Konterr Brilliant and touching

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

AaronCapenBanner Sebastian Cabot starred as Winston Essex, manager of Mansfield House, where he would tell supernatural stories about various guests who had stayed there, or were about to. A great pity he never participated in an episode proper, but the viewer got the feeling that there was a back story to the man we were never privy to...Sadly, he was dropped as host, and much of the charm was lost, though some fine episodes remained. It was retitled "Circle Of Fear" from "Ghost Story", an unwise change that suggested the studio was trying to fool the audience that it was a different show(in some ways it was!) Spooky title sequence and theme added to the eeriness.The pilot episode 'The New House' was the best, though only a few of the subsequent episodes ever came close to this quality again. A few duds, but for a one season series, still quite watchable, just better with Sebastian Cabot as host!

moonspinner55 Despite some great talents on-board (Richard Matheson as director of development, Jimmy Sangster as story consultant and occasional writer, William Castle as executive producer, Sebastian Cabot as host, and a slew of up-and-coming directors at the helm), "Ghost Story" didn't make it in the ratings, and was in fact retitled halfway through its run to "Circle of Fear". Cabot welcomes us as Winston Essex, portly host of the ornately spooky Mansfield House, introducing us to the characters in each week's one-hour episode. It's an anthology series which doesn't have much on "Night Gallery" (which, in turn, had nothing on "The Twilight Zone"). Usually, a married couple is beset with supernatural trouble when either the husband or the wife starts hearing/seeing things, while their respective spouses attempt to stop the madness in its tracks. Some of the trick photography and editing effects in the pilot episode (wherein pregnant Barbara Parkins is hearing things) are actually quite good, though subsequent episodes show a dip in inspiration. Some stories (such as "Concrete Captain") are mercilessly padded to fill time on the clock, while others are over-plotted and fall apart from the weight (as with "The Dead We Leave Behind", concerning a TV set which turns crystal ball). Nice to see this early work from filmmakers such as Richard Donner and Leo Penn, and actors like Jodie Foster, Karen Black, Susan Dey, Gena Rowlands, etc. But taking ideas from the imagination to the printed page--and then onto the television screen--has never been an easy journey, and "Ghost Story" doesn't fulfill expectations.

Joe Simiana (panavision-1) In One Episode "Time of Terror" (episode # 1.13) where Alice Ghostley appeared, played a School Teacher who met her demise after trying to reason with half man half bats that awaken after ancient slumber in a small dusty American town, who feed off the locals, I recall a good notable cast in this episode, Effects where exceptional for its day, I recall this was the first time i saw special effect contact lenses used on characters that really shocked me at the time along with voice effects, mind you i was 8 years old, I stayed up to watch it thinking it was going to be funny as the promo showed Alice Ghostley, as we know her usual character roles are comical, Recently the adaptation of this particular episode was the basis of the film Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Barry-73 I remember watching this TV series on occasion back in the 1970s. Unfortunately since it's been 20-25 years since I've seen it, I no longer remember any of the episodes. The only thing I remember clearly is the sound effect that was played whenever a ghost was present. Before reading about this on the IMDB I did not know that it was later re-named Circle of Fear. That was new to me. To me it was always Ghost Story. I remember that I always found the show interesting enough to watch it till the end. If you can find this on video (It's extremely hard to find), I highly recommend it. I did find one source for it on video, some years ago and purchased one episode that starred John Astin and Patty Duke Astin. This episode was from when the series had been re-named Circle of Fear. Very entertaining if you can find it. Maybe some day the Sci-Fi Channel will pick it up. Who knows?