Written and directed by Scott McMillan, Jack may not make it home when a ghost story could turn out fatal. Starring: Christopher Wallace and Susan Sims.
Ghost stories are a timeless part of the horror genre because they capitalise on the most vital part of enjoying any scary film, fear. The most effective way to scare an audience is by using their own imagination against them, tapping into all the deepest, darkest possibilities that a story can hold. So, it’s great to see Scott McMillan throwback to a more classic style with The Bridge, it’s a good old-fashioned ghost story.
McMillan captures that typical back and forth between logic and fear, having Jack (Christopher Wallace) walk that line between being convinced it can’t be true, while afraid at the slightest chance that it could be. It works really well, Wallace’s performance has that cracked confidence, laughing things off but communicating the fear that hides behind the laughter. He helps to set the atmosphere and push the tension and suspense.
Like many films, the tone is strongest when it’s letting the audience do the work for it but unfortunately when it begins to throw the elements intended to scare right in your face, it weakens. It’s akin to the typical problem with monster flicks, the more you show them, the less scary they become, losing the advantage of mystery. So, when its ghost story comes to fruition, it tends to linger too long or simplify the tone, which steps back from the darkness and malicious air it had built so far.
Although it does try to counter that transparency with the directorial style, it uses a great variety of angles and camera movement to give it a strong observer feel. The way that it follows Jack is almost in a stalking fashion, which quickly adds a foreboding edge. The mix can be a touch chaotic but you can easily see the intention behind it to enhance the atmosphere.
The Bridge is a nice throwback to traditional ghost stories, it plays upon that classic style with its writing while modernising the visual. It starts off strong and works well to set an atmosphere of fear and dark potential but it then falls into the overt. The beginning uses the audience imagination whereas the ending isn’t holding anything back. There are some good ingredients at work, strong intention and a variety in its direction, it feels like a great building block for more in the future.
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