It's rather interesting (and sometimes infuriating) the films that find distribution. Sometimes films so bad find distribution instantly while all too often decent to good films fly under the radar, struggling to find a company to release them. Pray for Morning falls into this category. While it is not an original or mind-blowing film, it is a fun little ghost story that was produced in 2005 yet didn't find distribution until recently.
The plan was to spend one night in the abandoned Royal Crescent Hotel, where in 1985, five students were murdered, their killer never found. What was supposed to be just a night of fun for a group of just graduated high schoolers, hunting for the victims' bloodstained rooms, suddenly changes when they find a severed hand and awake an evil presence within the hotel. Now they are running for their lives, trying to solve a mystery one hundred years old before it's too late.
Ghost stories are not my favorite kind of horror film. All too often, they come across as corny and too CGI heavy to be scary at all, instead ending up lame and forgettable. They also pander too much to the teen audience, especially the ones released in theaters. Going with a PG-13 rating pretty much eliminates any chance of creating any real fear, inane jump scares standing in for real atmosphere and thrills. Thankfully, Pray for Morning mostly avoids these pitfalls, telling an intriguing story coupled with nice bits of the red stuff, enough so that it clearly isn't interested in pandering to the teen audience. It also helps that the acting is quite good from all involved.
Jessica Stroup is probably the most well-known of the "teen" actors, having had substantial roles in "The Hills Have Eyes II" last year and "Prom Night" this year. She is quite good here, bringing likeability and intelligence to her role. Her fellow castmembers are also fine, just less notable because they don't have as big of parts. Of course, they are joined by cult favorite Udo Kier, who gets top billing despite only having about fifteen minutes of screen time. Having appeared in over 180 films since the 70's, the man gets work and keeps busy. He's probably most recognizable to horror fans for roles in films like "Blade," "FeardotCom," and Rob Zombie's "Halloween" remake. His role here involves him whisper talking, sounding a lot like Marlon Brando in "The Godfather," oddly enough. Still, he's fun. His eyes! So intense!
Pray for Morning certainly isn't anything groundbreaking, nor does it try to be, but it's a decent and suitably gruesome ghost story with good production values and an above-average cast.
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