When roommates Brad and Sergio accidentally arouse the dead, they team up with sexy amateur ghost hunter, Fernanda, to expose the evil inside their home. But just as the guys start to get close to their hot new partner, they discover that a horny demon wants in on the action. Now, cameras are up, and more than fear is rising in this outrageous romp where only one thing is certain: someone is gonna get screwed.
In order to impress a girl, two roommates set out to make a documentary about a murder that took place in their house decades ago. The girl thinks that the victim’s ghost still resides there, the two guys think that making a movie with her will get them laid. But after they set cameras up around the house, and scary/funny things begin to happen that seem legitimately supernatural… they realize that the ghost is not only real, but she’s become smitten with our guys. Now, they have to try and find a way to get this ‘ghost bitch’ out of the house. A subversive, comedic take on the found footage genre.
Ghost Team One Review (2013)
“Ghost Team One” aims to do for “Paranormal Activity” what “Scary Movie” did for “Scream” — parody a successful horror franchise with a raunchy mix of scatological and sexual humor — but an aggressively obnoxious tone undermines a decent concept and appealing cast. Insufferable result fails as subversive satire or simply a silly good time, limiting the appeal of helmers Scott Rutherford and Ben Peyser’s feature debut to the frathouse circuit and like-minded havens for lowbrow humor. Simultaneous VOD and modest theatrical release from Paramount (home of “Paranormal,” natch) reps the savviest way to capitalize on minimal commercial potential.
As presented in de rigueur found-footage fashion, slacker buddies Sergio (Carlos Santos) and Brad (J.R. Villarreal) throw a wild house party leading to an unexpected discovery: Their home is haunted. And rather than any old run-of-the-mill spirit, it’s the ghost of an Asian prostitute they’re living with. Would-be hilarity ensues, severely hampered by an overall lack of creativity and uninspired exploitation of the “erotic paranormal activity” premise.
Despite the potential to push the envelope of hard-R content a la “Scary Movie” 13 years ago, there’s very little nudity (a random extra flashes her breasts at the camera early on, while a later shot of Brad sleeping in the buff inexplicably blurs out the nether-regions) and absolutely no explicit sex. Not that anyone can accuse the filmmakers of good taste, given the foul-mouthed preponderance of masturbation jokes and sexual references.
A juvenile sensibility dominates throughout, extending to the characterizations of the guys’ third roommate, Chuck (Tony Cavalero), a racist moron and drug addict struggling to stay sober, and significant femme roles — foxy paranormal groupie Fernanda (Fernanda Romero) and Brad’s burnout friend with benefits, Betsy (Meghan Falcone).
Even with the atypical casting of two Latino leads, the pic makes no attempt to avoid the typical genre pitfalls of sexism, homophobia and racism, with Asians particularly bearing the brunt of the tasteless jokes. The largely unseen and completely unheard cameraman is named Billy Chen (Eric Sun), and seems to exist exclusively so Chuck can call him “Ching Chong.”
Cavalero’s over-the-top idiot reaches his nadir in the third act when he’s possessed by the sex worker’s spirit (he starts making pho and dressing in flowered robes). What might have been a provocative gambit of role reversal all too predictably devolves into an absurdly prolonged minstrel show, replete with “me so horny”-level humor.
Santos and Villarreal get off to a shaky start with thoroughly unappealing characters, but eventually develop a likable camaraderie buoyed by solid comic instincts. An unexpected reference to Alfonso Cuaron’s “Y tu mama tambien” and an amusing punchline to the requisite Ouija board scene (“It’s made by Hasbro!”) hint at the possibilities if they had had more consistent material to work with. Romero and Falcone similarly show flashes of promise above the restrictions of their roles.
Second Review for Ghost Team One (2013)
Written and directed by Scott Rutherford and Ben Peyser, Ghost Team One is a found footage horror comedy that centers on roommates Sergio (Carlos Santos) and Brad (J.R. Villarreal), who, after throwing a wild house party, arouse the lecherous spirits dwelling in their home. The next morning, they team up with a drop-dead gorgeous partygoer and ghost enthusiast, Fernanda (Fernanda Romero), to help expose the lingering specters. Soon, however, both Sergio and Brad start competing for Fernanda’s affections, which leads to one titillated demon wanting in on the action.
Though Fernanda is beautiful and sexy, we quickly learn that she’s a bit crazy, too, and Segio knows it. That dynamic progresses and interweaves throughout the movie, with the boys slowly discovering that Fernanda isn’t quite the perfect girl they thought she was. Between the three of them, they begin to uncover secrets about the house, attempting various (and sometimes hilarious) tactics to lure the demon out and capture it on camera.
But at its heart, Ghost Team One is about the friendship between Sergio and Brad, whose close bond fuels most of the comedy. Both boys have a natural chemistry together that’s boosted by the film’s effective use of improv. The interplay between them is very believable, and in most instances their reactions to paranormal encounters are insanely true to life.
One of my favorite recurring bits they have is, when they get too freaked out in the house, they simply run away to the nearest busy street and catch their breath before they decide it’s safe to go back inside. It’s a subtle gag, but one that most found footage horror films wouldn’t try for fear of taking the characters out of the action. But because this is a horror comedy, it actually works.
Ghost Team One (2013)
Directed by: Ben Peyser, Scott Rutherford
Starring: Carlos Santos, J.R. Villarreal, Tony Cavalero, Meghan Falcone, James Babson
Screenplay by: Andrew Knauer, Arthur Pielli
Production Design by: Rémy Englander
Cinematography by: Ben Peyser
Film Editing by: John DeJesus
Costume Design by: Rémy Englander
Music by: Mike Plas
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, some drug use and violence.
Studio: The Film Arcade
Release Date: October 11, 2013
Visits: 191
