So Aunt Marian dies, and the family has her ashes sent to their home. Some flashback scenes showing how the family, especially the kids, used to torment poor Aunt Marian when she was alive.

And then the family debates on what to do wiht Poor Aunt Marian's ashes.

And while that's going on,, strange things start happening to the family.

I do love how scenes from Night Of The Living Dead are playing on the TV on more than one occasion. Really should have spent the time I spent watching this movie watching Night of The Living Dead again. A true classic!!!

When the daughter has boyfriend problems, they start talking about How Marian's ashes were the cause of it!!! So they make a SPIRIT BOARD out of a cutting board and egg slicer at home. And boy do they start having all kinds of fun with that!!!

But then they decide that they have to get rid of the BOARD. They bury that thing according to the instructions on GOOGLE!!! And then they call CHIP AND RONNY!! THE POLTER-GUYS!!! For some paranormal investigating!!!! When they hypnotize grandma, AUNT MARIAN'S SPIRIT SHOWS UP AND STARTS STRANGLING HER!!! OMG AUNT MARIAN'S SPIRIT STRANGLED HER TO DEATH.

-1 STAR FOR CHIP AND RONNY NOT BEING ABLE TO PREVENT THE STRANGLING OF GRANDMA!!!

So the conversation with Chip and Ronny goes on pretty much like nothing happened to Grandma after this strangling event. They're like oh grandma is dead, oh well. That's a pretty lame story moment. So they decide to have another seance, to contact Marian again, before she can kill MOM/ELLEN.

And of course the finale is pretty much a hot mess, as AUNT MARIAN manifests into ELLEN and starts going berzerk on the family and CHIP AND RONNY. Then UNCLE JAY gets possessed also but DAD COMES HOME JUST IN TIME TO SAVE THE DAY....BUT OF COURSE NOT BEFORE MARIAN HAS KILLED ELLEN AND UNCLE JAY!!

-1 Star for the whole family dying really and it's like...no biggie...

And that's pretty much where it ends. The film was actually shot pretty well. But the story was pretty bad, especially in the latter half. 3/10

I virtually never turn any movie off regardless of how bad it is but I turned this one off.

Terrible acting, directing , awful story and not a single thing of merit in this - pease pay attention to the real reviews and not the shills bigging this awful effort up and they actually spent $200,000 making this - wow where did the money go?

"Ashes" is a unique take on paranormal activity horror. I found the style and point of view curious but intriguing. To be honest I didn't want to like this one. The back and forth between docu style and third person kept throwing me out of a very mesmerizing and macabre vibe. That being said it was clear that there was more going on in this movie. So I found myself hooked to the concept and invested in this family.

The story isn't all that original, but it is, by no means, mundane. The clever choices Jay takes keeps things fresh. The characters are likable, fully developed and conflicted, much like the real world. I did find myself cursing them and rooting for Auntie to get them, based on some really crappy personality querks- mainly how they treated an elder and the whole complaining about keeping the ashes. Still in the end I empathized with the fam.

For the most part the movie hits the mark on most of the things Barry Jay attempts, and"Ashes" delivers. Horror and special effects included. This film captured a lot of the haunting, spooky atmosphere that "Insidious" used. The jump scares work, and got me good a few times, the paranormal tricks are controlled, and the practical effects rock. Even the dark humor retains a smart, mature approach. A lot of it reminded me of the humor and atmosphere used in the 'Ash vs the Evil Dead' series.

Overall "Ashes" is a fun, well-made paranormal horror movie. The beginning may through a question mark out there, but within 30 minutes the story smooths out, and the whole energy sets in. It never steps into 'spoof' territory, as much is serious and pointed in "Ashes" as the funny. The acting is quality, the scares are fun and the creepy is turnt up. Definitely check it out.