I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Or an episode of "Night Gallery," with some swearing. Yes, "Ghosts of Edendale" plays like an extended episode of Rod Serling's last TV series, mixed with a bit of "The Shining," Clive Barker's "Coldwater Canyon," and David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive." Call it "omlette Du homage," I guess.Actually, this is a fairly standard "Hollywood" story tarted up as a horror flick. It's not the ghosts that are scary (Wha? The head ghoul is Tim Mix?), but the fear of not being one--that is, of being excluded from the "right" parties and the "right" neighborhood. And exclusion is horror in Hollywood.This low-budget flick manages to achieve a shock or two, but shooting on videotape hurts. It's tough to create the foreboding atmosphere a good horror movie needs on videotape without resorting to photographic effects that make it look like a "Dr. Who" episode from the 1970s. The pace is set a bit too slow--too many shots of people giving meaningful looks at things or people--and too much reliance on ghost-story clichés (for example, faces appearing in woodwork and creepy, whispering children's voices).

I've seen worse, for sure. Watching the director commentary of deleted scenes, I've come to the conclusion that the cuts that were made strengthened this film. Less in this case is definitely more. The movie as originally envisioned would have been a waste of money indeed but the twist at the end propels Edendale into the ranks of underrated mind game attempts. Yeah, it's cheaply shot and the actors look alike except for the two leads who kinda resemble Willem Dafoe and Keener from Malkovich. The fake Dafoe guy will never be seen again but the fake Keener actress who plays rachel throws in a disquietingly sincere performance and may be heard from again. Thank God, the disappearance of Rose is not ex-positioned which lifts Edendale from the trash heap to the garage. Always like a Tom Mix reference. I'm going to keep my eye on this director. I'll definitely rent his next especially with the Hollywood Video MVP deal which enables me to rent films like this for free. If you can get this for free, give it a try. I've seen a lot worse.

I grew up in the Hills of the Silverlake area. I study the history of the old red cars and movie studios. Let me tell you there is more to this movie than meets the eye. I really enjoyed the way it was done. Spirits of hard working men and women really do exits. There is something about old Hollywood. The Movie really stirred up memories of my childhood. Digging up old artifacts, and getting spooked out by things in those dark hills. Not to mention the crazy homeless people. Don't be fooled by some of the things that a bigger budget could have fixed. I think to many people miss a good premise if they are so quick to criticize a movie based upon it's shortcomings. Although this movie is low budget I really had a nice evening of it. So sit back, get some popcorn, and just enjoy a little bit of Hollywood history done in a clever fashion.

Reminds one of "The Shining" and "Rosemary's Baby" and, NO, not of that high caliber production. This is bootstrap film making. The thing about slogging through the ground covered by the two films mentioned above is that it's such rich ground to go slogging in. It's no shame to target those same "feelings". It's a rich mine and can be returned to time and time again without becoming pale and impotent. It's a powerful niche of our psyche and this film nudges those fears and suspicions into the light with a very slight hand. The ending wobbles off into non-closure but that evasive ending is a tool to wield in this kind low-keyed film. Not a whole lot new here (except that OHMYGOD kid in the closet and the skin-crawl faces in the fence) but this isn't new territory. As so often in low dollar productions, the unpolished mannerisms of the film add rather than detract. This would never work as a high-dollar movie. The overdone FX, required in a large budget film, would reduce effect.EDENDALE isn't in competition with anything. It's a favor for those of us who don't mind re-entering familiar territory that owns a lot of landscape. So much of horror is "tell me the same story I love so much but change it up just a bit, play with me...and give it an edge".Not new stuff. Not great stuff. The actors are really good bad ingredients. The wife has the heaviest role and, for 99% of her screen time, nails it. Husband has the hardest role; so delicate the lift of an eyebrow can be overdone. The "neighbors" were overripe - the audience gets it already, we're not stupid.I like movies that "creep" at you instead of "leap" at you.A horridly disfigured and over-sized figure screaming out of the dark and swinging an axe is one kind of fright.A noise in the corner of a dark room where nothing is supposed to be is another kind of fright.The first is over in a moment. The latter may haunt you for weeks.EDENDALE has a low terror count, but a high "creep" count.It doesn't matter this a well trod trail. We'll gladly trod it again when someone else chooses to takes us by the hand and lead us there.