in point for the series. You need prior knowledge of all of the prequels in order for any of this to make sense. The Blackwell Ghost 6 is a story driven documentary, and if you haven’t seen any of the originals then I strongly suggest you go back. They’re all pretty good (except the last one, in my opinion) and they are well worth checking out.
The Blackwell Ghost 6 starts off very differently from all of the other films. We’re given vignettes of story to catch us up with what has happened since the Blackwell Ghost 5 ended. Turner Clay’s wife has died, and left him with two young kids. This is the explanation given for why it has taken so long for this sequel to release. Since becoming a single father he has tried a few times to return to the Lightfoot House to record more ghostly happenings. Unfortunately all of the banging and furniture flipping has stopped since he recovered the box of clues at the end of the last movie. Fast forward several months later as his security system alerts him to the presence of someone outside of his house. Their face is hidden as they drop off a package and note.
It turns out to be a keyboard which once belonged to his deceased wife. The two of them donated it long ago, and so it’s unusual that it would just show up here. The note details how the delivery lady tracked Turner Clay down, and also a series of weird events surrounding the musical instrument. Since bringing it into their home it would start playing on it’s own. In addition they would find rearranged magnet letters each morning on their fridge with clear messages. At first he presumes the whole thing to be a hoax, but as the Blackwell Ghost 6 goes on proof indicating otherwise begins stacking up. Turner becomes convinced that the ghost of his wife is tied to the instrument. All the while he starts hearing banging noises around his home, and seeing unexplainable shadows.
Now here’s where you need to really start suspending disbelief. A series of events at this point (which are all supposed to be circumstances) leads Clay to purchase the Lightfoot house in Florida. He stumbles upon various clues in his own home (again through ‘unexplained circumstances’) which tells him that the events to the last film all lead up to what’s happening now. Then, by the end of the film, he jumps the shark with a series of scenes that outright indicate ghosts exist. The reason the past Blackwell Ghost films worked to fool the audience was in how subtle everything is. Here it’s in your face, and honestly way too over the top. I really get the feeling there might be no Blackwell Ghost 7 just because there’s no explanations for the outrageous events in the last half.
You may call me cynical, but I can’t see how even those forcing themselves to believe the lore can continue to do so here. So is the Blackwell Ghost 6 a bad film? No. Yes the illusion is straight up ruined, but as far as entertainment value goes this sequel delivers the goods. The story of a heartbroken husband being haunted by his wife (even in the format of a documentary) is exceptionally well done here. Teri was always a character in the background of the films so you never grew to care about her. Turner Clay however is very human throughout the series, and downright likable. His grief actually feels authentic, and the way the story unfolds will keep you interested from start to finish. Clearly he can’t just come out and say it’s all fake (that would ruin the series for so many) but it’s close enough here.
With that said the Blackwell Ghost 6 isn’t as functional as a horror film. At least not when compared to the previous iterations. For one thing the majority of the film takes place inside his house. It’s a nice home, but it’s not as creepy as the Blackwell estate or the Lightfoot home. Not by a long shot. The spooky occurences also aren’t as violent. You have no flipping furniture. Just banging around, occasional shadows, and that dinky keyboard playing. Because it’s pretty strongly indicated to be the ghost of Turner’s wife it never feels like he’s in any danger. I did get goosebumps in a few of the scenes, but this was mostly because of the music that accompanied them. There are a few fairly scary scenes, but nothing like what we had in the past films.
The Blackwell Ghost 6 also feels like less of a documentary than the past films as well. In the past we’d have exposition of Turner setting up cameras, and talking about everything he was doing. It added a great deal to the illusion. Now either he already has them set up everywhere, or he’s just recording off of his phone. The level of detail is significantly lower than in the past. Also, this feels like far less of a lonely film than any of the others. This is because there’s less monologue. In many of the scenes he’s either interacting with his kids, or talking on the phone to other people. It’s not a big deal for me, but again, is something that shatters the illusion of this being a real documentary.
So then what works in this film? As I already touched upon, there is a lot of emotion put into this sequel. Turner talks a lot about his wife and their last moments together. Strewn throughout the runtime are video clips of them together including footage from their wedding day, honeymoon, etc. This does make the emotions feel real. I’ve watched five movies where this guy runs around looking for ghosts and I was surprised at how attached to the character I am. His grief, and their story feels real, and incredibly human. One part of the film features her supposed last recording as she says goodbye to her children. It’s so well done, and it drew actual tears from me. The Blackwell Ghost series has scared me at times, but I never once expected it would make me cry.
It may sound like I’m being harsh on the film but that’s because it’s still advertised as a documentary. The Blackwell Ghost 6 should shatter the last belief any fans had of this. Regardless, I found the story compelling and I just had to see what happened next. I wasn’t a fan of how it tried to tie elements in from previous films (it seemed like a lot of reaching) but all in all it’s a good watch. It’s a good film, but not a great horror movie. It would make a good finale to the series, but if I’m being honest, I really hope we get a Blackwell Ghost 7.
The Blackwell Ghost 6
0.00
Pros
- Emotionally riveting
- Great story
- Likable main character
Cons
- Not as scary as the previous films
- Less believable
- Fewer horror elements
He has started posting teasers for 7 on his social media. It looks like he’s going to try to pick up where we left off, and possibly ignore this 3 year gap in between. I’m wondering if Terri and Turner are getting divorced or something, and she won’t be available for (or interested in doing) cameos. Also, I wish you were right, but believers still believe this is all real, from the absurd ghost events, to Terri’s death. At this point, nothing will sway them. Who likes to admit they were wrong, and worse– fooled? Great review!
Hey thanks so much for the comment! You were right about the Blackwell Ghost 7, and he gave some very huge indicators that there will be a Blackwell Ghost 8 as well. Personally I don’t like this new direction and really wish he would return back to the roots of ghost hunting. Thanks for your kind words and I hope you keep reading!