Ghostkeeper
Encyclopedia
Ghostkeeper is a 1981
independent
Canadian horror film
directed by Jim Makichuk. The story centers on a trio of snowmobilers in the Canadian Rockies
who become stranded at an abandoned hotel where an old woman seems to be hiding something. The film is rather obscure and very little-known of among horror film
fans. It was released in VHS
format in the 1990s
, but has not yet had an official DVD
release.
. After talking with a man at a small ski shop, the three decide to go riding before dark, but end up caught in a blizzard. Looming before them is a seemingly abandoned hotel at the top of the snow trail, isolated from tourists and miles away from the skiing area.
The three enter the building to escape the increasingly harsh conditions, and find that the heat is on — there are, however, no working lights. As night falls, they start a fire in a fireplace in the lobby of the hotel, and tell stories and reminisce. Marty decides to go into the hotel kitchen where he finds an old woman (Georgie Collins) lurking. She is brash and apprehensive of their presence, and they learn that she lives in the hotel with two unseen sons; she fails to tell them her name.
Though hesitant, the old lady takes them to their rooms. Marty and Jenny argue in their bedroom, while Chrissy goes down the hallway to take a bath since the plumbing in their rooms is obsolete. While in the bathtub, Chrissy is attacked by one of the old woman's sons, and held underwater until she becomes unconscious. A restless Jenny goes to check on Chrissy, but the candle-lit bathroom is empty; Jenny then runs into the old woman, and they speak for a few minutes about the hotel and her sons; she says ambiguously that she's "getting too old for it". Marty then stumbles upon the conversation, and they part ways. Meanwhile, Chrissy's attacker carries her to the basement of the hotel, where he slits her throat and then leaves her body in a igloo-like freezer.
Marty and Jenny retire to their rooms, and Jenny awakens in the middle of the night. She leaves her room again, and hears the old woman talking to someone downstairs. She walks to the end of the hallway to the stairwell, and peers down to see the old lady talking to her son, saying, "It's done, isn't it?".
The next morning, Marty goes outside to the snowmobiles to try and start them, but they still fail to turn on. Jenny gets dressed and goes downstairs; Marty is arguing with the old woman in the kitchen — Chrissy is nowhere to be seen, and he suspects the snowmobiles have been tampered with. Marty goes outside the hotel to an old shed to look for tools, while Jenny stays in the kitchen with the old woman. The woman offers Jenny tea, which she accepts. Over tea, Jenny inquires about Chrissy's disappearance, but the old woman is evasive.
Jenny returns to the front lounge room of the hotel, where she grows tired and begins to fall unconscious; it seems she has been drugged. She awakens in the basement, where she finds a book on Native American
folklore
, which explains that a windigo is often "kept" by an old woman who had the power passed on to her from another.
In the basement, she finds the freezer where Chrissy's body was priorly left; she opens it, revealing a growling, beast-like man—it is revealed that he is the old woman's second son, a human Windigo. The other son comes down to the basement with a chainsaw
, and chases Jenny throughout the hotel, up into the attic. Jenny exits through a window onto a small balcony; she manages to push the man over, where he is impaled on an iron fence below.
Jenny then finds Marty outside, who appears to be possessed by something. He wanders off into the woods, and Jenny decides to go back to the hotel. Meanwhile, the storekeeper from the beginning of the film arrives at the hotel in search of the trio; almost immediately after entering, he is stabbed to death by the old woman. Jenny re-enters the hotel, where she finds the old woman's sons body, which has been dragged into the foyer. She finds a shotgun in a storage room, and is confronted by the knife-wielding old woman, who claims she is Jenny's dead mother. Jenny shoots her in the chest, killing her.
After shooting the woman, Jenny seems to be overtaken by something; she goes to the basement and visits the windigo in the freezer, saying, "It's all right, Jenny will look after you now." She goes outside and finds Marty's lifeless body, but has no reaction to it; "I'll come back for you, Marty", she says, sweetly.
The film ends with Jenny sitting in a lounge chair in front of the fire that night; the old woman's voice says in her head, "You've done good. You'll be fine... I'll look after you, you know I will. It'll be like it always was. You'll see". Jenny is the new ghost keeper.
Ghostkeeper was filmed on location in Lake Louise
and the Banff National Park
in Alberta, Canada. Filming began on December 1, 1980, and finished on December 23, 1980. The film's budget was a modest CA$750,000 dollars, thus justifying the film as a highly low budget production. The cast was made up of unknown or locally known actors, and for most of them, Ghostkeeper was their first and final film credit.
The film was made under a tax shelter
, which made its financial situation rather unstable; Jim Makichuk said that he was given the option of halting the film's production when the funding began to run low, but he pursued to finish the film anyway—
The film's score was composed by Paul Zaza
, who also composed music for both Canadian slasher film
productions Prom Night (1980) and My Bloody Valentine
(1981). In fact, many of the musical themes featured in Ghostkeeper were also used in Prom Night.
The film was released in Canada
and the United States
in 1981, being distributed by New World Pictures, but did not receive a home video
release until the early 1990s.
in September 1990 through New World Pictures' home video branch, but has been long out of print. As of today, no DVD
release has been slated, nor any mention of one has been made. Director Jim Makichuk stated in an interview that he was trying to get a DVD released through Netflix
with a quality print of the film, but no release has been announced.
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Canadian horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Jim Makichuk. The story centers on a trio of snowmobilers in the Canadian Rockies
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
who become stranded at an abandoned hotel where an old woman seems to be hiding something. The film is rather obscure and very little-known of among horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
fans. It was released in VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
format in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, but has not yet had an official DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release.
Plot
The film opens with a title card reading "In the Indian legends of North America, there exists a creature called Windigo... a ghost who lives on human flesh." The audience is then introduced to Jenny (Riva Spier), Marty (Murray Ord), and Chrissy (Sheri McFadden), who are spending their New Year's Eve on a snowmobiling trip in the Rocky MountainsRocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. After talking with a man at a small ski shop, the three decide to go riding before dark, but end up caught in a blizzard. Looming before them is a seemingly abandoned hotel at the top of the snow trail, isolated from tourists and miles away from the skiing area.
The three enter the building to escape the increasingly harsh conditions, and find that the heat is on — there are, however, no working lights. As night falls, they start a fire in a fireplace in the lobby of the hotel, and tell stories and reminisce. Marty decides to go into the hotel kitchen where he finds an old woman (Georgie Collins) lurking. She is brash and apprehensive of their presence, and they learn that she lives in the hotel with two unseen sons; she fails to tell them her name.
Though hesitant, the old lady takes them to their rooms. Marty and Jenny argue in their bedroom, while Chrissy goes down the hallway to take a bath since the plumbing in their rooms is obsolete. While in the bathtub, Chrissy is attacked by one of the old woman's sons, and held underwater until she becomes unconscious. A restless Jenny goes to check on Chrissy, but the candle-lit bathroom is empty; Jenny then runs into the old woman, and they speak for a few minutes about the hotel and her sons; she says ambiguously that she's "getting too old for it". Marty then stumbles upon the conversation, and they part ways. Meanwhile, Chrissy's attacker carries her to the basement of the hotel, where he slits her throat and then leaves her body in a igloo-like freezer.
Marty and Jenny retire to their rooms, and Jenny awakens in the middle of the night. She leaves her room again, and hears the old woman talking to someone downstairs. She walks to the end of the hallway to the stairwell, and peers down to see the old lady talking to her son, saying, "It's done, isn't it?".
The next morning, Marty goes outside to the snowmobiles to try and start them, but they still fail to turn on. Jenny gets dressed and goes downstairs; Marty is arguing with the old woman in the kitchen — Chrissy is nowhere to be seen, and he suspects the snowmobiles have been tampered with. Marty goes outside the hotel to an old shed to look for tools, while Jenny stays in the kitchen with the old woman. The woman offers Jenny tea, which she accepts. Over tea, Jenny inquires about Chrissy's disappearance, but the old woman is evasive.
Jenny returns to the front lounge room of the hotel, where she grows tired and begins to fall unconscious; it seems she has been drugged. She awakens in the basement, where she finds a book on Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, which explains that a windigo is often "kept" by an old woman who had the power passed on to her from another.
In the basement, she finds the freezer where Chrissy's body was priorly left; she opens it, revealing a growling, beast-like man—it is revealed that he is the old woman's second son, a human Windigo. The other son comes down to the basement with a chainsaw
Chainsaw
A chainsaw is a portable mechanical saw, powered by electricity, compressed air, hydraulic power, or most commonly a two-stroke engine...
, and chases Jenny throughout the hotel, up into the attic. Jenny exits through a window onto a small balcony; she manages to push the man over, where he is impaled on an iron fence below.
Jenny then finds Marty outside, who appears to be possessed by something. He wanders off into the woods, and Jenny decides to go back to the hotel. Meanwhile, the storekeeper from the beginning of the film arrives at the hotel in search of the trio; almost immediately after entering, he is stabbed to death by the old woman. Jenny re-enters the hotel, where she finds the old woman's sons body, which has been dragged into the foyer. She finds a shotgun in a storage room, and is confronted by the knife-wielding old woman, who claims she is Jenny's dead mother. Jenny shoots her in the chest, killing her.
After shooting the woman, Jenny seems to be overtaken by something; she goes to the basement and visits the windigo in the freezer, saying, "It's all right, Jenny will look after you now." She goes outside and finds Marty's lifeless body, but has no reaction to it; "I'll come back for you, Marty", she says, sweetly.
The film ends with Jenny sitting in a lounge chair in front of the fire that night; the old woman's voice says in her head, "You've done good. You'll be fine... I'll look after you, you know I will. It'll be like it always was. You'll see". Jenny is the new ghost keeper.
Cast
- Riva Spier as Jenny
- Murray Ord as Marty
- Sheri McFadden as Chrissy
- Georgie Collins as Ghostkeeper
- Les Kimber as Storekeeper
- Bill Grove as Danny (credited as Billy Grove)
- John MacMillanJohn MacMillanJohn Stewart MacMillan is a retired a Canadian ice hockey forward.MacMillan began his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1960. He would also play with the Detroit Red Wings. Macmillan left the NHL following the 1965 season and retired from hockey altogether in 1971...
as Windigo
Production and history
Lake Louise, Alberta
Lake Louise is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Improvement District No. 9 Banff . It is named for the nearby Lake Louise, which in turn was named after the Princess Louise Caroline Alberta , the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, and the wife of John Campbell, the 9th Duke of Argyll, who was the...
and the Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
in Alberta, Canada. Filming began on December 1, 1980, and finished on December 23, 1980. The film's budget was a modest CA$750,000 dollars, thus justifying the film as a highly low budget production. The cast was made up of unknown or locally known actors, and for most of them, Ghostkeeper was their first and final film credit.
The film was made under a tax shelter
Tax shelter
Tax shelters are any method of reducing taxable income resulting in a reduction of the payments to tax collecting entities, including state and federal governments...
, which made its financial situation rather unstable; Jim Makichuk said that he was given the option of halting the film's production when the funding began to run low, but he pursued to finish the film anyway—
The film's score was composed by Paul Zaza
Paul Zaza
Paul Zaza is a Genie Award-winning film score and songwriter. In 1980 he won the Genie Award for Best Music Score alongside Carl Zittrer for their work on Murder by Decree. He was nominated for the same award in 1985 for Isaac Littlefeathers. In 1987 he received a Genie nomination for Best Original...
, who also composed music for both Canadian slasher film
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
productions Prom Night (1980) and My Bloody Valentine
My Bloody Valentine (film)
My Bloody Valentine is a 1981 Canadian slasher film released in the wake of the popularity of the slasher genre that had overtaken the 1970s...
(1981). In fact, many of the musical themes featured in Ghostkeeper were also used in Prom Night.
The film was released in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1981, being distributed by New World Pictures, but did not receive a home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
release until the early 1990s.
Home video
The film was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in September 1990 through New World Pictures' home video branch, but has been long out of print. As of today, no DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release has been slated, nor any mention of one has been made. Director Jim Makichuk stated in an interview that he was trying to get a DVD released through Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
with a quality print of the film, but no release has been announced.