1981 may not seem so long ago as to be considered old enough for our purposes here at Vintage Horror, but the actors in this film we’re about to discuss very well may be. Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Melvyn Douglas, and John Houseman star in this one, and it’s that list of actors that got me interested in this film in the first place. Those aren’t names you’d normally equate to horror films, and it would actually be the last film for Astaire, Fairbanks, and Douglas, so it demanded a viewing. That, or maybe it was the simple title that begged for my attention.
Ghost Story, directed by John Irvin, was released December 18, 1981 by Universal Pictures and runs 110 minutes. It’s based on the novel by Peter Straub first published in 1979, and later praised by Stephen King as one of the finest horror novels of the 20th century (according to Wikipedia).
The film begins with the scene of a small town that must have been ripped straight out of Norman Rockwell’s sketchbook, and lets us know we’re in snow-covered New England, where four aging friends, the Chowder Society, gather around a fireplace with no real fire, and tell frightening tales to each other with no real ghosts despite the fact they all are apparently suffering from nightmares already, as is revealed as we’re taken away from the Rockwellian picture of tranquility. But more than just fitful sleep and ghost stories are shared between the four men, there’s a terrible secret as well.
We spend a good portion of this film with Don Wanderley, played by Craig Wasson, who is the son of one of the Chowder Society members, and drawn into their world by his own strange experience (and a death in the family). The story pretty much comes out to and through him. The film spends a fair amount of time on Don’s experience, and as events unfold we quickly see the connection between that and the big secret that haunts the foursome. Which is really no secret to anybody who’s gotten this far in the movie. In fact, you’ll probably unravel this one very early on, but it’s still worth seeing the details revealed.
Like many, many ghost stories before it this one is a tale of atonement and revenge. But it’s also a story of guilt. The older men, unable to repress the memory as they could when younger, are forced to finally acknowledge their past deeds when it comes back to haunt them decades later. This begs the question as to why things stayed dormant for so long, but if it’s explained I missed it.
As for scares Ghost Story is pretty tame, but the chills are effective when they are applied. Most of the horror type imagery is reserved for the end, which may have helped increase it’s impact. If you’re looking for blood and gore pass on this one. It’s not that type of story. But parents be warned, despite its old-timey stars there’s quite a bit of nudity (thankfully not the old guys).
All in all an enjoyable film, especially on a rainy October night. Though it ends without answering a few questions I had, I easily recommend watching this one, even if only to see John Housman in something other than a Smith Barney ad.
I agree it wasn’t a bad film. This is one of the few that I actually read the book before seeing the film. The last 100 pages or so of the book is marvelous but it was way too slow for a large section of its beginning.
Normally, having seen the movie wouldn’t stop me from reading the book, but this is one I’ll pass on.