Moustroll
Good movie but grossly overrated
Doomtomylo
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Taraparain
Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
vincentlynch-moonoi
There are many sub-genres in horror films, and I do admire a number of old-fashioned ghost stories. Of that sub-genre, this is pretty much my favorite.That's not to say it's perfect. It has the 1970's excesses -- one penis shot and some rather grotesque sex (and yes, I know it came out in 1981...but it's so 70's). And the acting -- which I'll get to in a minute -- is uneven. But still, it's a darned good story, and it's what introduced me to Peter Straub, the author.It's a good and classic story -- 4 college men are a little full of themselves and they all hit on a young woman. In a pivotal scene, she falls and hits her head...seemingly dead. The young men put her in a car and drive it into a lake, and just before it sinks they see she is not dead, but it is too late, the car sinks and she drowns. 50 years later the 4 old men are still close and like to tell each other ghost stories. But suddenly, they're not just stories as the drowned girl comes back for her revenge against them and their families.Fred Astaire is the lead actor here, and at age 82 he still had something special; this was his last film. Melvyn Douglas was 79 years old here, and this was filmed not long before his death; another classic actor. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. had the least star power (and is therefore the first to die), but his brief performance here at age 72 was his last film. John Houseman had gained pop status later in life, and here he was 79. These 4 old actors are what makes this film special. Patricia Neal is along as one of the wives, but her role is not major. I very much enjoyed Jacqueline Brookes as one of the other wives.On the younger side -- and that is a strength of the film...two stories, one of some old men, the other of some young people -- Craig Wasson was satisfactory as twins, and the sons of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Alice Krige is the evil younger woman here, and I can't say I care for her as an actress...although she's appropriately creepy here. Miguel Fernandes is the creepy Gregory Bate here; it's a good performance. Of the younger versions of the old men, most noteworthy is Ken Olin.The special effects here are about par for the era; not fancy, but they get the job done.The Blu Ray version of this film is quite a good transfer, though I have seen better.A classic ghost story nicely told with some very fine older actors carrying the day. I really like it, and it's on my DVD/BluRay shelf.
Lee Eisenberg
We're so used to seeing horror movies feature empty-headed teenagers getting butchered that it's a very fine change to see one that features a group of old-time stars. Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas (who died a few months before the movie's release), Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and John Houseman - could there be a more unlikely cast for a horror flick? - play a group of old friends hiding a deadly secret that returns to haunt them. "Ghost Story" avoids mass quantities of gore in exchange for other shocks. It's not a particularly scary movie, but still a fun one. And seriously, are you going to deny that Alice Krige is a real hottie? So, watch it. You'll be able to say that you saw the only horror flick starring Mr. Song and Dance, the man who made Garbo laugh*, the son of a 1920s icon, and Orson Welles's former colleague**, along with Patricia Neal. Good times. I now want to read Peter Straub's book.I read that director John Irvin's next movie will focus on Nelson Mandela's days as a guerrilla fighter. How many directors can claim to have cast Fred Astaire but also made a movie focusing on the man who led South Africa out of institutionalized racism? *Also, Melvyn Douglas's wife Helen Gahagan ran for senate against Richard Nixon and was the first to call the latter Tricky Dick.**John Houseman and Orson Welles collaborated on Broadway in the 1930s. One of their productions was the politically charged musical "The Cradle Will Rock". This production was one of the plots in Tim Robbins's 1999 movie "Cradle Will Rock", in which Houseman is played by Cary Elwes (Westley in "The Princess Bride").
A_Different_Drummer
Let's put aside for another review the broader issue of how successful Hollywood has been adapting Straub's work, generally. Because in case of this work, specifically, they pretty much knocked it out of the park. This film is genuinely creepy and this reviewer can list on the fingers of one hand (maybe two) the number of times a so-called "horror" film had got under my skin (the original Exorcist, the original Living Dead, the original Hill House, come to mind). This film made that list. Next is the casting. I am going to give credit to John Irvin for (presumably) saying, this is a film about a bunch of old guys but I don't want to get just any old guys, let's get the best-known bunch of old guys money can buy... Wow -- Fred Astair, Douglas Fairbanks, I mean, does it get any better than this? Finally, this is the film that introduced the mass audiences to Alice Krige, a very capable actress whose work has been keeping us glued to our seats for decades since (Borg Queen, anyone?). The IMDb rating, as always, is much too low. A true classic, bringing together many unusual features in one production.
Coventry
You know, "Ghost Story" certainly may not be the best horror movie ever made, but that doesn't matter and I'm still rewarding it with at least one additional point. Why? Just because it feels tremendously good again to see an old-fashioned scary tale that is all about atmosphere, settings, scenery and characters. The accentuation in "Ghost Story" lies on unsettling winterly Vermont landscapes, dark secrets buried at the bottom of grisly lakes, moody musical tunes and terrifying ramshackle mansions in remote neighborhoods. The movie handles about elderly men that are still experiencing nightmares and feelings of remorse for the mistakes they made over half a century ago and deadly curses that are inflicted upon innocent and unwary kin. In short, this is the epitome of horror and – whether or not 100% successful – something every self-acclaimed fan of the genre has to appreciate. "Ghost Story" is based on a novel by author Peter Straub. I haven't read the book, but at least I can very well assume that director John Irvin and the producers perfectly captured Straub's intentions. His story introduces four prominent, respectable and charismatic elderly men and Irvin managed to cast the ideal actors for these roles. Just the fact that "Ghost Story" gathers Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and John Houseman in the very final phase of their long and triumphant careers is reason enough to consider the film as a semi- classic already. The four live together in a town where they are still influential society members. They formed the so-called "Chowder Society" and regularly meet up to drink expensive bourbon and narrate ghastly stories. This is how the movie opens, by the way, with an eerie story in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe, and it immediately sets the ideal creepy tone for the rest of the film. But really these men formed the "Chowder Society" for another reason, namely to oppress the fact that once, approximately fifty years ago, they committed a vile crime together and closed a pact never to talk about it again. Now, the ghosts from the past return to haunt them – literally – and vengeance gets extracted through the twin sons of Mayor Edward Charles Wanderley. The film is reasonably well-paced and unfolds an engaging structure of flashbacks, narrated stories and events occurring in the present time. The sequences in the present are terrific, because the veteran actors truly depict their characters as fatigue and petrified people that struggled with their consciences and emotional burden throughout their entire life. Also, the atmosphere and tension level are spotlighted through the continuously depressing weather conditions as well as the uncanny scenes in the since 50 years abandoned horror house. My absolute favorite part of the film, however, is the flashback to when the protagonists where young and stupid, and committed the crime that would impact the rest of their lives. Those sequences take place in the 1930's, and I happen to be a huge sucker for grim tales taking place in this particular era. The period details are exact and wonderful, with a lot of vehicles, costume details and behavioral patterns that are typical for the timing. The actual events that eventually led to fifty years of nightmares, which I will not reveal here in order to increase potential viewers' curiosity, are definitely intense and horrifying indeed; especially the climax. Unfortunately but almost as a matter of course, I cannot deny that "Ghost Story" also features a handful of senseless sub plots in the script (like the irregular appearance of two religious freaks) and some of the ghostly elements become quite weak if you contemplate about them. Still, in spite of these and a couple of more minor defaults, "Ghost Story" absolutely remains recommended viewing if only for all the reasons highlighted in the opening paragraph of this review. Apart from the classy veteran actors in the lead, there are also terrific roles for Craig Wasson, Patricia Neal, Jacqueline Brookes and last but certainly not least the astonishing Alice Krige, whom you might remember as the crazy mother in "Sleepwalkers" or as Borg Queen in "Star Trek: First Contact". If you still aren't convinced to check the film out, maybe it helps to add that the lovely Mrs. Krige appears more naked than dressed.
