Ghosted is a horror comedy written by David Bermudez. It was directed by David Bermudez and Lokesh Babu Akula. It stars Bermudez as a playboy named Jaylen who finds himself and his friend at the mercy of serial killers.

The performances are not cohesive. There are very different acting styles on display, almost as if different characters were directed by other people. The quality of the performances is all over the place. My favorite performance is Chad Opitz‘s. His more subtle performance enhances the often absurd comedy and makes the more emotional plotlines more believable.

The characters are ok. There’s more depth here than I expected. My main problem with the characters is that the dialogue of some of the women is ridiculous, and not in a good way. No character embodies this more than Karina, who is written as some sort of male fantasy more than an actual person. This will be explored later, but I would have liked more women who came off as genuine people, especially given the directions things would take. Also, I think it would have enhanced the theme. I like the character relationships. It’s one of the strongest aspects of this story.

Ghosted is less than fifty minutes long. Some events escalate too quickly, some character developments happen in a snap, and yet some scenes go on too long. Did I find humor in watching a guy eat a banana in a completely unconventional situation? Yes. Did it need to be focused on as long as it was? No. The horror is not well done. This is not suspenseful, thrilling, or mysterious in any way. It is far more successful with its humor, which is reminiscent of the Friday franchise. I laughed enough to call the comedy a success.

Ghosted has audio problems from start to finish. At times it sounds like the music is in the forefront, and the dialogue is in the background. It also suffers from multiple barely audible conversations. Some of the cuts from scene to scene aren’t the most natural. The physical violence is awful, and the sound of violence can be outright silly. The blood looks great, and that is where the practical effects begin and end. They are clever enough not to try to show something they don’t have the technical ability to display.

Ghosted is not good. It suffers from constant technical inconsistencies that make it impossible to make that claim, and that is well before I begin to consider the story and character-related problems I perceive. It is a successful display of potential. Money is a hurdle. More money means better talent; better talent means fewer technical issues. The money isn’t here, but the pen is. Not everything is as effective as it could be due to some of the performances. I still found a lot to like. I also found a lot of instances where I thought, “This is funny on paper” or “This is heartwarming on paper.” Some polish and a whole lot more consistency can take these guys a long way.