Emily is a ghost. She spends her days repetitively doing the same chores around her Victorian home, making breakfast, cleaning or dusting or reading, over and over again, with nothing but a tinny old Philco radio to keep her company.

Sylvia is a clairvoyant. She’s been hired by the current owners of the house to contact Emily and try to help her move on and finally leave her home in peace.

With this simple premise, filmmaker H. P. Mendoza has created an amazingly original slow burn of a horror movie (and I do want to emphasize “s-l-o-o-o-w”–the first 15 minutes or so are relatively quiet, with only the sizzle of eggs in a cast iron pan or the occasional mysterious thump from the attic as a soundtrack) that establishes a very even, smooth rhythm from scene to scene, and then throws that rhythm out of whack in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.  Who is calling out her name?  Was that a groan? Where did that bandage on her hand come from? And where did it go?

I Am A Ghost is from Emily’s (Anna Ishida) point of view entirely. We hear Sylvia (Jeannie Barroga) but can’t see her as her voice tries to explain to Emily the reality of her situation (and not for the first time; it appears as if Emily is a forgetful spirit and difficult to persuade).  The more Emily and Sylvia talk, the more angered and confused Emily gets, as jarring and unwanted memories of her previous life intrude upon the tiny little peace she’s been able to create (and recreate) there.

This film is certainly open to some interpretation, something I really appreciated about it. If you need your movies completely explained and unambiguous, steer clear of this one. Writer/director H. P. Mendoza does not let anybody off the hook, characters and viewers alike. This is a film that demands your undivided attention, even as you think “How many times is she going to cook those eggs? Is she cleaning again?” Mendoza lulls you into a false sense of complacency, leading you gently by the hand and showing you this, and this, and this, the last of which makes you sit straight up, wide-eyed–and then it all starts again, quietly, calmly.

As actions are repeated, and conversations mirrored and mirrored again, a sense of dread begins to seep in around the edges, bit by creepy bit, until it’s a palpable presence throughout the frame.  There were moments that genuinely shocked me, really creeped me out. Your sympathies naturally lie with Emily, but–should they?There are hints of mental instability, some nudity, more than its fair share of blood and…murder? Suicide? Both? Neither? Good question. I’m still not sure.

It’s not a perfect film, by any measure. There were times when its ultra-low budget showed itself a wee bit, or when a line of dialogue came across as forced or clunky; but those moments were the rare exception, not the rule.  I’ve watched I Am A Ghost twice now, and my second viewing was a much richer experience than the first, even though I already knew what to expect.

This film reminded me a little of Meshes Of The Afternoon (1944), a classic short surreal film in which a woman repeatedly walks around, into, and out of her house, follows a strange figure in a hood, tries to kill her own sleeping body, and repeats her actions throughout its running time.  This 14-minute film is disconcerting, strange, and moody, a perfect companion piece to I Am A Ghost.

Turn off all the lights, put your phone down, and settle in for a very different kind of creeping horror. I think you’ll like it.

“Emily, you’re talking to a disembodied voice, and I converse with dead people. I think we’ve both transcended the boundaries of sanity.”

Uncle Mike sez: check it out.