The film’s opening sequence cuts between a séance and
some geeky ghost hunters, and is definitely played for comedy. Part of what the
medium says to contact the spirits includes a reference to David Bowie: “Like
David Bowie, go Station To Station” (this film was made before Bowie’s
death). This opening really stresses the supernatural aspect of the story, but
ultimately does the film a disservice because the mood it establishes isn’t
really the mood of the film, and the characters it establishes don’t really
play all that important a role. While there certainly is a playful tone to the
film, the story has a lot more heart than this opening suggests.
We are introduced to Carol and her two children, Amanda
and Adam. Adam is a precocious child who enjoys sounding mature beyond his
years. While it might not be quite believable when he says things like “Zeus’
beard, did you see that,” it’s all right, because of the film’s playful
tone. The family’s new neighbors present them with gifts, including a can of
beans and talismans to ward off evil energy. Amanda understandably misses her
friends, and especially her boyfriend, Taylor. At night after she hears a
tapping at her window, a hand reaches up and knocks over her bedside photo of
Taylor.
Soon Carol and her children see other unexplained
movements of their possessions. I like that when they come home to a mess in
the front room, Carol immediately ushers them back outside. It’s refreshing to
see characters acting sensibly and contacting the police rather than
investigating on their own. By the way, one of the detectives who respond to
the call is played by Mike Cramer, who also wrote and directed the film. He
tells Carol: “This to me looks like the work of teenagers… Or maybe it was
ghosts. That’s what my idiot partner says.” Of course, the idiot partner is
correct. And Amanda finds she is able to see the ghosts, and finds herself
falling in love with Brian, the ghost who died at the house a few decades
earlier, a ghost who plays guitar on the roof and is into punk music, enjoying
Carol’s records more than Amanda’s.
There are some really funny moments in the film. I love
when the geeky ghost hunters play on the idea of adding “X” to something to
make it sound cooler. As they get their gear ready to hunt the ghost, they add
an X to every item, and it’s hilarious. I also love when Adam relates the
ghost’s message: “Disco sucks, punk rules.” There is a scene I
especially appreciate when Brian is weirded out because Amanda listens to music
on her phone. It’s not that he is frightened of technology; it’s that he
realizes that is not a good way to listen to music. And he makes a strong case
on behalf of albums, using London Calling as an example.
The movie does have some minor problems. There is a twist
that you can see coming from very early on, and then when it is revealed, that
moment feels very rushed. It’s an important moment for three of the characters,
particularly Carol, and she is not really given the chance to react. This, in
some ways, really should be her moment, the climactic moment of her character,
and instead it passes by too quickly. The idea of evil energy and spirits
introduced early in the film doesn’t really pan out, but that’s actually fine,
because this turns out to be a rather sweet film. As I said, it has a lot of
heart, which I appreciate.
Much of the music of the film is provided by The Raging
Spectres, Monkey Stealing Peach and Snake Oil Salesman, all of which are
basically the same band, featuring cast member Jack Cramer on guitar. Jack, who
is the son of writer/director Mike Cramer, co-wrote some of the music. Mike
Cramer also wrote some of the music.
Teenage Ghost Punk is available on Digital HD and
Cable VOD, as well as on DVD.
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