There's one thing that the genre is definitely never in short of and that's haunted house flicks. Sometimes, however, a movie comes out that takes the standard tropes and makes it their own. That's how I felt about We Are Still Here--a surprisingly good ghost flick that delivers the creeps as well as the gore.

Writer Ted Geoghegan makes his directorial debut with this pic that stars genre vet Barbara Crampton as a grieving mother who moves into an old secluded home in the quiet New England countryside with her husband Paul. Having recently lost their teenage son to a car accident, the couple hopes that a change of scenery will do them some good. Unfortunately the local town harbors a dark secret that's tied to their new home, which also houses some vengeful spirits that will seemingly stop at nothing to consume the latest owners.

The film's story starts off a bit slow and with limited dialogue, but it doesn't take long before the creep factor is kicked into motion and we get a few decent scares along the way as things move at a solid pace. Ted Geoghegan opts to go the subtle route with its scares at first, having shadowy silhouettes linger in the background, but then things quickly shift gears near the 30-minute mark when it's proven that these ghosts are clearly not the usual apparitions that we see in similar themed flicks. No, these spirits don't spend their time moving chairs or slamming doors, they will straight tear a bitch apart if they have to (which is exactly what happens at one point).

That brings me to the gore, which is also surprisingly abundant here. We don't often see much gore in supernatural efforts like this, but that's what really made this film stand out for me. Plus it's all mostly practical effects, which is always a plus. The movie also successfully captures that late 70's vibe, as not only does the story takes place around that period, but the film itself also delivers a retro look and feel to it. Sadly the movie does tread some familiar ground at times, like one scene that involves a séance and a possession (which I honestly felt like it could've done without), but it didn't last too long so I suppose that can be forgiven.   

While We Are Still Here treads through some familiar territory at times, it ultimately delivers a great retro vibe along with some solid scares and above average practical gore effects. Combine all that with an interesting story and we've got a superior indie ghost flick. Give this one a look!