Review by Monique Thompson
Thomas Livingston, an author desperate for a hit, spends a weekend locked in a haunted lighthouse as a publicity stunt for his next book. As Livingston delves into the lighthouse’s terrifying history, he is targeted by powerful supernatural forces.
WIDOW’S POINT the film tells the story of an author who’s willing to do anything for his next big hit, even if that means staying in a haunted lighthouse. Thomas Livingston is desperate for new material and is hoping that his stay in Widow’s Point will provide him the leverage to catapult his next book to the top of the best-selling list. Thomas will spend an entire weekend locked in the lighthouse alone with only a camera and microphone to document his footage. His two-person crew is right outside the locked lighthouse watching every minute of the action.
The film WIDOW’S POINT takes a stab at bringing to life the story told in the novella by Richard and Bill Chizmar. From a plot standpoint, WIDOW’S POINT, is chilling and creepy, however, the film doesn’t quite nail those emotions. Thomas does a great job of portraying this cocky author who’s scared to death after experiencing psychological visions while trapped inside of the lighthouse but it’s everything else about that film that just doesn’t quite nail things.
While Thomas is locked away in the lighthouse, almost immediately he loses his video connection, followed by this audio connection. However, not once does his film crew find it bizarre or even try to check that things are fine, even if it was to just let Thomas know that they had no contact with him. Then there are the ghostly figures that appear as the paranormal. Again, they’re almost as clear as the main character. Visually, something is just not there to adequately portray the figures/ghosts as a creepy paranormal being. Even as a low-budget film, the effects are much worse than what to expect from a low-budget independent film.
In terms of the ending, unfortunately, the absolute biggest let down. Things went from a psychological thriller quickly to the worst science fiction scene. Without giving too much away as far as what appears, it is the most awkward ending. Nonetheless, I still mustered through the entire film but will likely never watch again.
Available Tuesday, September 1st.
