★ 5 / 10
Enjoyable - but it's a hodgepodge that doesn't completely fit together as it is
I_Ailurophile
It's a tad difficult to completely take this seriously. With the exaggerated mannerisms of speech and body language of those chief characters to whom we're…
It's a tad difficult to completely take this seriously. With the exaggerated mannerisms of speech and body language of those chief characters to whom we're first introduced, and the off-kilter dynamics between them, all that's missing is discrete comedy for this to come off like a P. G. Wodehouse movie. While always enjoyable in its own right, Ron Geesin's music also seems quite scattered: sometimes appropriate and lending atmosphere, sometimes curiously ill-fitting for the proceedings, and sometimes almost parodic; a theme to greet our ears in a scene just after the one-hour mark sounds like something Mike Patton might have recorded with Mr. Bungle or Fantomas. (Could Geesin have just been ahead of his time, to the detriment of this title?) With that especially in mind it's hard to tell what tone the picture is trying to strike, and even more so as the tone rather shifts from one scene to the next. The storytelling itself pointedly jumps around a tad, only complicating matters, and as the halfway mark rolls around there's still little cohesiveness to be had. There are some facets that are decidedly dark, and others that are wry; a singular element to take prominence, not least in the last minutes, raises a skeptical eyebrow; some dialogue is almost laughable, and between the writing of Talbot and McFadyen, and the respective performances of Larry Dann and Murray Melvin, one can't say who comes off more peculiarly. The narrative does gel as the length enters its home stretch, but still the connective threads between the two halves are questionable, and the audience is asked to take a lot purely on faith with the benefit of active suspension of disbelief.Mind you, I do think 'Ghost story' is more well done than not, and there's much to appreciate here. The panoply is odd, but I do actually like the acting, above all the strange energy that Dann and Melvin bring with them. Geesin's music is a true smorgasbord, but I kind of love it. Stephen Weeks illustrates a keen eye at times for orchestrating shots in a way that helps build the intended ambience, especially with some smart use of lighting. The filming locations are splendid, and the art direction; those stunts and effects that are employed look swell. Though it's a long and uneven road to get there, ultimately we are treated to the horror flavors that we crave, with underhanded dread airs and some nefarious goings-on. I can honestly say that I did enjoy this, and I'm glad I took the time to watch. Yet the fact remains that a viewer must put in some work to find the value herein - not because the feature is abstruse or cerebral, but just because the entire experience is very much all over the map. At some points it's earnestly creepy, and at others nearly inspires mocking snickers; scenes that are tongue-in-cheek or sprightly are adjoined with others that are violent and grim. None of this is accidental. I see what Weeks was doing, as director and as producer, and what he and his co-writers assembled. It's not that sum total doesn't work, but only that it doesn't come off very well; instead of a calculated conglomeration, the film feels more like a slapdash kluge of parts that don't entirely fit together. I mean no disrespect to Weeks or anyone else involved when I say that it would have taken an especially delicate, expert touch to make this work as it is, and failing that, the concept needed some reworking.When all is said and done it is worthwhile, but it is hardly something that demands viewership. 'Ghost story' is a piece to check out on a quiet day, and not something for which to specifically set aside time. I'm glad for those who appreciate it more than I do, and I can't begrudge those who engage honestly and view it less favorably. I say this best suited for the audience that is receptive to all the wide possibilities that cinema and the genre have to offer, and who can look past the shortcomings to find the worthiness within. So long as one is open-minded and willing there is a great deal to admire here, and that is perhaps the best mindset to adopt when sitting to watch.
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★ 6 / 10
Genuinely haunting, a good old fashioned compelling ghost story
Foreverisacastironmess123
When I first saw this I expected it to be one of those horrible, undecipherable trippy 70's flicks. The film was indeed very vague and bizarre, especially…
When I first saw this I expected it to be one of those horrible, undecipherable trippy 70's flicks. The film was indeed very vague and bizarre, especially towards the end, and I have really hated that approach in other films made in the late 60's/70's, but in this instance it was..somehow satisfying. The film got more tense and atmospheric as it went on. And while I never totally got the plot it didn't bother me too much, I enjoyed the atmospherics and surreality of what was going on. Although it never got exactly mind blowing for me, it was much more interesting and a very different kind of supernatural horror film than I initially gave it credit for. It had some moments and sequences that were genuinely unsettling and very creepy to me. So very few ghost themed movies are what they're meant to be, tragic, chilling, and indeed haunting like in this very uncanny ghost tale of old vengeance coming back to expose sinful and dark deeds long since buried! It certainly doesn't do it perfectly or hardly anything perfectly for that matter, but I think Ghost Story does what a decent ghost movie should do; it relies on tension rather than gore to achieve its chills and more horrific themes. It's always nice to come across an older movie that uses a more lighter touch to convey the shock and horror aspects. This film is no forgotten masterpiece, but it does deserve a little consideration by anyone who enjoys a More subtle slow burning kind of ghost-themed horror picture. It's a real shame the film isn't a little better than it actually is though, because something that really brought down the tension and overall quality for me was how ridiculously campy and eccentric the three dashing country gents were. They were so grotesquely pompous and weird and off putting that I didn't know quite how to take them and it frankly made it very hard for me to even give the slightest damn as to what might happen to them. I didn't find any of the three strange men to be particularly impressive or even remotely likable. The scene where the nonentity with the moustache sneers at them of his disgust for jam on his sandwiches or something and leaves in disgust, how the hell am I supposed to grasp the meaning of that, that's isn't how a human being is supposedly act! Some very bizarre acting and direction done with those three... And the one that surely was meant to be gay or if not what the hell, if he wasn't then the man had camp down to a fine, fine art! The film looked Really clear and quite beautiful and crisp to say it was made so long ago. The bright country scenes outside, and the shadowy dusky interiors of the grand mansion really contrasted beautifully and I was all shot really well, I got no beef with the cinematography of the movie at all. I always like a horror movie with a really great dark house and that mansion really fit the bill, it was a fantastically atmospheric Gothic looking place with all its wonderful dark corners and twisting corridors and grim old secrets waiting to be awakened... It was a real classically spooky joint, and I like spooky, and the magnificent dwelling itself was my favourite thing about this movie. The evil possessed doll in the film, was one of the genuine creepiest little things I've ever seen in a horror movie, and didn't even really did anything but just that little face! I don't think I could sleep in the same house as it let alone room! It really scared me in the scene where the guy with the glasses is in the dark with the doll and all you can see is its face, and he says "you're horrible" and then it closes in on him with the lightning flashing and everything, that's an excellent little scene and I must have seen this at some point when I was very little because I swear I dreamed that exact scene once.. I don't agree with the other reviewer who wrote that a ghost story is not a horror story. Genres can cross in a thousand different ways and go off in as many directions, very often too many directions. That's one of the reasons I liked this, it was pretty freaky at points but it was nice and focused! I found the scene set in the past where all the mad inmates seize and murder the staff of the asylum to be very disturbing and impressively done. I loved everything to do with the strange story element of the ethereal trips to the asylum in the past as the girl's tragic story of perversion and betrayed is uncovered as well as how her beloved doll came to be haunted by what is very likely her spirit. What a different and brilliant idea to have in this kind of ghost movie, and it was even a little ahead of its time in that regard, it's certainly got a lot of years on Quantum Leap! This film worked for me. I honestly don't know why but it managed to win me over at some point, I must be getting soft! I think it was because it reminded me fondly of all the great old British short pulp horror stories I have loved to read over the years. This is a very enjoyable very low-key ghost chiller, probably best not to question it too much and just enjoy the ride of it, kind of like the one 'lil nightmare Dolly hitches at the end!! Good watch, very well done. x
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4.9/10
616
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Great classic horror