Colin West Delivers a Solid No Budget Ghost Story, Now on Blu-ray
Hitting Blu-ray this week through Cranked Up Films, by way of Kino is Double Walker, the feature length debut by Columbus, Ohio native Colin West. The dreamlike horror narrative stars Co-Story/Co-Producer Sylvie Mix as an alabaster skinned apparition who stalks the streets of her small town on a quest for vengeance. Through flashbacks, we get her origin as young girl who was murdered and was presented with a choice — either have one day to say her goodbyes to those she loved, or live forever and be reincarnated as a ghost — only visible to “Sinners and Believers”. She chooses the latter and we follow her in the week between Christmas and New Years as she hunts the evil men in her small town, luring them away to the bloody demise.
The trust between director Colin West and star Sylvie Mix is palpable, as the actor carries the low-budget ghost story armed with nothing more than a white t-shirt and a paralyzing gaze. It’s a recipe that could easily have fallen victim to its more exploitative trappings, due to her lack of wardrobe, but thankfully the camera never leers at Sylvie, even as she uses her sexuality to trap her prey. To complicate matters, this is mostly a silent character, so much is conveyed either with a simple twitch of an eye or a glance, which doesn’t phase the actor even in the slightest. It’s a rather complex performance, that supplements what the film may lack in budget or exposition with her unnerving battle between vulnerability and violence. Colin is also very careful however, not to overstay his welcome, the film runs at a scant 70 minutes and tells the story it needs to and then rolls credits.
While a ghost story — the film dips its toes into folk horror for its mythos and like the best in the genre leaves the viewer with some food for thought, and a few questions left unanswered. Double Walker has an intriguing premise that is brought to life by the actor and a director who deliver what feels like a true partnership on screen, and the best case scenario for no-budget horror. Colin never falters in his approach to the material and Sylvie in her performance, and because of that the film is a solid watch. That being said my only negative about this haunting tale of vengeance and loss would be no extras are presented on the disc, other than a trailer. It would be interesting to get some idea on the inspiration and the thoughts behind the story or even some behind the scenes.
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