My own diatribe voting for this movie. 
I've read very mixed reviews of this film. I suppose I can understand how those who have gotten used to seeing high rate gore and special effects could get used to letting their imaginations lapse when it comes to seeing this movie. Those who can only focus on the sex scene - well, I imagine that has something to do with their brains being the size of a lima bean. This movie, you must remember, was made in 1981, so no, the special effects aren't up to modern day picky standards (although the scenes with Eva in all her glory are pretty gruesome). The majority of the book has been left out, and you'll just have to get over that, because it's hard to channel an entire book the length of Ghost Story into a 1 1/2 hour movie. So the focus is on Eva, her death, and her revenge. It is all about the revenge in this movie for what a group of high society boys did one summer night and tried to cover up. The storyline is presented romantically, the music is haunting and beautiful (unfortunately the soundtrack is out of print), and the sleepy snow scenes (like the opening scene) are unsettling and enchanting as Eva's vengeful laugh is dubbed in. This is a good, creepy movie. I will end my diatribe with this - grab a large bowl of popcorn, a Coke (or preferred soft drink), wrap your legs up in a comfy throw blanket, turn out every light in the house, and give this movie a go. If you just don't like it, close your eyes and listen to the music.
Great Movie, Even Better Novel
This movie has always been a favorite of mine. I like the slow pace - it allows you to really settle into the movie. The atmoshpehere is outstanding - very desolate and creepy. Fred Astaire and John Houseman are particularly good in their roles and Alice Krige is exquisitely haunting.
The movie's downside is the volume of material that did not make it from the novel to the movie. The story is much better suited to a miniseries than a feature film. I'd love to see a six- or eight-hour "complete version" of this superb tale.
I'd highly recommend reading Peter Straub's novel upon which this movie is based. It offers a lot more story and is available in print and audio cassette. There are plenty of cheap copies available on e-bay.
Grab a comforter, turn out the lights . . . 
We saw this movie when it first came out and it has remained one of our favorite ghost stories. We now have our teenage children watching it. It's not gory, gruesome or bloody but it has an interesting storyline and not ever having read the book, we found the movie to be one of our favorites. If you're looking for a Jason or Freddy style movie you'll be disappointed, but if you want a good, old fashioned scary movie with an bit of poetic justice, you'll enjoy this.
Great cast. Interesting concept. Low on chills. 
Several elderly gentleman are tormented by the ghost of a beautiful woman who is also in hot pursuit of one of the men's sons. The reason behind her revenge makes an interesting story that may please soft-core fans of the genre.
GHOST STORY stars several famous, accomplished actors- Fred Astaire (devoid of his dancing shoes), John Houseman, Douglas Fairbranks Jr and a new comer, the beautiful Alice Krige. The performances are quite good by the ensemble cast but the real stand-out is Krige. Aside from being possibly the most attractive killer cadaver ever screened, she is also very seductive, cold, calculating and her voice is irresistible. In other words, she is perfect for the role. She also has some of the best one liners in the film: "Dance with me you little toad", "I think I'll take a bite out of you", "What's the matter darling, I thought you'd be DYING to see me", and "I will see the life run out of you". Freddy Krueger, eat your heart out.
The cinematography is also excellent. The overall look and feel of the film is what makes it worth viewing. We get some beautiful and eerie shots of the sleepy, quaint little village covered in ice and snow adding tension and fear, a frozen lake, a creepy crumbling house with leaking, crumbling walls and colourful period costumes. All is very pleasing to the eye.
The main problem with this film however is that it's billed as a horror film but the chills are few and far between. The make up effects are quite good but the ghoul only appears for a couple of seconds of screen time and the viewer has to wait for another 30 minutes before the nasty corpse is briefly shown again. So despite a lovely leading lady and promising effects make-up, the film drags quite a bit.
This film may not satisfy the hard-core horror nut but for the casual viewer who prefers substance over guts and gore, you might enjoy this overlong but sinister early 80's tale of supernatural vengeance.
Flawed, but quite "the chiller" at times as well.
The movie "Ghost Story" is about four old men with a dark secret from the past. The guilt these men bear is unspeakable for an act they committed many years ago. As the movie begins, the audience sees how the men are tormented in their dreams, but from what? What unfolds is a chilling ghost story which, "at times" is quite effective presenting that ever elusive feeling of horror to the audience, especially for a ghost story, which is so hard to do.
The creators of this "Ghost Story" provided the viewer with a mildly effective mesh of reality and dream to leave the viewer somewhat unsettled and aware that something scary or horrifying is about to happen. The acting of Alice Krige is outstanding in this film...she is a natural in her role as the vengeful ghost.
On the down side for "Ghost Story", there is no question that this movie is also boring at times as well. For instance, the reminiscing of past events, especially about the youth of the old men, while informative, is actually incredibly boring...there are some lengthy scenes that really bring the movie down and cause the action to stagnate, the effect of which is sheer boredom in the audience.
Also, this movie has way too much "gratuitous nudity", and this does hurt the film to some degree because, as I said, the movie gets boring and there is a lot of simply filler space...that said, I recommend that the viewer pay close attention to Emma's ghost-like mannerisms during the intervals of these scenes...she's quite creepy! However, the nudity and sex scenes are obviously why we haven't seen this movie on television. Another minor issue that I have with "Ghost Story" has to do with the two human characters, a young man and kid, who appear to be apparitions of some sort, but are really humans...in my humble opinion, their presence in this movie is completely unnecessary and nonsensical. The horror, metaphysical/supernatural quality and mystery of the ghost is reduced to some extent as a result of this flaw.
Overall, this is a pretty decent ghost story and horror movie with some definite flaws, but it's actually better than a lot of today's garbage. I mildly recommend "Ghost Story" to the horror movie fan, but don't expect too much from this flick and you might actually walk away relatively satisfied with what you do get from it. In other words, it's worth a rent, but I would not buy it. "Ghost Story" may not quite deserve THREE STARS, but I'm going to give it anyway because it is better than average for a horror movie but not without flaws. "Ghost Story" represents one of those movies that has some good scary scenes in it and parts that are not so good as well.
reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, page 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
ghost story, ghost, story
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based on 84 reviews
