If you wanted to hear about a project billed as “Cyprus’s first home-grown horror film”, you’ve come to the right place! The Blu-ray package uses that claim for 2022’s The Ghosts of Monday.

Set on Cyprus, the Grand Hotel Gula once existed as a successful resort. However, after 100 mysterious deaths occurred there two decades ago, it shut down and became abandoned.

Led by director Eric (Mark Hubernman), a TV crew arrives to shoot a documentary about this “haunted” location. They bite off more than they can chew as they encounter supernatural danger.

Nothing about that plot synopsis implies Monday will provide a movie with a lot of real creativity. However, a well-made horror flick doesn’t need immense originality to deliver a compelling experience.

Unfortunately, Monday finds nothing involving for the audience. Trite and amateurish, the movie becomes an eye-rolling dud.

The story itself comes with far too many “surprises” that the viewer will detect a mile in advance. Next to nothing here ever adds suspense, as we know what to expect well before it occurs.

This tendency can become nearly comedic at times. With so many telegraphed moments on display, the predictable nature of the tale may provoke more laughs than scares.

Even with a basic “haunted house” framework, Monday lacks coherence. The story progresses in what feels like a nearly random manner and fails to connect together in a smooth manner.

Honestly, the narrative proves so jagged that it sometimes seems like the editor cut the film together almost at random. We find ourselves stuck with bland characters and a muddled tale that never kicks into gear.

With obvious nods toward The Shining, Monday lays on the “creepy vibe” thick. Christina Georgiou’s score proves absurdly overwrought and relentless, and the movie shoves “scares” in our face via ridiculous shots.

The actors fare no better. Performances range from wooden to hammy, and even a professional like Julian Sands seems amateuurish and goofy.

My biggest issue with Monday stems from its utter inability to create an engaging and tense horror story. 77 minutes of overdone tedium, the movie flops.

The Ghosts of Monday appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The image felt good but erratic.

Sharpness tended to vary, though the majority of the movie seemed pretty accurate and precise. Still, some odd softness crept into the presentation more often than anticipated.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent.

The movie’s palette favored a mix of semi-pale blues and ambers. These didn’t excel but they seemed competent.

Blacks seemed reasonably dark, while shadows displayed appealing clarity. Nothing here dazzled, but the presentation appeared fairly positive.

Right off the bat, I docked the movie’s Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack some points due to its lossy nature. In 2023, Blu-rays should include lossless audio.

Otherwise this became a good mix, as it presented a pretty solid soundfield. Unsurprisingly, the story’s creepy mood added a nice sense of atmosphere.

Weather connected to the seashore brought useful material as well. The score bolstered the channels and created a nice impression.

Audio quality was fine, with speech that seemed natural and concise. Some effects came across as artificial – the movie’s foley work didn’t excel – but those elements at least sounded accurate and dynamic.

Music showed good range and impact. Despite the lossy nature of the material, this was a more than adequate mix.

A Slideshow spans two minutes, 58 seconds and brings s running montage of stills. It shows 40 shots from the movie to become a forgettable compilation.

In addition to the trailer for Monday, we locate some Previews. These give us ads for The Long Dark Trail, Frost, AK Tolstoy’s A Taste of Blood, The Hex, Baphomet and Skin Walker.

As a basic haunted house story, The Ghosts of Monday flops in all possible ways. Overcooked and silly, the movie possesses no obvious positives. The Blu-ray brings generally good picture and audio but it lacks notable bonus materials. Avoid this tedious attempt to horror.