The Life After Death Project

Aired on Syfy, this loopy defense of existence beyond the grave features surprise special-guest ghost Forrest J Ackerman. “Forry” was a legendary sci-fi/fantasy buff, editor, and memorabilia collector, profiled in filmmaker Paul Davids' 2006 The Sci-Fi Boys. Ackerman died at 92 in 2008, and Davids claims here that the icon of Hollywood horror and creature-features now haunts associates and acquaintances—despite Ackerman's professed atheism and disbelief in an afterlife. Odd electronic malfunctions and synchronistic coincidences (such as the perambulations of Bela Lugosi's prop Dracula ring) must be—in Davids' interpretation—the playful Ackerman communicating in code with his penchant for puns and whimsy. One anomalous ink smudge here undergoes more rigorous analysis than the Shroud of Turin. Authors Whitley Strieber (Communion) and Richard Matheson (What Dreams May Come) are interviewed, while a bonus disc entitled The Life After Death Project 2: Personal Encounters features additional testimonials from folks on the subjects of ghostly contacts, interventions, and other paranormal activities. A token skeptic here notes the human need to seek patterns in randomness, but even he is willing to entertain the notion that immortal souls might exist as some footnote in quantum physics. DVD extras include assorted featurettes. Despite questionable hypotheses and pseudoscience trappings, this is an interesting documentary that can be recommended, overall. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)