Creepy as hell. Those are the "three little words" that every horror film aspires to achieve. Very few succeed, but Death of a Ghost Hunter earns this proclamation in this horror fanatic's opinion.

It isn't a perfect film by any means, and some of my fellow horror enthusiasts have criticized it rather heavily, but this is the creepiest film I've seen since [Rec]. Not surprisingly, Death of a Ghost Hunter is a low-budget labor of love -- I shudder to think just how badly Hollywood would have ruined it.

I actually see some of the movie's weaknesses, as pointed out by others, as strengths. For instance, critics love to point out that the film was shot in a mere nine days, as if the secret of cinematic success is to spend a hundred million dollars over the course of nine months while pampering "stars" who might deign to come out of their trailers once or twice a day to actually shoot something. Death of a Ghost Hunter is all about atmosphere, and I have to believe that such a tight shooting schedule helped cast and crew remain focused at all times on the task at hand and helped maintain that all-important atmosphere throughout. This is a tight film -- in terms of the production as well as the story itself -- and I see that as a good thing.

Sure, the acting isn't top-notch in every scene, some of the dialogue could have benefited from some retooling, and the last part of the film is justifiably open for debate, but this film registers abnormally high on my creepiness meter, and a horror fan can hardly ask for more than that.

The story is presented as a documentary account/recreation of ghost hunter Carter Simms' investigation of the Masterson house in Arizona -- an investigation that, as we are told from the outset, resulted in Simms' death. The house itself has been preserved almost untouched for the past 20 years, ever since the Masterson family (a minister, his wife and their two children) were brutally murdered within its walls. The house's current owner offers Simms five grand to investigate the goings-on there, and she is only too happy to oblige -- even though it means working alongside a videographer and a newspaper reporter.

While Simms prefers to work alone, her new little trio works together fairly well. The fourth member of this rag-tag team is a problem, though. Mary Young Mortensen, a member of the church Mr. Masterson founded, is there to make sure the good name of the Mortensen family isn't besmirched. It's a very fundamentalist church, and Mary herself is the worst kind of Christian -- exceedingly judgmental and all too quick to condemn others. Some Christian viewers may be offended by such a stereotypical portrayal of this Bible-thumper extraordinaire. As a fundamentalist myself, I know she is in no way representative of my beliefs and practices, though, so it really doesn't bother me personally.

As far as the ghost hunting itself goes, truly dramatic things are observed and experienced the very first night, setting the stage for one intensive and eye-opening investigation that plays out in a way that Carter Simms could never have foreseen.

Despite all of the bad reviews this film has gotten, I personally consider it one of the best haunting-based movies I've ever seen. I say this as a pretty seasoned horror veteran who has been watching every horror film I can get my hands on for over a quarter of a century. Yes, I will acknowledge the fact that this film has some flaws (particularly in the acting department), most of which are a direct result of the movie's low budget. Given the resources at hand (according to my research, the film was made with a paltry budget of just $10,000), though, Death of a Ghost Hunter succeeds triumphantly. The cinematography is amazing and the low-CGI special effects work exceedingly well. The rapid-flash blending of past and present is presented much more effectively than what you will find in most large-budget horror films, and the ghostly manifestations presented throughout the course of the film include some of the creepiest shots I've ever seen. That all speaks to one heck of a good directing job.

The early and late exposition scenes may run a tad long for some viewers, but everything in between is tightly shot by a director who really knows how to build tension, suspense, and atmosphere. If this movie is any indication, it's just a matter of time before Sean Tretta is a household name among horror fans. I know there are a lot of bad reviews of this film out there, but I would just ask you to give this film a chance. It's one of the best low-budget horror films I've ever seen.