...funny how the strangest of incidents in one's life, drive one towards the strangest of directions...and in the interim, the determinant wrought of that unswerving drive proves pretty much negligible and unrevealing, albeit resignedly procuring a level of speculation which has long since become 'air of mystery' commonplace amongst those privy of the seemingly paranormal and supernatural 'unexplained'. Point in case: An inexplicable and unexplained ink smudge on a piece of paper...a smudge, blotting out some words, which reportedly was not there, when writer/director Paul Davids place the paper down, and walked away from it, for only a moment. Amusingly enough, given certain parables in this particular incident, Paul eventually concluded that the mysterious paper smudge, considering what the smudge was blotting out, was a 'message' from beyond the grave...from none other than genre philanthropist and once-magazine publisher Forrest J. Ackerman...yes, THE Forrest J. Ackerman, of the renowned horror/sci-fi/fantasy publication, which the more seasoned of us grew up with, namely 'Famous Monsters of Filmland', who regrettably passed away some five years previous. In the end, Paul Davids wound up engaging a pursuant study of the paranormal, porting the resources of experts and celebrities, in a chronicle he would moniker as "The Life After Death Project"...which again, in the final analysis, really doesn't provide any answers, per say...merely, that often explored air of speculation and mystery amongst an exclusive fold of 'believers', with shared experiences in ghostly matters...and at the very least, it proves an arcane glimpse at an endearing look at a famed genre celebrity, who according to those who reportedly bore witness to 'strange, bizarre and inexplicable' incidents, is amusingly guilty of carrying on his trademark impish personality...from beyond the grave...
...kicking things off on the same endearing note, which this 2-disc presentation does, this viewer cannot help but express a great fondness for the likes of Forrest J. Ackerman. Yes, as a curious and imaginative lad, this viewer was a devotee of the cinematic macabre...clearly still am, in fact. The first of each and every month was a celebrative opportunity in this boy's youth, in exhaustively pawing and porting through the latest issue of ol' Forry's renowned horror film rag, 'Famous Monsters of Filmland'. The classic photos...the in-depth and revealing articles...the hokey, albeit compelling and hypnotic advertisements (...and you can bet, I ordered a bunch of that stuff, especially those precious Aurora plastic model kits)...and those quips...oh, those groan-inducing, yet knee-slapping wordplay quips of Forry's, liberally sprinkled throughout the magazine...quips like 'Horror-wood, Karloff-ornia' and 'You Axed for It"...
...and that very first issue...I remember that first precious issue...a shockingly bloodied and enraged face...a long-haired dude in a plaid shirt, reaching out menacingly (...if I recall, the image was reflective of the 'flavor-of-the-moment' horror film, at the time, which was "Night of Dark Shadows"). It was a dream, which was not realized until well into this viewer's 30's, when I was afforded the opportunity to tour the famous Ackermuseum...a ported-off portion of Forry's home, which he generously opened to the public, once a month; haunting the hallowed halls of this extraordinary exhibit of genre and cinematic pop culture...heck, I was 10 years old, again. Fast forward to the conception of writer and filmmaker Paul Davids' intriguing, though somewhat dissatisfying documative study, "The Life After Death Project", it seems so endearingly amusing to suggest that this kind and generous man...THE Forrest J. Ackerman...a man who often said that he did not believe in God, or an afterlife...would indeed attempt to communicate with those closest to him, well past his expiration...and in the jovial vein of his child-like mischievous-ness and macabre brand of humor...
...or so says our quandrous Davids, who had his unexplained ink blotting thoroughly scrutinized by all manner of scientific and parapsychological expertise, with the speculative results documented herein. Similar mysterious occurrences, as the result of a waywardly rendered 'knocking' of the Ackerman crypt, are said here to have been experienced by Forry's devoted and dedicated documentarians, or devoted friend and caregiver, Joe Moe...unnatural happenings with their computers...chill-inducing shadows on the walls...supposedly secured paperwork, loosening and falling to the floor, in a certain, inexplicable way...not to mention the chillingly coincidental notion of Forry's death, having been predicted and foretold in a cartoonishly warped caricature (...as seen in the coversake of this home video rendering of 'the project'). No witness to such events is spared in this study, including the present homesteaders and occupants in the remodeled Ackerman home, who also make claim to mysterious shadows and unexplained objects making their way to the floor, in an atmosphere where no such thing could possibly happen...
...interjected amidst these personal meanderings...purveyors of social studies and religion, both pro and con, waxrapsonic about religion being forged out of man's fear of the unknown, and that communication in the afterlife will one day be as readily accepted and non-surprising as the setting of the sun. Enthusiasm and intensity aside, the most interesting thing about these proceedings, which up to a certain point, seem mute and cliche...invoking that feeling of 'sigh...been there, done that' (...these paranormal eyewitness reports seem so happenstance and contrived, as to be almost dictated, by this point), is the bringing in of psychics, who have no knowledge of who Forrest J. Ackerman is, and yet, manage to come up with unique and individual aspects about his person, right out of the blue. In the end, as contrived as these proceedings are, the viewer is left with two points: One, as much as we want to believe, and as much as this documentation tries ever so much to intrigue, there's nothing presented here, which truly convinces the average layman, either way...and Two, in the end, it all pares down to pretty much, a devoted friend and colleague, who wants ever so much to touch and embrace his dear friend, one last time...which brings us full circle, to what's most appealing, heartfelt and endearing about this 'project'...
...interjected amidst these personal meanderings...purveyors of social studies and religion, both pro and con, waxrapsonic about religion being forged out of man's fear of the unknown, and that communication in the afterlife will one day be as readily accepted and non-surprising as the setting of the sun. Enthusiasm and intensity aside, the most interesting thing about these proceedings, which up to a certain point, seem mute and cliche...invoking that feeling of 'sigh...been there, done that' (...these paranormal eyewitness reports seem so happenstance and contrived, as to be almost dictated, by this point), is the bringing in of psychics, who have no knowledge of who Forrest J. Ackerman is, and yet, manage to come up with unique and individual aspects about his person, right out of the blue. In the end, as contrived as these proceedings are, the viewer is left with two points: One, as much as we want to believe, and as much as this documentation tries ever so much to intrigue, there's nothing presented here, which truly convinces the average layman, either way...and Two, in the end, it all pares down to pretty much, a devoted friend and colleague, who wants ever so much to touch and embrace his dear friend, one last time...which brings us full circle, to what's most appealing, heartfelt and endearing about this 'project'...
...for the most part, as eerily charming, heartfelt and endearing as the first edition of this 'project' clearly is, "The Life After Death Project 2: Personal Encounters", in contrast, proves to merely be a typical 'by-the-numbers' documentation of scientists, archaeologists, media stalwarts, physicists and numerous eyewitnesses, who yawningly 'poke and prod' the validity and life-changing aspects of varied paranormal experiences, and chilling communication from the beyond. The typical out-of-body experiences...the reportedly visual departure of the soul, after expiration...whiffs of light and shadow...spirits, ghosts and angels. And more spoken and debated volley on the application of religion, in the midst of what is deemed paranormal and supernatural. Unfortunately, without a relatable and embraceable 'anchor', as was present in the first 'project', what is featured in the second study, pretty much comes off as ho-hum and tiresome, in the sense that...'hey, haven't we been here, before...and before...and before...and so on??" (...though, interestingly enough, our continued documentarian, Paul Davids, DOES return to the Ackerman 'phenomenon', with further study, relevations...and unexplained happenings)...
...originally broadcast on the SyFy Channel, "The Life After Death Project", although it poses a respectable and somewhat interesting intrigue of suggestions, explanations, speculations, and believeable science from both sides of the fence, really doesn't seem to successful convince either way, by virtue of the science unable to fully sustantiate the incredible, and the 'incredible', unable to sustantiate itself, with merely eyewitness reports (...and for anyone who has harbored interest in these phenomenons, as far back as they have been studied and documented...well, it's pretty much 'same old, same old'). Ultimately, an endearing, heartfelt 'bang' (...the Forrest J. Ackerman investigation), culminating in a standard, by the numbers 'whimper'...worth a check, but don't expect too much substance, in walking away from this...
...originally broadcast on the SyFy Channel, "The Life After Death Project", although it poses a respectable and somewhat interesting intrigue of suggestions, explanations, speculations, and believeable science from both sides of the fence, really doesn't seem to successful convince either way, by virtue of the science unable to fully sustantiate the incredible, and the 'incredible', unable to sustantiate itself, with merely eyewitness reports (...and for anyone who has harbored interest in these phenomenons, as far back as they have been studied and documented...well, it's pretty much 'same old, same old'). Ultimately, an endearing, heartfelt 'bang' (...the Forrest J. Ackerman investigation), culminating in a standard, by the numbers 'whimper'...worth a check, but don't expect too much substance, in walking away from this...
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