"Ghost of the Needle" is the compelling and taunt story of Jacob (Brian Avenet-Bradley), a talented photographer who enjoys injecting young women with drugs and then photographing their dead bodies. His agent, Richard (Greg Thompson), is frustrated that Jacob won't sell any of his work, even after a nice commission to photograph a bridge at a particular time of day.
Jacob manages to find a new girl, Aimee (Cheri Christian), while photographing the bridge. But after this murder, funny things start to occur in Jacob's studio.
I'd say more, but that would just ruin the experience of viewing this incredible piece of cinema.
The film is directed and edited with confidence by Avenet-Bradley, and shot with skill by his wife, Laurence Avenet-Bradley. No shot is superfluous or poorly staged. The script, done by Avenet-Bradley is a refreshing one, choosing to center on the killer as the primary character.
It's interesting that Jacob almost becomes the sympathetic "hero" of the film as Avenet-Bradley surrounds Jacob with unlikable people, including his slimy agent, a nasty detective/bounty hunter (Kevin Bartolomucci), and Steve, the wealthy man (Jack Harkleroad) who is commissioning Jacob to photograph the bridge. The only truly likable person Jacob meets is Laura (Leigh Hill), Steve's wife.
None of these people have done anything wrong or even given you a reason not to like them, and yet I found myself viewing Jacob the most likable fellow, despite the fact that he's serial killer. It's a refreshing shift from having the strong hero battling the interesting psycho to focusing only on how the killer is viewing this world around him.
Avenet-Bradley's Jacob is a sullen and nearly emotionless man. It works. "It's technical," Jacob says early on. And it is. The film makes a point of showing the audience just how methodical Jacob is in his photography, with a wonderfully done sequence of photo development by hand (Reminded me of "One Hour Photo"'s explanation of how of one-hour places do your snapshots). The victims are picked purely by chance. Jacob then goes through the process of propping them up, photographing them, and the developing and framing the pictures. The method has meaning for him, not so much the result.
Thompson's Richard is a very Hollywoodish agent, all smiles with customers, slave driver with Jacob. His line delivery is dead-on and wonderful, injecting deadpan humor into a very serious, unfunny film.
The real gem is Leigh Hill as Laura. I was a bit iffy concerning the performance when Laura first appears, but by the end, I was sold on Hill. She plays Laura with serious inner-strength and a quiet, loving power that nicely balances Jacob's technical methodicalness.
I'm not a person that gets scared at films that have tons of blood, lots of gore, etc. I'm more about atmosphere and creating an air of suspense and danger. "Ghost of the Needle" does a fine job of doing these things. Laurence Avenet-Bradley's camera work goes a long way to achieving this by weaving in and out of the truly spooky warehouse with wonderful dolly shots throughout the film. Additionally, Mark Lee Fletcher's score is eerie and haunting, only increasing the strength of the film's thriller capabilities.
"Ghost of the Needle" is a fine, compelling suspense story with fine acting and technical work. This is a little film that deserves a big theatrical break.