Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- foreboding
- melancholic
- late night horror viewing
- rainy evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the veteran cast and snowy New England atmosphere but found the adaptation of Peter Straub’s novel overly simplified, ordinary, and anticlimactic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The elderly members of the Chowder Society are united by a gruesome secret from fifty years earlier, which drives the haunting.
The snowy New England setting and isolated communities provide the film’s primary atmosphere of menace.
The four successful elderly gentlemen face frightening events connected to actions they have kept hidden throughout their lives.
The Chowder Society investigates a pattern linking a bizarre death, family members, and their old secret.
Films like Ghost Story, and why
The Changeling
gothic ghost story, buried guilt, supernatural revenge, and an ensemble of older protagonists
The Haunting
haunted-house atmosphere, slow-building supernatural dread, and elegant period-inflected horror
The Innocents
literary gothic horror, family secrets, ominous apparitions, and a mystery rooted in past wrongdoing
Burnt Offerings
supernatural thriller centered on guilt, revenge, and a disturbing revelation beneath an atmospheric surface
Movie Details
- Director
- John Irvin
- Release Date
- 1981-12-18
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (180)
Cast
- Fred Astaire
- Melvyn Douglas
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
- John Houseman
- Craig Wasson
- Patricia Neal
- Alice Krige
- Jacqueline Brookes
- Miguel Fernandes
- Lance Holcomb
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ghost Story about?
- A secretive circle of elderly New England men is forced to confront a vengeful supernatural legacy when strange deaths begin to echo their buried past.
- What is Ghost Story like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ghost Story as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ghost Story violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Ghost Story as moderate.
- What did critics think of Ghost Story?
- Critics broadly praised the veteran cast and snowy New England atmosphere but found the adaptation of Peter Straub’s novel overly simplified, ordinary, and anticlimactic.
- Which films are like Ghost Story?
- Films with a similar feel include The Changeling, The Haunting, The Innocents, and Burnt Offerings.
- How long is Ghost Story?
- Ghost Story runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ghost Story?
- In United States, Ghost Story is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
