Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Greystone Park’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

Trying to prove the existence of the afterlife is something that many people are obsessed with. Trying to find a ghost, a shadow person or a demon could take many people their entire lives, but once they are able to capture strong evidence of this, their lives have been fulfilled. Even with the strongest evidence however, there will still be people that will doubt its authenticity and instead of it being held as fact to the masses, it becomes just one more thing to be questioned by the skeptics.  

Young film makers Sean and Alex are wanting to prove that an old asylum is haunted. Talking with their friends about their past experiences with the supernatural just heightens their resolve to prove this. With most of their friends admitting to seeing or hearing something in their past that was not of this world, the two set off to an old asylum with video cameras in hand and are ready to prove to the world that there is something strange going on.

Entering the vacated building and being joined their friend Antonella, the group is ready to put themselves in harm’s way to prove the existence of the afterlife. Believing that ghosts are not powerful enough to harm a live human, they search the abandoned asylum, floor by floor, room by room. With nothing strange happening to start their investigation, they start to question if all of the rumors of what happened in the old building are true.

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​With reports of electroshock therapy and lobotomies being common place in the old institution, the three believe that there has to be something left behind by the old inhabitants. When strange sounds start to occur around the building and shapes in the shadows are seen, if only for a moment, the group starts to fear that they are not the only ones in the asylum. As their investigation starts to take them deeper and deeper into the building, the group starts to fear the shadows and all of the dolls that are placed around the building. When each member goes off on their own however, they have to start to believe that there is something more powerful than a hunting occurring in the building, but a possession.  

Greystone Park is a first-person account of what is currently happening in the abandoned asylum, all while providing a strong look at its past. Not knowing what is real with the lack of lights in front of them, Sean, Alex and Antonella are all faced with the fear of an unseen threat. Believing that ghosts are not able to harm the living, the group starts to fear that what they are up against is another person who may be inhabiting the old building. Seeing things that have them questioning their own sanity, the group needs to find a way to escape the old psycho ward before whomever or whatever finds them and does something unspeakable.

As far as horror movies go, this one is right in the middle. With plenty of scares, you are not able to witness what the members of the team do since it is shot by the actors. This seems to be the cheapest and easiest way to make a horror movie these days and as long as there is a strong story line behind it, I do not mind. Playing with the fears of the group is the best thing Greystone Park brings to the screen and although you are not able to witness the threat to start the film, you do get a fine payoff at the end. Also playing around with the notion of possession when it comes to the different group members is a roundabout way to explain why they start to act so strange during the investigation, but when the movie starts you are told that anyone that enters the old building is driven to madness, so you are left with trying to figure out what really happened to the group. Stay Scared. 

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