Drowning Ghost (film)
Encyclopedia
Drowning Ghost is a 2004 Swedish slasher film
directed by Mikael Håfström
and written by Lars Yngwe 'Vasa' Johansson and Håfström, it stars Rebecka Hemse
, Jesper Salén and Jenny Ulving
.
A year later the student Sara, who witnessed the suicide, is attending her final year at the school. Two new students, math genius Felix and diplomat son Leo, start to study at school. Sara and her friend Therese start to tell them of the local legend; Strandvaskaren (The Drowning Ghost). 100 years ago a farmer slaughtered three male students at the school before drowning himself in the nearby lake. He is believed to return once every year on the day of his death to haunt the school, and there is a tradition among the students to have a party at that day in the barn where the farmer once lived.
Sara finds out that the farmer killed the students to avenge the rape and murder of his daughter, but it was all covered up by the authorities because the rapists were upper class. At the party Sara's former boyfriend Måns and his friend Ynge tries to pull a prank on Sara, but the drunk Ynge tries to rape her. Sara pushes him away and runs away while Måns yells at Ynge for going to far. Sara runs out and finds Måns current girlfriend hanging dead in the hall way. Ynge goes to have some milk and is killed by a fork struck through his head. Måns find the hysterical Sara and tries to calm her down and apologize.
A masked man appears and rams an axe into Måns head as Sara runs off. Sara locks in Leo into a storeroom and calls for Therese and Felix to help. Sara finds a 8 mm film in a box that had belonged to Rebecka, and discovers that Rebecka had a brother who has a weird similarity to Felix. Felix shows up and tells Sara that he and Rebecka were siblings. They were separated because their father was mentally unstable and put away. When Rebecka died he swore to avenge her and dressed up as The Drowning Ghost and started to kill the students who tormented Rebecka. He asks Sara to not say anything but believes she would any way and tries to kill her. Sara knocks him out and runs away with Therese. Therese falls into the well and breaks her leg. Sara climbs down after her. Morning comes and Felix awakens. He finds Sara and Therese, who are too afraid to call for help, in the well and climbs after them. Sara and Therese crawls down the pipe to the lake but Felix catches up with Therese and kills her off screen. Sara manages to reach the lake and escapes in a boat at the beach. She keeps her eyes on the pipe to see when Felix comes out of there, but falls asleep. When she awakens she has no idea how long shes been sleeping, and Felix is nowhere to be found. Felix tries to climb into the boat from underwater, but Sara cuts his hand by starting the boat engine. Felix tries to attack once more but Sara apparently kills him by bashing the anchor into his back. Felix sinks down to the bottom.
Sara is saved by the police and reunited with Leo on the beach, the police tries to fish Felix up but instead finds the farmer. Sara and Leo leaves the boarding school and graduates at a school in Stockholm
. During the graduation day eight months after the events with all parents and friends of the many students present Sara looks out over the sea of people and suddenly sees a sign with the words written in red paint "My beloved sister Rebecka", the film ends with Sara realizing that even though she can not see him in the crowd Felix is still alive and amongst the people watching her and her classmates graduate.
murders are also visible in the film.
on the premiere on 15 October 2004. The film was released Drowning Ghost on 22 August 2004 at Screamfest Horror Film Festival
.
and the Friday the 13th movies.
"And just where are we one of the beach bags's biggest problems: the script. It's sprawling, full of incredible and senseless incident. The fact that Anders Ehlin music in the film's opening is a plagiarism of John Carpenter
's famous piano loop in Halloween
makes it painfully direct.
of the year at the Screamfest Los Angeles Horror Film Festival.
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
directed by Mikael Håfström
Mikael Håfström
Jan Mikael Håfström , known as Mikael Håfström, is a Swedish screenwriter and director.-Biography:Håfström directed the exorcism thriller The Rite, which is based on a novel from Matt Baglio.- Filmography :...
and written by Lars Yngwe 'Vasa' Johansson and Håfström, it stars Rebecka Hemse
Rebecka Hemse
Ingrid Rebecka Elisabet Hemse is a Swedish actress. She is best known for her role as Martin Beck's daughter Inger.She works on the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm....
, Jesper Salén and Jenny Ulving
Jenny Ulving
Jenny Ulving, born September 26, 1979 in Östersund, is a Swedish film and television actress.-Films:*Glömskans brev *Strandvaskaren *Den Osynlige *Dubbel-åttan -External links:* - More info...
.
Plot
The movie opens at a boarding school, at the time of the big party before summer break. While most of the students are outside listening to the headmasters speech one student, Rebecka, is seen showering and writing a letter before jumping off the school's tower to her death.A year later the student Sara, who witnessed the suicide, is attending her final year at the school. Two new students, math genius Felix and diplomat son Leo, start to study at school. Sara and her friend Therese start to tell them of the local legend; Strandvaskaren (The Drowning Ghost). 100 years ago a farmer slaughtered three male students at the school before drowning himself in the nearby lake. He is believed to return once every year on the day of his death to haunt the school, and there is a tradition among the students to have a party at that day in the barn where the farmer once lived.
Sara finds out that the farmer killed the students to avenge the rape and murder of his daughter, but it was all covered up by the authorities because the rapists were upper class. At the party Sara's former boyfriend Måns and his friend Ynge tries to pull a prank on Sara, but the drunk Ynge tries to rape her. Sara pushes him away and runs away while Måns yells at Ynge for going to far. Sara runs out and finds Måns current girlfriend hanging dead in the hall way. Ynge goes to have some milk and is killed by a fork struck through his head. Måns find the hysterical Sara and tries to calm her down and apologize.
A masked man appears and rams an axe into Måns head as Sara runs off. Sara locks in Leo into a storeroom and calls for Therese and Felix to help. Sara finds a 8 mm film in a box that had belonged to Rebecka, and discovers that Rebecka had a brother who has a weird similarity to Felix. Felix shows up and tells Sara that he and Rebecka were siblings. They were separated because their father was mentally unstable and put away. When Rebecka died he swore to avenge her and dressed up as The Drowning Ghost and started to kill the students who tormented Rebecka. He asks Sara to not say anything but believes she would any way and tries to kill her. Sara knocks him out and runs away with Therese. Therese falls into the well and breaks her leg. Sara climbs down after her. Morning comes and Felix awakens. He finds Sara and Therese, who are too afraid to call for help, in the well and climbs after them. Sara and Therese crawls down the pipe to the lake but Felix catches up with Therese and kills her off screen. Sara manages to reach the lake and escapes in a boat at the beach. She keeps her eyes on the pipe to see when Felix comes out of there, but falls asleep. When she awakens she has no idea how long shes been sleeping, and Felix is nowhere to be found. Felix tries to climb into the boat from underwater, but Sara cuts his hand by starting the boat engine. Felix tries to attack once more but Sara apparently kills him by bashing the anchor into his back. Felix sinks down to the bottom.
Sara is saved by the police and reunited with Leo on the beach, the police tries to fish Felix up but instead finds the farmer. Sara and Leo leaves the boarding school and graduates at a school in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. During the graduation day eight months after the events with all parents and friends of the many students present Sara looks out over the sea of people and suddenly sees a sign with the words written in red paint "My beloved sister Rebecka", the film ends with Sara realizing that even though she can not see him in the crowd Felix is still alive and amongst the people watching her and her classmates graduate.
Graphic scenes
Drowning Ghost contains many graphic death scenes such as: a suicide, the decapitation of a head (with the body of the man laying with death twitches afterward) and the man's head later appearing on a plate in a graphic manner. Stabbings, drownings, strangulation and axeAxe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
murders are also visible in the film.
Cast
- Rebecka HemseRebecka HemseIngrid Rebecka Elisabet Hemse is a Swedish actress. She is best known for her role as Martin Beck's daughter Inger.She works on the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm....
as Sara - Jesper Salén as Felix
- Jenny UlvingJenny UlvingJenny Ulving, born September 26, 1979 in Östersund, is a Swedish film and television actress.-Films:*Glömskans brev *Strandvaskaren *Den Osynlige *Dubbel-åttan -External links:* - More info...
as Therese - Peter Eggers as Leo
- Daniel Larsson as Måns Weine
- Rebecca Ferguson as Amanda
- Anders EkborgAnders EkborgAnders Ekborg is a Swedish actor and singer who has performed the roles of Karl Oskar in Kristina från Duvemåla and Freddie Trumper in Chess, two musicals that were written by former ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus...
as Thomas - Kjell BergqvistKjell BergqvistKjell Bergqvist , born 23 February 1953 in Enskede, Stockholm County; Swedish actor.Bergqvist finished Dramatens elevskola in 1973 and made his debut in En enkel melodi and Jack. He has since cooperated for many years with scriptwriter and director Ulf Malmros...
as Peder Weine - Anders Ahlbom as Bengt
- Tommy Andersson as Pappan
- Sasa Bjurling as Rebecka
- Aalma Duran as Rebecca as a child
- Patrick Gillenhammar as Felix as a child
- Oskar Thunberg as Doctor 1
- Stig Engström as Professor Ek
- Erik Hultqvist as Markus
- Kerstin Steinbach as Laila
- Magnus Ehrner as Doctor 2
- Bojan Westin as Anna-Lisa
- Frans Wiklund as Yngve
- Filip Benko] as Student
Production
The film was shot at Filmhusateljéerna, Filmhuset in the Svenska Filminstitutet in Gärdet, Stockholm, Sweden.Release
The film premiered on 13 May 2004 as part of the Cannes Film Market. Strandvaskaren had a 15+ age limit when shown in cinemas in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
on the premiere on 15 October 2004. The film was released Drowning Ghost on 22 August 2004 at Screamfest Horror Film Festival
Screamfest Horror Film Festival
Screamfest Horror Film Festival is the largest horror film festival in the United States. Some of the largest horror online publications have called it the "Sundance of Horror". Previously held at Loews Universal Studios Cinemas, Universal CityWalk, the festival is now held annually at the...
.
Criticism
Drowning Ghost received some criticism for being too similar to HalloweenHalloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
and the Friday the 13th movies.
"And just where are we one of the beach bags's biggest problems: the script. It's sprawling, full of incredible and senseless incident. The fact that Anders Ehlin music in the film's opening is a plagiarism of John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's famous piano loop in Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
makes it painfully direct.
Prizes
Strandvaskaren won awards for best director and best soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the year at the Screamfest Los Angeles Horror Film Festival.