Holy Ghost People (2013 film)

Holy Ghost People is a 2013 American psychological thriller directed by Mitchell Altieri and written by Kevin Artigue, Joe Egender, Altieri, and Phil Flores. It stars Emma Greenwell as a woman who goes in search of her missing sister, who has joined an isolated religious group.

Holy Ghost People
Directed byMitchell Altieri
Produced by
Written by
  • Kevin Artigue
  • Joe Egender
  • Mitchell Altieri
  • Phil Flores
Starring
Music byKevin Kerrigan
CinematographyAmanda Treyz
Edited by
  • Mitchell Altieri
  • Brett Solem
Production
company
  • San Francisco Independent Cinema
  • Found & Lost
  • Indie Entertainment
  • Butcher Brothers
Distributed byXLrator
Release date
  • March 10, 2013 (2013-03-10) (SXSW)[1]
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

After her sister Liz goes missing, Charlotte recruits Wayne, an ex-Marine, to help her locate Liz. Their search ends at a Pentecostal church headed by the charismatic Brother Billy. As Wayne becomes attracted to the church, details emerge that Liz may have been held against her will.

Cast

Production

Holy Ghost People was meant to be an even-handed portrayal of Pentecostal Christians, and the film was written to explore both the positive and negative aspects of faith. The documentary Holy Ghost People served as partial inspiration. The film was shot in Tennessee at Camp Nakanawa after the filmmakers scouted locations in several other states.[2] In an interview, Altieri said he wanted to "get back to [his] roots and tell a gritty American tale." Real snakes were used.[3] Egender prepared for his role by watching videos of snake-handlers, whom he described as "charming and funny and charismatic. They are performers."[4]

Release

Holy Ghost People premiered at the 2013 SXSW, where it was picked up for distribution by XLrator.[5] XLrator released it on video-on-demand on February 18, 2014, and it had a limited theatrical release three days later.[6] For the theatrical release, the film was revised to address concerns raised in the festival screenings, such as excessive narration.[7] The film is set for a Video on demand release on Hulu on 15 March 2015, as part of XLrator Media series Macabre.[8]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 43% of seven critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 7.5/10.[9] J. Hurtado of Twitch Film wrote, "A film is only as good as its ending, and Holy Ghost People really had me going up until the ludicrous finale that conjures memories of some other great films, just rehashed and with less style."[10] Dennis Harvey of Variety also criticized the "underwhelming payoff", though he said the film is atmospheric and has a "promising buildup".[11] Jim Harrington of the San Jose Mercury News called it "a relentless psychological thriller that features a solid script and even better acting."[12] Heather Wixson of Dread Central rated it 3.5/5 stars and called it "an eerie exploration of power and religion" that is "an often hypnotic and surreal journey".[13] Joshua Starnes of Shock Till You Drop rated it 6/10 stars and wrote, "The production is slick and the film is beautifully shot, but it’s missing that spark to become more."[14] Evan Dickson of Bloody Disgusting rated it 3/5 stars and wrote that the film is "a well shot piece of work with an intriguing premise and several amazing performances", but the ending "teeters dangerously close" to going off the rails.[15] Scott Weinberg of Fearnet called it "easily [Altieri's and Flores'] most complete, cohesive, and compelling thriller yet."[16] Samuel Zimmerman of Fangoria rated it 2/5 stars and criticized the film's narration, which he states wrecks viewers' engagement with its redundancy.[17] Inkoo Kang of the Los Angeles Times wrote the film "boasts great performances and urgent, intimate camera work" but "makes nasty beasts of the very people Adair strived to humanize". Kang concludes, "Long before its feeble, drawn-out ending, it's clear no miracle can cure this film's many frailties."[18]

References
  1. Brown, Todd (2013-02-20). "First Images From Mitchell Altieri's SXSW Selected HOLY GHOST PEOPLE". Twitch Film. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  2. Wixson, Heather (2013-04-02). "Exclusive Interview: Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores Discuss Holy Ghost People, Raised by Wolves and More". Dread Central. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  3. "Meet the 2013 SXSW Filmmakers #35: Mitchell Altieri Directs a Congregation of Outcasts in American Gothic 'Holy Ghost People'". Indiewire. 2013-03-06. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  4. Reynolds, Nate (2014-02-25). "Fister Interview: Joe Egender Talks 'Holy Ghost People' and Snake Handling". LeftHandHorror.com. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  5. Gonzalez, Cristina A. (2013-04-04). "'Holy Ghost People' Acquired by XLrator Media Following SXSW Premiere". Indiewire. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  6. Barton, Steve (2014-02-21). "The Holy Ghost People Are Preaching Their Maniacal Gospel in This Image Gallery". Dread Central. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  7. DeFore, John (2014-02-18). "Holy Ghost People: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  8. "XLrator Media Gets Macabre on Hulu". Dread Central. 2014-02-18. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  9. "Holy Ghost People (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  10. Hurtado, J. (2013-03-22). "SXSW 2013 Review: HOLY GHOST PEOPLE Sadly Slips From Scary To Silly". Twitch Film. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  11. Harvey, Dennis (2013-12-13). "Film Review: 'Holy Ghost People'". Variety. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  12. Harrington, Jim (2013-03-18). "SXSW Film 2013: 'Holy Ghost People' is intense thriller". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  13. Wixson, Heather (2013-03-19). "Holy Ghost People (2013)". Dread Central. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  14. Starnes, Joshua (2013-03-11). "SXSW Review: Holy Ghost People". Shock Till You Drop. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  15. Dickson, Evan (2013-03-14). "[BD Review] 'Holy Ghost People' Prays For Heaven But Ends Up On Earth". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  16. Weinberg, Scott (2013-03-11). "FEARnet Movie Review: 'Holy Ghost People'". Fearnet. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  17. Zimmerman, Samuel (2013-03-12). ""HOLY GHOST PEOPLE" (SXSW Movie Review)". Fangoria. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  18. Kang, Inkoo (2014-02-20). "Review: No miracle can save 'Holy Ghost People'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
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