Ghostly goings-on at a deserted camp in the heart of the Sooner State
A four-person paranormal investigation team has to come up with a hit episode or their producer will cancel the fourth season. They choose an abandoned church camp in Oklahoma where 28 kids were poisoned and drowned in 1990.
“Camp Cold Brook” (2018) mixes “The Blair Witch Project” and “Death Tunnel” with the milieu of “Friday the 13th.” The beginning is a compelling set-up while the last act delivers the goods with an interesting closing element. The hour in-between revolves around the four investigators staying at the creepy forsaken camp for four days, using cameras to capture enough material for a hit episode.
The star of the reality show is fleshed out (Chad Michael Murray), which is good. The character played by Candice De Visser (Emma) is also to a lesser degree. Michael Eric Reid plays sort of the goofball of the bunch (Kevin) while petite Danielle Harris (Angela) rounds out the main cast (you might remember her as the girl Jamie Lloyd in “Halloween 4” and “Halloween 5”). The flick needed a female of the caliber of Joelle Westwood in "The Hunting" (2021/2022); I suppose Danielle could’ve filled the bill, but the creators dropped the ball (not talkin’ ’bout nudity or sleaze, just effectively photographing a beautiful woman).
While somewhat derivative, it’s proficiently made with low-key sylvan spookiness and a quality climax. Gorehounds should give it a pass though.
The movie runs 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was shot in Guthrie, Oklahoma, which is about 10 miles north of Oklahoma City, along with Edmond and Jones, which are between those two locations.
GRADE: B-
