A good horror film will try to never reveal the ghost haunting its protagonists. Instead, it will make the audience fear the unknown, using camera tricks, music and eerie cinematography to create an environment that’s conducive to terror. Of course, the Japanese take their paranormal genre of films, known as J-Horror, rather seriously, often revealing exactly what we ought to be petrified of. So it’s undoubtedly underwhelming when you come face to face with The Bye Bye Man in Stacy Title’s latest film. With a scratched up, vein-y bald head and long gnarly fingers, this ghost is the poverty-stricken cousin to Freddy Krueger ( A Nightmare on Elm Street ), replete with a long black coat. It’s the perfect example of an ambitious film grossly underestimating its audience.
- Starring: Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Doug Jones, Carrie-Anne Moss, Faye Dunaway and Jenna Kanell.
- Director: Stacy Title
- Runtime: 96 mins
- Genre: Horror
- Synopsis: Strange things happen when three college kids move into an old house
Using an old trope, The Bye Bye man starts off with a step back in time to the 1960s with a man inexplicably gunning down his neighbours. Wielding his weapon, the man keeps chanting “Don’t think it. Don’t say it”. Cut to present and we’re introduced to three 19-year-old-kids college kids renting a house to get away from dorm life. Sasha (Cressida Bonas) and her boyfriend Elliot (Douglas Smith) move in with their friend John (Lucien Laviscount). Their initial days in the house are creepy enough, but then Elliot discovers, “Don’t’ say it. Don’t think it”, scrawled on the inside of a drawer in a nightstand. It also says one thing on the back: ‘the Bye Bye Man’. Soon enough, all three start hallucinating seeing the things they fear the most. Essentially, the Bye Bye Man embeds himself into the mind of his victim, making them see things and living off their fear. In the end, the afflicted people take their own lives and the only way to stop him is to make sure no one ever mentions his name again.
In addition to this unpromising premise, The Bye Bye Man manages to disappoint further still. Screenwriter Jonathan Penner adapted the film from a chapter titled "The Bridge to Body Island" in Robert Damon Schneck's book The President's Vampire . But not once is the Bye Bye Man’s existence explained. What exactly does this ghost want? Is he vengeful or just plain evil? Plus, he’s got a skinless bloody dog for a sidekick, probably the worst CGI rendition to ever be made. Then there are mysterious gold coins that keep falling off every surface. Oh, and obscure visions of a running train that remains unsolved. The absurdity goes up a notch when bodies start to roll and the authorities get involved. In one instance, detective Shaw (what happened, Carrie-Anne Moss?) lets a suspect go after a cockamamie story that wouldn’t never fly in real life. And then there are the actors who can’t seem to stick to their characters’ personalities. Take Elliot, who in one moment is the epitome of rational thought, aiming to get to the truth and find a solution. In another, he’s happily singing along to ‘Bye Bye Love’ by The Newton Brothers & Randy Cooke, a strange choice for a particularly suspenseful setting.
How a film as ridiculous as The Bye Bye Man saw the light of day is beyond this writer. It lacks a strong narrative making things worse with an inept ghost and inferior actors. I couldn’t be more emphatic: do not watch The Bye Bye Man.
