The Ghosts of Monday – Cleopatra Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Cyprus, 2022
Director: Francesco Cinquemani
Writers: Francesco Cinquemani, Loris Curci, Andy Edwards, Barry Keating, Mark Thompson-Ashworth
Cast: Julian Sands, Elva Trill, Anthony Skordi, Joanna Fyllidou, Mark Huberman, Flavia Watson, Maria Ioannou, Marianna Rosset, Loris Curci, Christina Marouchou, Christopher Greco, Kristina Godunova, Michalis Antoniou

Release Date: January 24th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 76 Minutes 49 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"A group of US film-makers who travel to Cyprus to film a documentary in the tragically famous Hotel Gula - a once popular resort where more than 100 people died in mysterious circumstances. What begins as just another day at the office will eventually turn into a terrifying journey into the unknown.." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

The Ghosts of Monday comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 18.2 GB

Feature: 15.2 GB

The source used for this transfer looks clean and is in good shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, and the image generally looks crisp. Black levels are not convincing, there are moments where contrast looks too hot, and there are some mild compression-related issues.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Stereo English), 4/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the LPCM stereo track sounds surprisingly robust. Included are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a trailer for Frost (1 minute 33 seconds, LPCM stereo English), a slideshow, and seven unrelated trailers for films also released by Cleopatra Entertainment.

Summary:

Based solely on its premise, The Ghosts of Monday has a solid foundation. Though setting a horror film in one location is something that has become all too common, the use of one location works in The Ghosts of Monday’s favor since it is a character unto itself.

While watching The Ghosts of Monday, it is hard not to think of The Shining. Both films take place in one location that is haunted by the dead who once roamed there. Unfortunately, beyond these superficial similarities, these two films could not be more different.

The Ghosts of Monday has an ample amount of well-timed jump scares. That said, the most memorable horror films all have spectacular opening kill scenes in common. The Ghosts of Monday takes the opposite route; the first forty minutes are mostly character-building scenes with glimpses of the horror to come. with all of the carnage taking place in the last thirty minutes.

Performances in horror films are notoriously difficult to assess, especially in independently produced horror films like The Ghosts of Monday. That said, most of the performances suit the story at hand. The most memorable performance was Julian Sands’ (Warlock's) portrayal of Bruce, the host of a TV show being filmed at the cursed hotel. He delivers a delirious performance that is in line with the type of performance that he's known for.

When it comes to onscreen carnage, The Ghosts of Monday is a sufficiently gory horror film. Another area where The Ghosts of Monday scores highly is cinematography, which actually creates some solid atmosphere. Ultimately, The Ghosts of Monday is an uneven film that never fully lives up to the promise of its premise.

Cleopatra Entertainment gives The Ghosts of Monday a strong audio/video presentation.

Written by Michael Den Boer