The Haunting of the Morgan Estate (2020) (USA)

⭐️⭐️1/2

Politician Eli Morgan (hilariously introduced via West Wing style walk and talk) and his girlfriend/assistant head out for a quiet weekend at the Morgan family summer home. Karen comes across the sullen caretaker just hanging around in a dark room and he isn’t all that happy to have company in the usually empty house. But she ain’t gonna let one cranky caretaker ruin her weekend. Well, her weekend is about to be ruined anyways because she’s immediately plagued by vivid nightmares of a murder. There’s also chatter about Eli’s black sheep younger brother who lives in the area. Phantom noises and a haunting revealed in the flashes of an old camera allow the supernatural to intrude and curiosity begins to get the best of our hero which leads to her investigating the strangeness at the Morgan Estate (which I’m sure is actually a quaint rental). Caretaker Jake definitely knows a hell of a lot more than he’s letting on and the message of absolute power corrupting absolutely is delivered with all the coyness of an entitled asshole on a bender screaming at a bouncer who just kicked him out of his favorite bar. Brian Ramian and Nancy Barber have believable chemistry as the couple which helps because there’s plenty of time spent with them chatting and flirting while dramatic music swells in the background. Brendan Rudnicki not working in the realm of found footage is a bit of a downer for me but my head is fucked. It’s a cookie cutter premise that offers few shocks and is way more melodramatic than it should be but it’s all capably handled by Rudnicki and a cast that is unexpectedly solid for an indie horror flick.