Hock is mourning the recent suicide of his mentally ill wife Susan, who killed herself when no one would believe her accusations that her German neighbor was a spy for Hitler.

The séance proves successful, with candles lighting themselves, a closet door banging, and the appearance of Susan's ectoplasmic arm as the parlor's radio spontaneously blasts Louis Jordan's "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby."

Hock, desperate to touch her, lets go of his friends' hands and reaches for Susan's arm, breaking the circle and sending her ghost receding back into the table.

Archie panics and attempts to leave, only to find the parlor doors leading to his own personal Hell: the charred remains of the German kindergarten that he is being tried for destroying.

[3] Reaching out to his late father, a quadriplegic Air Force veteran who became a U.S. History teacher, the filmmaker spent several months detailing the plot with his parent, ensuring that it was both historically and militarily accurate.

The website's consensus reads: "Although it's story can feel circuitous and a bit baggy, Brooklyn 45's character driven period horror is elevated by some excellent performances.

"[16] Upon the film's wide release, Anne Ramsay's performance was called "extraordinary" by The Wall Street Journal, with critic John Anderson noting her "remarkably natural acting under unnatural conditions"[17] in his positive review.

Noel Murray called it "well-made pulp" in his positive Los Angeles Times review, and that "writer-director Ted Geoghegan packs in plenty of plot and gives an excellent cast some flavorful dialogue and rich characters to play.

"[19] Critic Jeannette Catsoulis gave the film a mixed review for The New York Times, calling it "overlong" and "repetitive", but also, "an ambitious period piece given an appropriately vintage look by the cinematographer Robert Patrick Stern."