There's something really special about winter horror films, and Canada really specialized in these for obvious reasons from the 1970s until the early '80s with titles ranging from Black Christmas to Curtains. Though not as widely seen as some of its companions, the low-key chiller Ghostkeeper packs in much of that same atmosphere as it strands a trio of characters in the middle of a snowy nightmare. Unfortunately it was barely released and mostly found its fans through a VHS release in the '90s from New World, but it's an unassuming little spooker worthy of a little more attention.

After some opening text about the "Windigo [sic]... a ghost who lives on human flesh" (which doesn't really play out as you'd expect here), we meet our three potential victims-to-be: Jenny (Rabid's Spier), her boyfriend Marty (Ord), and boy-crazy friend Chrissy (McFadden), all of whom get stuck in the countryside when their snowmobile conks out. After some wandering they end up at the Deer Lodge, a closed hotel seemingly inhabited only by a creepy old woman (Collins). However, she's got a nasty surprise or two hidden away waiting to come out at night, and when they aren't busy exploring through the shadows with oil lamps, the visitors are soon fighting for their lives.

Shot in the mountains of Alberta, Canada for a budget of $650,000, Ghost Keeper is a bit of a slow burner but highly appealing if you're willing to go along with its peculiar rhythms. The actors don't have to do anything too demanding beyond looking scared or apprehensive (except for Collins, a stage actress who gets to chomp some big chunks of the scenery), but director Jim Makichuk conjures up a palpable icy, Gothic mood, aided by a rich score by Paul Zaza, who also worked on My Bloody Valentine, Prom Night, and several Bob Clark films. And if you're a snowmobiling fan, you'll get plenty of that, too.

The New World VHS release of this film wasn't terribly impressive; overly dark and weirdly framed (missing information on the sides while exposing some extra unmatted info at the bottom, often with disastrous results including the memorable bathtub scene), it was at least competent enough to win over horror fans who wanted something a little different from the jokey fare more popular at the time. The Code Red DVD from 2012 was taken from what is cited as "the only surviving 35mm print," and thankfully it's in very nice condition overall. There's some minor damage here and there (the bulk of it in the opening minute or so), but the colors are surprisingly solid and it's a major upgrade across the board in every respect. The restoration of the original framing also helps considerably, bringing much-needed focus to many scenes that seemed aimless and confusing on the tape version. The biggest extra is a fun audio commentary with Makichuk, Spier, and Ord, moderated by Jeff McKay, which covers everything from the tax shelter nature of the project, its near extinction halfway into the production, the shooting of almost everything in sequence, and the downside to shooting in the Canadian wilderness at the height of winter. "Interviews with the Ghostkeeper" is actually two interviews, one a 6m37s audio chat with cinematographer John Holbrook (accompanied by stills from behind the scenes and the film itself) and a video one with Collins (13m33s), who talks about the difference between acting for film and her much busier stage work as well as her specialized character acting. Finally you get some self-described "Pointless Code Red Trailers" for The Last Chase, Brute Corps, Devil's Express, and Nightmare.

In 2017, the label gave the film a Blu-ray upgrade with a fresh scan of the same print. The results here are pretty pleasing all things considered, with good color balance for the snow scenes, fine film grain, and only occasional print damage (including a couple of missing frames here and there). The color timing looks very similar, albeit with a slightly less gold tinge than the DVD but also taking on a greenish look at times. The DTS-HD MA English mono track sounds fine for an '80s 35mm print -- clear enough with cracks and bumps at times. New here along with the preexisting extras is a needless pre-credit sequence (1m18s) in choppy quality that was tacked on to some versions without the director's consent, plus bonus trailers for Cut and Run, Maniac!, Warlock Moon, and Simon - King of the Witches.

In 2026, Canadian International Pictures revisited the film on Blu-ray with a fresh 4K-sourced scan from what has to be the same print; it looks pretty comparable with a bit more detail and some variations in color timing, notably a cooler look during the opening daylight sequence and a more consistent look for the snow without veering into green or pink tints. The DTS-HD MA English 2.0 mono track sounds about the same and is fine for what it is, with optional English SDH subtitles provided. The previous commentary is replaced here with a new one featuring Spier, Ord, and co-writer/associate producer Doug MacLeod chatting about the making of the very cold film where the setting did much of the heavy lifting to get everyone in the right frame of mind. A second commentary featuring the slasher experts from The Hysteria Continues and Amanda Reyes is obviously another dream pairing as they bring their expertise to bear on Canadian genre films, the state of the slasher at the time, their thoughts on what works and what doesn't, the release history primarily on home video, the "mood piece" aspects, and lots more. Also included as an audio option is a new full episode of The New World Pictures Podcast about the film in which they enthusiastically cover the film's U.S. release, the production history, Canadian films picked up by the studio in the '80s, and more-- fun and informative as always. The initial announcement listed an alternate French-language audio track, but that appears to have been dropped along the way.

The Collins and Holbrook interviews are ported over here separately (13m33s and 6m37s) while "Ghostkeeper" (16m24s) features Chris Alexander talking about checking out the film thanks to Leonard Maltin's one-star review, as well as his thoughts on the film's dreamy effectiveness. In "The Window of Opportunity" (15m35s), story consultant Dave Makichuk talks about Jim's working process, his voracious movie-watching appetite on TV, the week-long process of writing the script and research into the wendigo, one scare scene that didn't get filmed, thoughts on the cast, and the circumstances on the Canadian movie scene that made it possible. "I Need It Friday" (10m2s) and "Zaza Begins" (16m14s) feature composer Paul Zaza reflecting on the tax shelter years, his quick turnaround time on this film, the influence of Bernard Herrmann, the impact of electronics, the legendary tactics used for the dance songs in Prom Night, and other challenges on films like My Bloody Valentine and Porky's. In "Hollywood Canadians" (14m27s), directors Paul Lynch (Humongous), via audio only, and David Winning (Storm) chat about Jim Makichuk, the tacked-on opener, financial problems on the shoot that affected the ending, the dominance of VHS in the market during the '80s, and other anecdotes about the industry at the time. Then you get a Q&A from the Calgary Underground Film Festival in 2024 (40m43s) with Ord, MacLeod, and Dave Makichuk chatting about the process of putting the film together, watching thrillers, working in sparse conditions, researching and location scouting, and hustling for resources in Calgary to shoot at the right time of winter, as well as a lot of audience questions. Then the disc rounds out with that unwelcome extra prologue (1m50s) sourced from VHS, Jim Makichuk's 5m59s Kickstarter video from 2013 pitching a sequel that never materialized, and the brief 1971 Jim Makichuk silent short film Night School (2m14s). The disc also comes with an insert booklet featuring a "Ghost Reborn" 2024 essay on the film’s shoestring production by Eric Volmers and the new "The Bitterness of Winter Abandons You with Your Fears" by Yasmina Ketita about her personal discovery of the film via the rare Canadian VHS, the importance of the winter setting, and appreciation for its two strong female main characters. A 2012 text interview with Jim Makichuk from The Terror Trap website is also included covering his entire career and hopes for a sequel.

Canadian International Pictures (Blu-ray)

Code Red (Blu-ray)

Code Red (DVD)

Updated review on January 11, 2026

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