Ghost Light (2018 film)

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Ghost Light
Ghost Light (2018 film).jpg
Film poster
Directed byJohn Stimpson
Written byJohn Stimpson
Geoffrey Taylor
Starring Roger Bart
Tom Riley
Shannyn Sossamon
Danielle Campbell
Scott Adsit
Steve Tom
Carol Kane
Cary Elwes
Release date
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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.

Contents

Plot

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.

Cast

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.

Release

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]

Reception

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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banquo</span> Character in Macbeth

Lord Banquo, the Thane of Lochaber, is a 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.

<i>Macbeth</i> Play by William Shakespeare

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.

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<i>The Scottish play</i> Euphemism for the play Macbeth

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. A variation of the superstition also forbids quoting lines from the play within a theatre except as part of an actual rehearsal or performance of the play.

Francesca Annis English actress

Francesca Annis is an English actress. She is known for television roles in Reckless (1998), Wives and Daughters (1999), Deceit (2000), and Cranford (2007). A six-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won the 1979 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the ITV serial Lillie. Her film appearances include Krull (1983), Dune (1984), The Debt Collector (1999), and The Libertine (2004).

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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.

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Macbeth (character) Character in Macbeth

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Witches</span> Characters in Macbeth

The Three Witches, also known as the Weird 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, aside 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.

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References

  1. BWW News Desk (31 May 2019). "Folger Shakespeare Library To Screen DC Premiere Of The New Film GHOST LIGHT". BroadwayWorld . Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  2. Foutch, Haleigh (12 September 2018). "Exclusive 'Ghost Light' Trailer Unleashes a Shakespearean Curse". Collider . Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  3. Vlessing, Etan (3 June 2019). "Cary Elwes' 'Ghost Light' Comedy Lands at Giant Pictures". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  4. "Ghost Light". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  5. Ng, Alan (30 October 2018). "Ghost Light". Film Threat . Retrieved 27 December 2020.