By Geno McGahee
Nicolas Cage is usually worth the price of admission. His overacting is legendary and whenever a new movie is released with him as the star, I will rent it. At one point, Cage was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood with huge box office hits like CON AIR, THE ROCK, FACE/OFF, GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS, and NATIONAL TREASURE, but he’s not had a real big hit of late. He starred in GHOST RIDER, but the superhero film did not impress many. Recently, the indie film “JOE” showed that Cage could act in a dramatic role when he wanted to and turned some heads, but then the big screen “LEFT BEHIND” was released. In Cage’s defense, any time you remake a film that starred Kirk Cameron, the odds are against you.
One of the most recent films starring Cage is the paranormal horror movie “PAY THE GHOST.” Mike Lawford (Cage) is a professor that is really tied up in his career. His job consumes his life, forcing him to lose quality time with his young son, Charlie (Jack Fulton). He plans to make it right by carving a pumpkin and going trick or treating, but, once again, he gets tied up. Arriving late, dressed like a cowboy, Cage catches up with his wife, Kristen (Sarah Wayne Callies), and son. Even though it’s late, he takes Charlie to a Halloween fair and that’s when things get strange.
They walk through the fair and there are people in costumes everywhere. His son notes that they have to “pay the ghost” but the comment is ignored. When Mike takes his son to get some ice cream, Charlie disappears. Mike frantically looks but the place is mobbed with people and he cannot find his son. He approaches a police officer but he’s told that his son probably walked home. What a terrible cop.
Kristen is shocked to see her husband run into the house without Charlie and soon the realization that her son is gone. Their world and relationship crumbles and now they live apart and with great sadness. Mike’s entire life has become the hunt for his son. Things begin to get weird. Mike begins to see visions of his son and starts to see a connection between the disappearance of his son and the disappearance of other children. All of the kids are mentioning “the ghost”. When Mike brings this to the police, they aren’t impressed, but when they research the cases, they see the connection as well and begin following it as well.
As the search continues, Mike begins to reconnect with his wife. It’s not perfect, but they are starting to rebuild their relationship and Mike’s hunt is starting to get results. The monster and a curse have to be combatted and overcome for his son to return. This leads to the discovery of thousands of children, all prisoners of this creature, but many seem too far gone. As Mike walks through the mob of kids, he finds his son and two other recently missing children and they make the run for it, but they aren’t going to get away that easily.
PAY THE GHOST is a good paranormal monster movie. Cage plays the role very well and is very easy to root for. He approaches this role in a more dramatic fashion, toned down, with occasional bursts of aggression. It was very effective. Sarah Wayne Callies deserves mention as well. She was great in this, but at certain moments, she was amazing. When she stormed out of a coffee shop and was confronted by Cage, she had this emotional outburst which was very compelling. I highly recommend PAY THE GHOST. Nicolas Cage remains worth a rental and it was nice to see him in a horror film. He is a national treasure.
Rating: 7.5/10
