Horror Movie Review: The Ghastly Ordeal of Kaitlyn Krumdick (2025)

Written, directed, and starring Ryan Duff, The Ghastly Ordeal of Kaitlyn Krumdick is a passion project, and a no budget one at that. Which normally spells disaster, but in a wonderful surprise, the film ends up being funny, heartfelt, and entertaining.

Kaitlyn, a somewhat cynical woman unlucky in love, sees her life turned upside down when she meets the man of her dreams, and her neighbour finds an evil book that starts causing chaos in her quiet Maine town. Though, at least all this also gives her the opportunity to reconnect with her old high-school friend, Hannah (Krystyna Hutchinson).

If there is one reason to watch The Ghastly Ordeal of Kaitlyn Krumdick it is for the pairing of Kaitlyn and Hannah. The chemistry the actors share is off the charts, and they bounce off each other in a brilliantly natural way. They are both likable and funny, ensuring that even when the film starts to slow down in places, it stays engaging.

To be honest, they save the film, as without their authentic relationship and amusing back and forth, it would be a challenging watch because of the lack of actual horror. We’re introduced to the sinister book early on, and there some minor moments of nastiness, such as Kaitlyn taking some book juice to the face, but the film spends a lot of building towards a finale that doesn’t quite feel earned. It’s the only time that things feel horror, but even then, it comes tinged with comedic elements. For some, this will be seen as a bad thing, for others, a good thing as Kaitlyn and Hannah are just too entertaining.

The focus of the film is Kaitlyn Krumdick and as the centrepiece, she excels as a character with issues. Duff could have overdone this, turning her into a loud, obnoxious caricature of a person who no-one would want to be around. That is not the case though and instead, Duff makes Kaitlyn a layered, thought-provoking, and relatable character who, like all of us, sometimes lets intrusive thoughts win.

It’s not just in the acting role that Duff impresses either as behind the camera there is skill and their storytelling abilities are notable (even with some pacing issues here and there). What Duff seems to excel at is comedy, both from a writing standpoint and with some situational aspects.

The Ghastly Ordeal of Kaitlyn Krumdick is filled with funny moments and that, for me at least, is enough to make this a recommended watch. Sure, I’d like a bit more horror, but my expectations were low and it far exceeded them.

Give me tons more Kaitlyn Krumdick please!