Ted Geoghegan’s BROOKLYN 45 pairs horror vets Larry Fessenden and Ezra Buzzington in a parlor filled with ghosts

Larry Fessenden and Ezra Buzzington so often appear onscreen as crazed scuzzballs that it’s quite the trip to see them as conservatively groomed, uniformed World War II veterans. Fessenden in particular resembles Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men more than I’d have thought possible, with his hair trimmed and slicked back. Yet Brooklyn 45 is no less horror than the movies you’re used to seeing the pair of them in; it just takes a while before it reveals itself as such. (It’s hardly a spoiler, though, given the “Shudder” logo upfront.)

Much like in writer-director Ted Geoghegan’s previous horror hit We Are Still Here, a relatively innocuous name doesn’t really scratch the surface of what the movie’s about, without a lot more context. The setting is indeed Brooklyn, but as the majority of the story takes place in one room, it really could be anywhere. The year is 1945, and the war has ended, leaving five veterans unsure quite what to do with themselves. Clive (Fessenden), who also goes by the nickname “Hawk,” has invited them over for a séance. He’s nominally an atheist, but with his wife having recently committed suicide – or so it seems, anyway – he’ll try anything for even a sliver of hope she’s in a an afterlife somewhere.

Everyone brings baggage to the table from the war. Archie (Jeremy Holm) is a gay man accused of war crimes. Paul (Buzzington) was often ordered by Clive to do his dirty work, performing killings he wouldn’t. Bob (Ron E. Rains) was a mere Pentagon clerk who feels guilt for not being in combat, while his wife Marla (Anne Ramsay) was one of the U.S.’ best interrogators. And then there’s the person who’s secretly tied up in the closet…

For much of its runtime, Brooklyn 45 feels like a filmed play. Characters talk, and yell, and threaten; before too long, there’s a dead body. But while it tips its hand early on that there’s something legitimately supernatural at play, the movie takes a while to go full horror. It’s like We Are Still Here in that regard, as well as its truly horrific makeup and gore effects when they finally happen. The transition is a bit more awkward, though – it feels as if Geoghegan just went “Eff it, I’m tired of the talking; let’s just do horror stuff now.” It’s clear he’s interested in parallels between the metaphorical “ghosts” of PTSD manifesting as real ones; less clear are the rules imposed by the supernatural incursion, and why specifically the story ends the way it does.

Geoghegan’s script wrings its best suspense out of a plotline involving someone possibly being either a traitor, or the victim of systemic bias. The actor plays their cards close to the vest, as others come close to blows (and homicide) over differing opinions of the situation. Even a revelation that seems to confirm the truth keeps just enough ambiguity to make you wonder for sure.

The bonus of setting something like this in 1945 is it allows characters to showcase the kinds of prejudices and flaws we all know soldiers today have, but can’t say in the same way. No movie’s going to be censored because a character says the word “Kraut” to a German, but we can all fill in the blank with an implied modern equivalent. World War II also offers a clear delineation of a goal that’s inherently “good” – stopping Nazism – while still creating a situation where people on the right side do terrible things. It’s the alleged enemies in this story who understand how nobly intended patriotism can still drive people to do bad things, and our side that has trouble reconciling atrocities in the service of fighting fascism.

While the transition from character drama to gorefest may feel jarring to casual viewers, or possibly too-little-too-late for more bloodthirsty horrorhounds, Brooklyn 45 is never less than entertaining. Fessenden/Buzzington sounds like a fun-to-say political ticket, but it’s also the ticket to letting these crazy bastards cut loose in a more structured way than usual. Geoghegan is beginning to develop a discernible horror style that’s very much his own, and if he keeps it up, a pattern of anticipation for whatever’s next is likely to swiftly ensue.

Currently you are able to watch “Brooklyn 45” streaming on AMC Plus Apple TV Channel , AMC+ Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Shudder, and Shudder Amazon Channel.