Ghost Light | |
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Directed by | John Stimpson |
Written by | John Stimpson Geoffrey Taylor |
Starring | Roger Bart Tom Riley Shannyn Sossamon Danielle Campbell Scott Adsit Steve Tom Carol Kane Cary Elwes |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Ghost Light is a 2018 American horror comedy film directed by John Stimpson and written by Stimpson and Geoffrey Taylor. Starring Roger Bart, Tom Riley, Shannyn Sossamon, Danielle Campbell, Carol Kane, and Cary Elwes, the film follows a travelling Shakespeare troupe whose production of Macbeth falls victim to the play's superstitious curse. [1] The title of the film refers to the electric light left on stage while a theater is unoccupied.
A travelling Shakespeare troupe arrives at a lodge for their latest production of Macbeth . Untalented, but wealthy soap opera actor Alex Pankhurst portrays the lead character, while Lady Macbeth is played by his wife Liz Beth Stevens. Liz is secretly having an affair with Thomas Ingram, the actor playing Banquo, who desires the role of Macbeth. Both dismiss the superstitious curse surrounding the play, openly stating its name as they are alone on stage.
The next day, Alex is struck on the head by a metal rod, but develops a newfound acting ability upon awakening. Thomas and Liz soon find their lives paralleling those of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, with a reluctant Thomas being encouraged by Liz to kill Alex in order to become the play's lead and Liz hallucinating her husband's blood on her hands. Tensions between the two are exacerbated by Thomas developing an attraction to Juliet Miller, a backpacker who joins the cast as one of the witches.
As the production begins in front of a sold-out crowd, it becomes afflicted by supernatural events. Thomas and Liz are killed during their characters' death scenes, while lodge caretakers Eloise and Edna Levesque infiltrate the cast to join Juliet as the witches. When the visions conjured by the witches cause Alex to leave the stage, Thomas' ghost replaces him as Macbeth. The rest of the cast and crew finds themselves trapped in the dressing room as the production is taken over by ghosts of other actors, with the audience also revealed as ghosts. Once the play is completed, Thomas and Liz's ghosts join the rest of the supernatural entities in the final curtain call before disappearing alongside them.
With the ghosts gone, the troupe manages to escape the dressing room, where they discover the theater to be completely empty. The real Eloise and Edna arrive, leaving the troupe at a loss for words.
Liliane Klein and Zele Avradopoulos portray the ghosts who impersonate caretakers Eloise and Edna Levesque, while the real Eloise and Edna are played by Mary Callanan and Maureen Keiller. Ken Cheeseman appears as George Pitard, the theater's owner. The ghost of the actor playing Macduff is portrayed by Jason Mulcahy.
The film premiered at the LA Film Festival on September 22, 2018. [2] It was then released on digital platforms on June 18, 2019. [3]
The film has a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's critical consensus reads, "Fittingly given its title, Ghost Light balances dark supernatural elements against quirky comedy to create a satisfying blend of both." [4] Alan Ng of Film Threat awarded the film four out of ten stars. [5]
LordBanquo, the Thane of Lochaber, is a semi-historical character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play Macbeth. In the play, he is at first an ally of Macbeth and they meet the Three Witches together. After prophesying that Macbeth will become king, the witches tell Banquo that he will not be king himself, but that his descendants will be. Later, Macbeth in his lust for power sees Banquo as a threat and has him murdered by three hired assassins; Banquo's son, Fleance, escapes. Banquo's ghost returns in a later scene, causing Macbeth to react with alarm in public during a feast.
Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, Macbeth most clearly reflects his relationship with King James, patron of Shakespeare's acting company. It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy.
Theatrical superstitions are superstitions particular to actors or the theatre.
Macbeth is a 1971 historical drama film directed by Roman Polanski, and co-written by Polanski and Kenneth Tynan. A film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, it tells the story of the Highland lord who becomes King of Scotland through treachery and murder. Jon Finch and Francesca Annis star as the title character and his wife, noted for their relative youth as actors. Themes of historic recurrence, greater pessimism and internal ugliness in physically beautiful characters are added to Shakespeare's story of moral decline, which is presented in a more realistic style.
The Scottish Play and the Bard's play are euphemisms for William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The first is a reference to the play's Scottish setting, the second a reference to Shakespeare's popular nickname. According to a theatrical superstition, called the Scottish curse, speaking the name Macbeth inside a theatre, other than as called for in the script while rehearsing or performing, will cause disaster. On top of the aforementioned alternative titles, some people also refer to the classical tragedy as Mackers for this reason. Variations of the superstition may also forbid quoting lines from the play within a theatre except as part of an actual rehearsal or performance of the play.
Shannon Marie Kahololani "Shannyn" Sossamon is an American actress. She has appeared in the films A Knight's Tale (2001), 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), The Rules of Attraction (2002), The Order (2003), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), The Holiday (2006), Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), Road to Nowhere (2009), The End of Love (2012), and Sinister 2 (2015).
Fleance is a figure in legendary Scottish history. He was depicted by 16th-century historians as the son of Lord Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, and the ancestor of the kings of the House of Stuart. Fleance is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, in which the Three Witches prophesy that Banquo's descendants shall be kings. Some screen adaptations of the story expand on Fleance's role by showing his return to the kingdom after Macbeth's death.
Macbeth is a 1948 American historical drama directed by Orson Welles. A film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, it tells the story of the Scottish general who becomes the King of Scotland through treachery and murder. The film stars Welles in the lead role and Jeanette Nolan as Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth is a 2006 Australian adaptation of the play by William Shakespeare of the same name. It was directed by Geoffrey Wright and features an ensemble cast led by Sam Worthington in the title role. Macbeth, filmed in Melbourne and Victoria, was released in Australia on 21 September 2006.
"The Foretelling" is the first episode of the BBC sitcom The Black Adder, the first series of the long-running comedy programme Blackadder. It marks Rowan Atkinson's debut as the character Edmund Blackadder, and is the first appearance of the recurring characters Baldrick and Percy. The comedy actor Peter Cook guest stars as King Richard III.
Lord Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis and quickly the Thane of Cawdor, is the title character and main protagonist in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The character is loosely based on the historical king Macbeth of Scotland and is derived largely from the account in Holinshed's Chronicles (1577), a compilation of British history.
The Three Witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, Weyward Sisters or Wayward Sisters, are characters in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The witches eventually lead Macbeth to his demise, and they hold a striking resemblance to the three Fates of classical mythology. Their origin lies in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), a history of England, Scotland and Ireland. Other possible sources, apart from Shakespeare, include British folklore, contemporary treatises on witchcraft as King James VI of Scotland's Daemonologie, the Witch of Endor from the Bible, the Norns of Norse mythology, and ancient classical myths of the Fates: the Greek Moirai and the Roman Parcae.
Just Macbeth is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. It was written by Australian children’s author Andy Griffiths, produced by Bell Shakespeare, and was released as a book.
The Real Thing at Last is a "lost" satirical silent movie based on the play Macbeth. It was written in 1916 by Peter Pan creator and playwright J. M. Barrie as a parody of the American entertainment industry. The film was made by the newly created British Actors Film Company in response to news that American filmmaker D. W. Griffith intended to honor the 300th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death by producing of a film version of the play. It was subtitled A Suggestion for the Artists of the Future. It was screened at a charity benefit attended by the royal family, but was not widely distributed, and no copies are known to survive.
The Voodoo Macbeth is a common nickname for the Federal Theatre Project's 1936 New York production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Orson Welles adapted and directed the production, moved the play's setting from Scotland to a fictional Caribbean island, recruited an entirely Black cast, and earned the nickname for his production from the Haitian vodou that fulfilled the role of Scottish witchcraft. A box office sensation, the production is regarded as a landmark theatrical event for several reasons: its innovative interpretation of the play, its success in promoting African-American theatre, and its role in securing the reputation of its 20-year-old director.
Macbeth is a 2015 epic historical drama film directed by Justin Kurzel and written for the screen by Todd Louiso, Jacob Koskoff, and Michael Lesslie, based on William Shakespeare's eponymous play. The film stars Michael Fassbender in the title role and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, with Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor, Elizabeth Debicki and David Thewlis in supporting roles. The story follows a Scottish lord's rise to power after receiving a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Like the play it was adapted from, the film dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake.
The Third Murderer is a character in William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth (1606). He appears in one scene (3.3), joining the First and Second Murderers to assassinate Banquo and Fleance, at the orders of Macbeth.
The tragic play Macbeth by William Shakespeare has appeared and been reinterpreted in many forms of art and culture since it was written in the early 17th century.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a 2021 American historical thriller film written, directed and produced by Joel Coen, based on the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. It is the first film directed by one of the Coen brothers without the other's involvement. The film stars Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Kathryn Hunter, and Brendan Gleeson.
Macbeth in Manhattan is a 1999 American drama film directed by Greg Lombardo, starring Gloria Reuben, Nick Gregory, David Lansbury, John Glover and Harold Perrineau.