Ghost Train

Haunted fairgrounds are an old staple of the horror genre, as much a part of playground lore as they are of cinema. This early short film by Lee Cronin, director of Evil Dead Rise and The Hole In The Ground, brings a distinctly Irish slant to the tale, as three boys break into an abandoned site and dare one another to take a ride on the ghost train.

We see that boys as children and we see two of them, Michael (Owen McDonnell) and Peter (Steve Wall) as adults, revisiting the place, which is sufficient to tell us early on that something went very wrong back then. Though they’re brothers, they have an uncomfortable relationship. Peter wants them to go for a drink together but Michael wants to get back to his Finnish wife and their kids as soon as possible. He seems as if he’s finally making ready to put the past behind him, even if that requires facing up to unspoken sins.

The three boys in the film – Matthew Dillon, Sean Gormley and Matthew Broe – deliver wonderfully fresh performances, utterly convincing as a group of pals who are always off on adventures together and are just at that age to test boundaries. Such boys sometimes take on more than they can handle, and Ireland is one of those places where there remains a sense of another kind of danger besides those which stem from dangerous environments or predatory adults. From the way the ride is decorated to the thing which ultimately issues from it, there is a sense of deep history here which lends weight to the film, making it much more satisfying than just another gimmicky scarefest.

Balancing the social and supernatural aspects well, Cronin has created something which is properly uncomfortable to watch and which also has something to say about the ongoing harm that can stem from unresolved guilt. It’s a moody little piece and a great starting point for those just getting to know Cronin’s work.