The Dead Room (Film)

The Dead Room is a 2015 New Zealand horror-thriller film directed by Jason Stutter, who co-wrote it with Kevin Stevens. The Dead Room was inspired by the 1970s urban legend of a haunted farmhouse in Central Otago, New Zealand. It stars Jed Brophy, Jeffrey Thomas, and Laura Petersen as ghost hunters who are hired to determine if a house is haunted. It premiered at Sitges Film Festival in October 2015 and was released later that month in New Zealand.

After a ghost scares a family out of their house, an insurance company hires three ghost hunters to determine if it is haunted. They include Liam, who handles their technological tools, skeptic Scott, and psychic Holly. At first, Holly senses nothing in the house, and Scott's tools measure no electromagnetic disturbances. After Liam sets up several cameras with sensors, they go to sleep. At 3am, the cameras pick up movement, which Scott later dismisses as a draft. As Liam and Scott discuss their previous cases, Scott describes his theory that low frequency sound can disperse a ghost, and Liam shows Holly footage of a chair rocking by itself. Scott admits that he can not explain the footage and says he wants to find a scientific explanation for the paranormal.

A loud noise wakes the ghost hunters at 3am the next night, and Holly says she sees a ghostly figure, which neither of the men can see. In the morning, Scott tells them nobody will accept their evidence, as it is too subjective. Although frustrated, Liam and Holly eventually agree, and the three go through each room, trying to make contact. Before going to sleep, they set alarms to wake just before 3am. That night, Holly sees the ghostly figure again, and it reacts aggressively, threatening her. Scott calms the others by telling them that there is no evidence a ghost has ever harmed a living person; all it can do is scare them. Holly, more shaken than the others, reveals she took the job to conquer her fear of ghosts.

During the day, Holly senses a presence and strong temperature change, which the others do not feel. Scott's EMF meter reads nothing, but he soon realizes he forgot to insert a battery. When he does so, it immediately begins reading a large disturbance. The reading suddenly goes dead at the end of the main hallway, and Holly agrees that there is no presence in the kitchen. This is reinforced when the ghost later chases them, and they take refuge in the kitchen. Worried that the attacks could turn dangerous, Liam and Holly argue they should leave the house. Scott, however, insists they stay to capture evidence of the paranormal. When they subsequently film a telekinetic attack by flying furniture, Scott again insists they stay, this time to test his theory. Liam, who owns their transportation, reluctantly agrees, overriding Holly's objections.