A supernatural love story about two lonely souls who connect through the mortal divide, A Ghost Waits charms with its understated filmmaking, fine performances, and excellent indie rock soundtrack.

Here is a movie that brings a fresh take to the haunted house sub-genre, replacing the usual gothic aesthetic with a grounded style resulting in a “every day” ghost story. A Ghost Waits is not a scary film, but it is a tremendously heartfelt one, diving into the fragilities of loneliness with depth and heart. Shot in black and white, the simplistic nature of this sure to be cult indie is deceptive, with the real haunting happening after the credits role. Like ectoplasm, this is a film that sticks.

A Ghost Waits stars MacLeod Andrews as Jack, a maintenance man who next job requires him to clean and repair a house, of which the previous occupants left in a hurry, leaving behind all their earthly possessions. Oblivious to him is that the home is haunted by Muriel (Natalie Walker), a centuries old spirit, or “spectral agent”, who takes her job very seriously.

Director Adam Stovall makes quite an impression with his suitably low-budget debut. Filled with narrative twists and surprises that reveal themselves naturally, Stovall asks the question “what would you ask a ghost?” and spins it into a conversation about life, death, and the loneliness found in both, evolving into a love story that is quite effective, if not a little too grizzly in some of its narrative decisions.  

Andrews (who also co-wrote the film) and Walker are great in their roles. Andrews delivers a charismatic and engaging turn, while also getting that socially awkward shtick down pat in his varied yet brief interactions with the living. Walker delivers much fan as a stern spirit, whose fanaticism towards her post-mortal profession as a “spectral agent” wanes as she learns to become human again.

Stoval’s approach in portraying the afterlife as a bureaucracy is hardly an original one, but is done rather well. Where A Ghost Waits does falter is its incapacity to scare, with segues into classic haunted house territory not effective in any way, bringing more cringe than terror.

The strength of A Ghost Waits is that it isn’t that kind of haunted house movie, and it’s a welcome respite to be sure, with its story about love transitioning death one that is heartfelt and engaging.