''Ghost from the Machine'' is a 2010 independent supernatural thriller written and directed by

Matt Osterman Matt Osterman (born May 27, 1978, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin) is an American independent filmmaker and Entrepreneur. He wrote and directed the films ''Ghost from the Machine'', ''400 Days (film), 400 Days'', ''Hover (film), Hover and The Fence and ...

. It was filmed in and around

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, and made its festival debut at the

Fantasia Festival Fantasia International Film Festival, also known as Fantasia Fest or simply Fantasia, is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. It focuses on fantasy, horror, sci-fi and cult genre films. Regular ...

in Montreal, Canada. ''Ghost from the Machine'' was also an official Independent Feature Project Labs participant. ''Ghost from the Machine'' was originally titled, and is known internationally as, ''Phasma Ex Machina.''

Plot

After his parents die, Cody, an inventor, becomes obsessed with finding a way to contact them once again. Tom, a local scientist who lost his wife, becomes interested in the project and helps Cody. Together, they discover that Cody's invention can cause ghosts to momentarily reappear as flesh and blood. Tom and Cody become further obsessed with maximizing the amount of time that they can spend with their loved ones, only to discover that a pair of dangerous murderers have also been rematerialized by the machine. Tom and Cody soon realize that the only way to see their loved ones is to put themselves and others at risk. As they debate the ethical and philosophical ramifications of the machine, the killers grow stronger and attempt to kill Cody's younger brother. Ultimately, Cody is able to rescue his brother, and Cody and Tom destroy the machine.

Cast

* Sasha Andreev as Cody * Matthew Feeney as Tom * Max Hauser as James

Release

''Ghost from the Machine'' premiered as ''Phasma Ex Machina'' at the

on July 7, 2010. In 2011,

Screen Media Films Screen Media Ventures, LLC was an American-Canadian distribution company founded in 2001 and owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment since 2017 alongside its subsidiary Popcornflix. In 2008, Screen Media selected The Creative Coalition ...

then acquired and retitled it. It was released on DVD and video on demand on August 2, 2011.

Reception

Dennis Harvey of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "an impressive feature debut" that favors "a slow build and minimal violence over blunt scare tactics". Andrew Mack of

Twitch Film ScreenAnarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...

compared it to ''

Primer Primer may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth * ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour Literature * Primer (textbook), a te ...

'' and called it "a quiet and slowly chilling ghost story that lingers around the fringes of your nerves." Matt Coker of ''

OC Weekly ''OC Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly paper distributed in Orange County and Long Beach, California. It was founded in September 1995 by Will Swaim, who acted as editor and publisher until 2007. The paper was distributed at coffee shops, ...

'' cited the strong performances and well-written relationships made it a stand-out film at the Anaheim International Film Festival. Brad Miska of

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...

rated it 3.5/5 stars and called it thematically confused but "a wonderfully tragic supernatural flick that's both captivating and 'smart'."

Awards

''Ghost from the Machine'' was the winner of the Flyway Film Festival and was voted "Best of the Fest" at the Arizona Underground Film Festival.

Remake

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a Britis ...

'' reported in August 2011 that

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

acquired remake rights; director Gary Shore and writer Nathan Parker were attached. By January 2016, Shore had left the project and was replaced by

Anthony Scott Burns Anthony Scott Burns (born 1977) is a Canadians, Canadian filmmaker, visual effects, visual effects artist and musician. After starting his film career as a visual effects artist and director, as of 2015 he is directing three feature films in pre- ...

. The remake was released in 2018 with the title '' Our House''.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghost From The Machine 2010 films 2010s fantasy thriller films 2010 independent films American fantasy thriller films American independent films American supernatural thriller films Films about the afterlife Films shot in Minnesota American ghost films 2010s ghost films 2010s supernatural thriller films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Screen Media films English-language independent films English-language fantasy thriller films