A professor frantically searches for his son who was abducted during a Halloween carnival.A professor frantically searches for his son who was abducted during a Halloween carnival.A professor frantically searches for his son who was abducted during a Halloween carnival.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFirst announced in 2010 with Dennis Iliadis as the director.
- GoofsOn the Lawford's home, there is a city of Toronto historical plaque under the number 24.
- Quotes
Charlie: Daddy, can we pay the ghost?
Mike Lawford: Pay the what?
- Crazy creditsIn a mid-credits scene Hannah's corpse is being picked at by ravens. A close up shot of her face ends with her eyelids opening up to reveal black eyes.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Debt Buyers (2016)
- SoundtracksPortal Song
Written by Joseph LoDuca
Featured review
Better Than I Anticipated
With its low rating on IMDb and some poor reviews I read, I wasn't expecting much from this ghost/horror flick. However, I found it to be better than I anticipated. It's presented well, and although it probably won't please the die-hard horror fans, it had just enough chills and surprises for me.
Nicolas Cage stars as Professor Mike Lawford, who takes his 7-year-old son Charlie (Jack Fulton), on Halloween night, to a local carnival in New York City. However, while buying some ice cream, Charlie goes missing, and Mike frantically tries to find him to no avail.
Fast forward one year, and Mike has found his marriage, his career, and his own psyche in a tailspin, with no definitive word on Charlie. Mike, though, gets the sense that his son is trying somehow to communicate with him, while his wife Kristen (Sarah Wayne Callies) begins to get the same type of messages from the spirit realm.
With help from a fellow professor (Veronica Ferres) and an Irish celebrant at a traditional Celtic Halloween service, Mike and Kristen begin to finally realize what might have happened to Charlie and what they can do about it.
All in all, this movie directed by Uli Edel and written by Dan Kay, based on a novella by Tim Lebbon, is not going to win any awards for plot originality, as this theme has been used numerous times in other movies. However, it kept me engaged and offered up just enough chills for me to like it.
Nicolas Cage stars as Professor Mike Lawford, who takes his 7-year-old son Charlie (Jack Fulton), on Halloween night, to a local carnival in New York City. However, while buying some ice cream, Charlie goes missing, and Mike frantically tries to find him to no avail.
Fast forward one year, and Mike has found his marriage, his career, and his own psyche in a tailspin, with no definitive word on Charlie. Mike, though, gets the sense that his son is trying somehow to communicate with him, while his wife Kristen (Sarah Wayne Callies) begins to get the same type of messages from the spirit realm.
With help from a fellow professor (Veronica Ferres) and an Irish celebrant at a traditional Celtic Halloween service, Mike and Kristen begin to finally realize what might have happened to Charlie and what they can do about it.
All in all, this movie directed by Uli Edel and written by Dan Kay, based on a novella by Tim Lebbon, is not going to win any awards for plot originality, as this theme has been used numerous times in other movies. However, it kept me engaged and offered up just enough chills for me to like it.
helpful•446
- larrys3
- Nov 12, 2015
- How long is Pay the Ghost?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
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- Also known as
- Mặc Cả Với Quỷ
- Filming locations
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $2,914,020
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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