GhostWriter a Family Comedy Wrapped in Half-Hearted Horror

Ghost Writer is a film for those who enjoy stand-up comedy with a family drama at the root of the conflict, not for those looking for a horror film.

Tatiana Sapphire’s face grew more familiar, Not because it looks like Chelsea Islan, but because the last five or six years have been diligently starring in big-screen films.

Her performance is fairly good because several times she was awarded the best actress nomination at a national scale award event.

Of the films that have been released, Tatiana is still working in the drama genre. Some are spiced up with romance. Some are wrapped in comedy.

Through the film Ghost Writer, which was released on Lebaran yesterday, he explored new areas. This is because the project, which was funded by the Star vision production house, seeks to marry comedy and horror.

Tatiana plays Naya, a novelist who in the past three years has not published a new book.

He is currently experiencing writer's block, the constraints on the creation of new works which are usually the most non-productive periods for a writer.

The design for Naya's latest novel is actually ready. But the publishing house asked for a complete overhaul of the story because it was deemed less dramatic (read: not selling). Naya is upset. Even if he wants to change the story, he is lacking in inspiration.

On the other hand, Naya is the backbone of the family and she has to pay for her younger sibling's school, Darto (Endy Arfian).

Dario attended a private high school at a fairly large fee. Realizing this, he had asked Naya to move to a public high school. Naya refused on the grounds that she had also studied at the same school.

Naya is stubborn. Naya's stubbornness continues with the refusal of financial assistance offered by her boyfriend, Vino (Diva Mahindra).

Luckily, he still has savings from his old best-selling novel royalties. Not as many as before, but enough to rent a new house for one year.

It is in this spooky new house that Naya accidentally finds the diary of Galih (Ge Pamungkas), the ghost of the house who died by suicide.

His spirit was curious. Inside the diary is a secret about her and her family's past - a story that Naya and the book publishers find interesting.

As a result of holding the diary, Naya can see Galih, who then expels Naya and Darto because they are considered presumptuous.
Naya tries to make peace by promising not to disturb Galih.

However, pressure from the publisher prompted him to ask Galih's permission to be allowed to adapt the contents of his diary into his new novel.

Galih had refused but finally agreed. One condition: Naya should not over-dramatize the contents of her novel.

The story continues according to the title of the film, where Galih literally becomes Naya's ghostwriter.

This film is not to be confused with Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer (2010), although the basic concept departs from the same profession.

A ghostwriter is an old term for referring to a shadow writer alias a writer who works on a literary work for or on behalf of another person.

Comedian Bene Dinosyus wrote the script with Nonny Boenawan. The task of designing scenarios has been done by Bene for the last few years.

The genre is indeed revolving in the comedy and horror paths, such as Warkop DKI Reborn: Part 1 (2016), Stip & Pencil (2017), and Suzanna: Breathing in the Grave (2018).

However, it should be noted, Ghost Writer is Bene's first film as a director and screenwriter.

Since watching the trailer, I have been reminded of Hello Ghost (2010), a film from South Korea which in the theme also features humorous encounters between humans and ghosts.

At a glance, this film also reminds me of Pengabdi Setan (2017). The color tones and cinematographic styles are similar.

Moreover, the Endy Arfian factor is added, who in the horror film directed by Joko Anwar plays Tony, a teenage victim of ghost terror.

But similar is not necessarily the same. Bene actually failed to carry out a mission to make this film look scary. The jump scare is predictable.

The ghosts are not presented as biting threatening figures. The "horror" claim being promoted as a film wrap actually, broke halfway through.

Films are actually more successful in processing comedy - even though their moves are still around the jokes of a stand-up comedian.

Apart from Ge Pamungkas as the main character, a line of other stand-up comedians filled the list of extras, including Arie Kriting, Muhadkly Acho, and Arief Didu.

It seems that the horror scenes in the film are intended not to evoke hair, but as a medium to generate laughter.

This mission is seen especially when Darto and his close friend, Billy (Moh Iqbal Suleiman), are terrorized by Benign (Asmara Abigail), the ghost of his younger brother Galih.

In the middle to near the end of the film, the terror series is tiring. As a result, it not only makes jokes into overdoses but also makes Darto's character saturated.

From the beginning to the end of the film, Darto is shown only as a timid teenager who pees easily.

Apart from Darto, Galih's character is also quite "disturbing. First, maybe because Ge Pamungkas acting seemed excessive when he delivered emotional scenes second, he is a ghost whose concept of appearance is completely confusing.

Naya and other people, for example, can see Galih while holding a diary. At first, Galih could disappear or be seen in front of Naya according to her wishes.

However, in another scene, Naya can control Galih's disappearance and an appearance by alternately holding and releasing her hands from the book Naya's intention to joke, of course.

This inconsistency is a detail that Bene escapes. However, Bene deserves appreciation for leading the film by moving the conflict towards family drama.

The play has two functions. First, to describe the root of the main problem, namely the secret of the past and the present that keeps twisting Galih and Benign.

Second, it provides a fairly elegant solution to the riot that has hit Naya and her sister.
The ending is happy, of course.

The name is just an entertaining film for the family.