Ghost Machine

When a group of military advisers sneaks into an abandoned prison to test an experimental virtual reality combat simulator, they find a vengeful ghost has infiltrated the software looking for revenge against one of them for how it came to be a ghost and must stop it before they become victims of its wrath. This was a pretty enjoyable effort that has some pretty decent things about it and a lot more than would be expected for such a film. Among its better features here is that the atmosphere here is incredibly well-done, using an abandoned prison which is filled with disused equipment, dust-covered surfaces and long, dark hallways that are nicely done to maximize the creepy factor. The use of modern technology with their equipment and simulation machines against this background is a fine contrast with a nice air to it. That makes it quite fun once the ghost gets involved as it's got a lot more to like about it there. The film never really lags so it's got some pretty decent action to keep it interesting. Not only are the war-games fun and action-packed but the scenes with the ghost taking out the swarms of game soldiers or the squad themselves all make this one really enjoyable. That the ghost can manipulate the scenery to change the location on victims is immensely creepy and combined with the backstory and generally original feel of the plot here make for a good time. This one does have a few issues with it. The main problem here is the final half, which is totally out-of-place. The background revelation and allegiance shifts end up missing a lot of the impact they should've had considering storyline developments that are brought up. Hardly any of it makes logical sense as to how they react to what's going on really miss what could've been a great punch to what's going on, which is mainly through the writing which leaves motives totally lifeless, shallow and the ending as a whole pretty weak. The other problem here is the film's rather tame kills, which while dished out in the virtual world allow the CGI gore to be truthful and realistic, leaves a lot to be desired. Most of the gore is left to the simulated soldiers but aren't used for the main characters at all who are generally brutality tortured but fully killed off in bloodless means and leave their deaths feeling rather shallow and empty. Otherwise, this one wasn't all that bad. Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity and mild drug use.

Lamentably banal, metallic straight-to-DVD horror sci-fi outing which sees modern technology connecting with a revengeful spirit. Adeptly made with a certain slickness, but the commonplace story is quite ho-hum, as "The Matrix" meets "Stay Alive" or like somebody already mentioned "The Ring", but it comes off very second-rate in most departments. Uninterested performances with Rachel Taylor, Luke Ford and Sean Faris don't help much either. Richard Dormer is your stereotypical officer with a mean-streak. A couple of army computer experts and some gamer friends take some very high-tech software equipment and set it up in an abandon prison to kick back and have some fun smoking weed while creating a virtual war. However an evil entity (a woman computer hacker terrorist) lurks within the confinements and infiltrates the game's network, putting the lives of the gamers at risk. The premise is workable but the execution of it is lazy and repetitive. Many awkward exchanges, cheap predictable jolts, cheesy special effects and a flat pace. The choice of setting though, creates a foreboding presence. Boring, run-of-the-mill cyber Sci-fi Horror where if you end up dead, you're really dead.

Firstly, for a totally Independent and VERY Low-Budget film, they did a great job in putting it together. If you are the kind of person who likes these kinds of films, say like Full Moon's 'ARCADE' (which this one is FAR more polished) or 'THE LAWNMOWER MAN' (although this one here is WAAAAAAAY simpler and cost about 1% as much) then you should find this entertaining. The point is, is the film made well with what they had? Is the acting decent? Is the script and direction okay? If so, then you have a decent, entertaining film that does PRECISELY what it is supposed to do. I really liked the way it ended too; nice touch... If you like these kinds of films and you go in realizing that this is just a VERY simple Low-Budget Sci Fi Thriller, and you are NOT expecting ultra-realism and as I am always saying, if you have a good imagination and can easily suspend disbelief, and you don't mind a few Phantastical elements thrown in, then you should enjoy it. Believe me... there are TONS of horrible, lousy, and EXTREMELY Painful Sci fi / Horror films out there (just check out the Syfy channel. Or better yet, DON'T... :) Definitely a strong '6'...

The military is using a virtual reality machine to train soldiers for a variety of situations. When a bunch of the soldiers sneak in one night to use it for their own ends they find that the virtual world is haunted by a female ghost looking to kill them. Will they be able to stop her? You've been here before, any number of times the question is do you want to see the same story yet again. To be fair it's well done but way too familiar to work, especially when you can pretty much guess what the ending is going to be. Worth seeing, but I'd wait for cable or some other "free" means of seeing it. 5 out of 10

This story is a beauty. Don't pay attention to the cheesy art cover. Some of the characters are formula. And some are not. And the Story itself may seem to be formulaic-- but it's slightly skewed in a different direction. Some good Thought went into this script. And as for the ghost. . .the beauty of this flick is how your feelings will shift from one direction to another. Stupidity, Pride and Viciousness all end up paying a satisfying price. And the Horror is not in the Blood Spatters-- but the twisty discomfort that comes from watching torture. No-- nothing a la 'Saw', but uncomfortable just the same. This movie isn't produced cheaply either. It's a satisfying Saturday Nite Flick. Get the popcorn ready!

i think I've made it plain that I found Ghost Machine to be as stock and uninspired as its title, but about a half an hour in, there are some cool death scenes. I was encouraged, thinking maybe the film would rally and keep up a good pace. Unfortunately, that was not the case. If you have seen Doom, Stay Alive, Death Row, Gamer, etc., etc., ad nauseam, you have seen Ghost Machine. There are some cringe-inducing moments of violence, I'll give it that. And Rachel Taylor makes the movie watchable for awhile, but even she can't save it from the murky camera work, hackneyed storyline, and gawdawful CGI. (as my friend stacilayne told me its a simple waste of time indeed.)

If this were an American movie, it would not have taken them 31 minutes to establish a plot. The graphics were great and the premise of the movie is just like a hit video game but there was also something that was lacking. A bunch of computer geeks upload an anomaly into their favorite video game to corrupt the system, only to find out that a separate entity exists within the game that shouldn't be there and if a soldier gets killed by this entity within the game, they die in real life. *****Keep in Mind**** there isn't a rated version of this film available so there's a lot of vulgar language, blood/gore/war-type violence and some sexuality in it. Parents you have been warned.

Just watched "Ghost Machine" with a few friends (all nerds) and I actually quite enjoyed it. It had some weak points but overall was a interesting and enjoyable movie. But if you don't like sci-fi and horror combined - stay far away from this one. The horror elements are not that scary and the sci-fi is not that convincing. But my friends and I still enjoyed it - especially because of of a lot of action/soldier/cool moments. So, yeah. Objective it's not that good a movie - but I still enjoyed it. So watch it with a few friends (and preferable some beer) and you will have a good time.

I'm not going to totally dismiss this box office dud as "bad," because I find it quite engaging, in a guilty pleasure sense. This is one of those films that is so flagrantly horrible that it's actually good. You can watch it on a Saturday night with a group of buddies and laugh your butt off. All in all, not an awful movie. If you end up watching this, you will probably be like me in saying that it starts off great then gradually begins to suck. Holds the attention but demands complete suspension of logic. This is one of those movies that had bad timing when it came to its release. This film really has no good merits, pretty much at all.

GHOST MACHINE offers established, notable international Film Stars and younger, up-and-coming ones. WATCH the entire Film before writing "this off". Cons: *the lower-end budget *disturbing context *beginning has shaky-cam thing (yet this is only at start) PROS: *U.K./Irish Film (yet with accents and dialog all American Viewers will be to comprehend) *young(er) stars, especially Rachael Taylor who's character/acting shines through the more she is on screen *dark, macabre locale *similar to Thirteen Ghosts (2001) in the CREEPY Factor and in ways which you will find out!