Ty West’s “Ebenezer” attempts something genuinely intriguing: filtering Charles Dickens’ timeless tale through a horror director’s lens. The result is a fascinating misfire that’s caught between atmospheric ambition and a wildly inconsistent central performance.
The Director’s Vision Works
West brings his horror pedigree—honed on films like “The Innkeepers”—to Victorian London with confident hands. The production design embraces the story’s inherent darkness, transforming Scrooge’s world into a properly bleak landscape of spiritual and material poverty. Tyler Bates’ ominous string arrangements, particularly a haunting rendition of “Carol of the Bells,” establish the right tone of creeping dread.
The film’s supernatural elements fare best under West’s direction. Andrea Riseborough’s Ghost of Christmas Past is genuinely unsettling, with her milky eyes and detached demeanor creating moments of real unease. Tremell Tillman brings unpredictable intensity to the Ghost of Christmas Present, while the silent, clicking Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come feels appropriately predatory.
Depp’s Scrooge Divides the Film
The central problem lies with Johnny Depp’s interpretation of Scrooge. His theatrical, physically explosive performance feels imported from a different production entirely—one that doesn’t exist here. When Depp allows moments of genuine vulnerability and restraint, the film briefly finds its emotional anchor. Those flashes of connection make the surrounding bombast all the more frustrating.
Supporting players like Rupert Grint’s warm Bob Cratchit and Ellie Bamber’s affecting Belle provide the grounded humanity the story requires. They anchor the emotional stakes that Depp’s performance often obscures.
“Ebenezer” succeeds as a moody, horror-inflected take on familiar material, but its leading man’s theatrical excess undermines West’s more measured approach. For those seeking a spookier Christmas Carol, there’s enough atmospheric craft to appreciate. Those wanting emotional resonance might find themselves wishing for a ghost of a different performance.