John Irving's wintry horror film "Ghost Story" (1981)

[quote]Now on Blu-Ray

How quaint.

I like how the old codgers gather wearing tuxedos. Who wears a tuxedo anymore? A clear weak link in the movie is the terrible British accent from a young Ken Olin.

This is one of the rare instances where I feel that, in the hands of a capable, non-hack filmmaker, a new adaptation of this could be done and be extremely scary. The 1981 film has its moments, but also a lot of problems. Some of the visuals are quite haunting.

This film is one of the rare instances of the story in the screenplay being (slightly) better than the story in the book.

R4 is it? I’ve never read the book, but I know many people thought the opposite. What are the significant differences?

Both the book and the movie are guilty pleasures of mine. There are some scenes in both that are beautifully, creepily done. Agree with the poster above who said the movie could be a good remake in the hands of the right director.

In the film she's a vengeful ghost, in the book she's some kind of evil nature spirit.

John Irvin, no "g." Not to be confused with John Irving of World According to Garp/Cider House Rules fame.

[quote]I’ve never read the book, but I know many people thought the opposite. What are the significant differences?

I haven't seen the film in decades, and I read the novel even earlier than that, but my recollection is that the basic plot is not much changed. The major difference is that the story seems greatly simplified and streamlined when Straub himself isn't telling it. His prose style was more literary and poetic than that of most authors associated with the horror genre. I believe his chronology and placement of Ghost Story's various back-stories was a little more intricately arranged too.

He's something of a rarefied taste. People either found him the class of his field or they found him frustratingly obscure and difficult. Ghost Story was one of his best, if not the best, so it's a good test case to see if he's for you.

Eva: I will take you places you've never been. I will show you things that you have never seen and I will see the life run out of you.

As written, I was not sure if the protagonist was experiencing a psychotic break with the bookend scenes. I read this after “Julia” and before “Shadowland” so I didn’t know what to expect.

Something I always remember in association with the novel Ghost Story is that one of the main characters teaches at a college, and when he's coming unraveled, he gives a rambling, unfocused lecture in which he describes Crane's The Red Badge of Courage as "a great ghost story in which the ghost never appears." He confuses his undergraduates, and his faculty colleagues hear about it and are concerned,

Straub fan (and later collaborator) Stephen King, in his horror study Danse Macabre, commented, "Considering the book’s moody approach to the subjects of cowardice and bravery, it is an oddly apt description of that novel." King was right.

It’s John Irvin, not Irving OP.

R12 yes, I was already duly corrected by R8. I will go do penance by kneeling on some hot coals before my hearth to atone.

Too much atmosphere, not enough plot.

I LOVE the book and have never seen the movie, is it streaming somewhere?

Irvin's "Turtle Diary" is a good non-horror movie. The emotions are wintry.

I tried reading the book but it didn't hold my interest so I gave up. What exactly is it about?

^ Love Story

I just got done putting big bows on all of the pitbulls I am giving each of you!

I love a good revenge story. Genuinely creepy.

huh, not sure how that happened.

I think the movie is good. Genuinely scary at times.

Who would you cast as the old codgers (Fred Astaire, Melyvn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Houseman) today?

I would do Ian McKellen, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Robert Redford.

Alice Krige had just come off Chariots of Fire and she proved she really had what it took with Ghost Story. Unfortunately, Hollywood didn't agree and she never made much of a career.

Perhaps you could include “Sleepwalkers” and “Silent Hill” and “Star Trek whatever” before you put the bitch down, R24.

She’s a draw for some of these B movies - like Wendy Robie. I know I’ll like something in the movie if they are involved.

Craig Wasson would have made a very convincing Dad for Patrick Dempsey in ‘Some Girls’. I never understood how Craig’s career stalled while the interchangeable William Hurt’s went into overdrive.

One of the first R rated movies I was allowed to see because of the cast. Nudity!!! From then on (i wasn’t allowed to see the sex comidies like Porky’s) i could see any & all slasher pics. Again: Nudity!!! My parents never the wiser.

Alice Krige. How does one pronounce her last name? In my mind it's unpronounceable, like that Prince symbol.

Kri - like the “Me” in Megan

And then

Ge

R28 Kree-guh

I still say the line "Dance with me, you little toad."

I thought it was Kreej but maybe I heard it mispronounced somewhere over the years

Straub wrote a book with Stephen king that was an absolute CHORE to get through.

[quote]I LOVE the book and have never seen the movie, is it streaming somewhere?

You can rent it on Apple TV, rescue chick.

It's not a great horror movie but I like it well enough. The pompous way John Houseman delivers his lines gets annoying after a while. Love the New England scenery.

I got a kick out of the brief full-frontal male nudity at the beginning of the movie.

The trailer

Amazing score and gorgeous locations (Woodstock, VT and Saratoga Springs). Krige is quite effective. The story is a bit by-the-numbers in comparison to the reveal in the book that the woman was never human to begin with.

I think the movie is quite good and definitely worth seeing. The flashbacks were dull, but the rest worked for me. Alice Krige was really good.

I just watched “A Wounded Faun” and I’m going to re-read “Ghost Story” with that in mind.

I was 11 when I saw it and it scared the shit out of me..but I did enjoy the male nudity.

that's just your bathroom mirror, op.

I don’t remember any male nudity so I may have to rewatch!

Despite possibly not living up to her early career potential, Alice Krige (Kree-guh) managed to carve out a very interesting career niche for herself. She's still working regularly, and only last year had her first starring role in a mainstream film since the 80s. She was too mysterious for mainstream Hollywood in the 80s, despite her extraordinary beauty and intensity. She's still incredibly beautiful today.

Ghost Story is one of those movies that draw you in because of, not in spite of, its faults. So much unexplained, so much doesn't quite make sense, and it forces your brain to lean in and attempt to find the answers. Combined with the performances, the score, the scenery, and the general plot, it makes for a very enjoyable movie-going experience, as long as you don't get lost in the details. One of my favorites.

Krige was wonderfully evil as the witch in GRETEL AND HANSEL a few years back. The film itself is one of those less-than-meets-the-eye, moody horror films Ozgood Perkins churns out.

R42 that pic is awesome! She's really something else.

Yes she never had a mainstream career after this & Chariots, but I think she was destined to be on the outside and sort of stand out. I personally love her because I'm a huge Silent Hill fan & loved her in the first movie. She really understood the story & the transitions from real world to nightmare world. She's great with horror & fantasy.

[quote]R41: I don’t remember any male nudity so I may have to rewatch!

There's a full frontal of Craig Wasson falling from a skyscraper window close to the beginning of the film. It startled and somewhat traumatized me; it was the first I'd seen in a film. I was seventeen.

Craig Wasson has a fairly attractive face but his body is underwhelming.

God, Osgood Perkins is a horrible filmmaker.

Not sure what Osgood Perkins has to do with this movie. He died long before it was made.

I was a young teenager when this came out and saw it twice at the cinema. The reviews said it was mediocre and it seemed like a B movie, especially with Craig Wasson’s willie appearing in a particularly bad special effect.

I didn’t realise Ken Olin was in this.

It was marketed at the time as a reunion of all the old codgers. Was Fred Astaire in this? I think so.

Fuck y’all! Right up the [italic]ass!

I love this movie because of the wintery atmosphere. I also love ghost stories. I’d definitely love to see a remake.

When the movie was released, I guess the main newspaper in the city I live in had a positive review because I did seek it out. I only became aware of the "meh" reviews years later online.

For some reason, I thought there was a brief full frontal shot of William Hurt falling in "Altered States" but I can't find the image online. Maybe I'm wrong.

Ghost Story got the full BluRay treatment from the Scream Factory with some great special features, including an interview with Alice.

[quote] Not sure what Osgood Perkins has to do with this movie. He died long before it was made.

Maybe if you read the fucking thread....

^^^ It's Oz Perkins, dumbass.

No, it's Osgood. He was named after his grandfather. He goes by Oz, but his name is Osgood.

Dumbass.

Well, you're not going to find him under Osgood Perkins on wikipedia, the reference source of record, dumbass. You get his grandfather. You fail.

Yawn

I just finished re-watching this movie this evening, and I'm impressed with Alice Krige and Craig Wasson. I remembered being embarrassed for the elderly cast members in a film with so much nudity and sexual content. I also learned only later about the extra-supernatural nature of Krige's character, which was apparently made more clear in Straub's novel than in the film. Either way, it was very atmospheric and chilling on a chilly October evening.

Fred Astaire nearly walked out. He thought he would die during filming.

He died soon after.

Astaire died in 1987. Do you mean Melvyn Douglas?

I always wondered what Astaire and Douglas thought, having been around during the Golden Age, being in a movie with a naked willy on display and a naked old lady in a tub. It's not exactly the type of film either we're known for.

They thought 'thank god we werent born with Wassons baby penis.'

Krige's beauty and performance in this film inspired me to seek out her other work. Unfortunately, there's not much to see in the way of great, good, or even entertaining films, but her dedication and intensity, as well as the range of characters she's portrayed over the past 40+ years is a testament to her talent. She's an intelligent, mysterious soul and an example of untapped potential.