Ghost Story [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

This 1981 horror film, stars screen legends Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks Jr , Melvyn Douglas, and John Houseman as the Chowder Society; a group of elderly gentlemen who have been friends from childhood and gather regularly to scare each other with spooky stories. The old fashion, monotonous existence of these four distinguished friends changes dramatically when a strange woman from their past returns to haunt them and threaten their lives and the lives of their families. I could go on with the plot but that would spoil all the fun, I suggest you see the film and let it spook and surprise you with its unexpected twists and turns.

I bought this film mostly for sentimental reasons, as it is the last film featuring Astaire, Fairbanks, and Douglas. I expected to be moved, but after having seen films like the The Sixth Sense - 2 Disc Collector's Edition [DVD] [1999]and The Others [DVD] [2001], I did not expect to find a 30 year old ghost story scary. Well I was wrong; this excellently made film with its great performances, its fascinating plot and the beautiful snowy New England scenes spooked me and haunted me for a long time after it was over.

This is a region 1 DVD, but if your DVD player can read it, it is worth the trouble; the picture quality is nice but sadly there are no extra features. This wonderful film has also been released as a region 2 DVD.

"I will take you places you've never been. I will show you things you have never seen and I will see the life run out of you." What a great, unsettling line of dialogue. It's from Ghost Story, a movie some people like quite a bit and which, probably, more people can take or leave. Despite the film's flaws, and there are several, I like the movie a lot. It's about four men, now quite old, and a woman named Eva Galli.

"Eva Galli...there, I've said it," says Sears James, one of the old men. "Well, what happened to her?" asks Don Wanderley, the son of one of the other old men. "We killed her," says Ricky Hawthorne, another of the old men. "The two of you?" "All of us," says James. "The Chowder Society," Hawthorne explains, "in the Spring of 50 years ago."

The Chowder Society is made up of four successful men who have been friends since childhood. There's Sears James (John Houseman at 79), Ricky Hawthorne (Fred Astaire at 82), John Jaffrey (Melvin Douglas at 80) and Edward Wanderley (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr, the youngest of the four actors, at 72). They meet regularly in the evening to sip brandy and tell ghost stories to each other. When they were young men they met a woman named Eva Galli (Alice Krige) who fascinated them. She lived alone in a mansion. She was beautiful, free spirited, intelligent. They all in their own way fell in love with her. And one night something terrible happened. They covered it up and tried to forget her. Now, it seems their own ghost story is coming back for them.

What are the movie's drawbacks? The film seems too long, mostly because much of the background is told in flashbacks with younger actors portraying the four old men. Another part of the story is told in flashback dealing with a contemporary element. The flashbacks, for me, just take far too much time to establish the base of the story. Second, there are too many skin shots of Craig Wasson as the son of one of the men and Alice Krige rolling around in bed or staring out of windows. The skin isn't essential to the story and seems to be nothing more than pandering to the audience.

What makes the movie work for me? A number of things. Astaire, Houseman, Douglas and Fairbanks bring a lot of history and nostalgia to the movie. They also bring a good deal of skill. It's pleasing to see these actors given a chance to do their stuff one more time. This was the last film Astaire and Douglas made. Second, the whole idea of old men sitting around a fire, sipping brandy, and scaring the bejeesus out of each other while something from their past slowly circles nearer to them makes for a fine setup. Third, the look of the film is first rate. The story largely takes place in a small, picture-perfect New England town with two-story brick mansions which have mullioned windows and pocket doors, and the white church with a steeple is next to the town square. There's snow on the ground, snow falling, trees stark with bare branches and a full moon at night. Eva Galli's old, boarded up mansion, empty since she disappeared, is a decrepit, decaying horror for anyone brave enough to rip down the boards and enter. Fourth, Craig Wasson does a fine job as the puzzled, worried son who gradually realizes that a woman he thought he loved a few months before his father died looks an awful lot like Eva Galli in the one faded photograph of her that remains. Fifth, Alice Krige is terrific. She plays two parts but the same essential character. She gives off waves of sexual challenge. When she turns quiet and simply looks, there are moments when you really don't want to know what she's seeing.

The DVD picture looks fine. There are no extras.

With all the spooky movies and monster movies and even the grind up movies like Fargo (1996), you would think you would be desensitized to this sort of thing?
With older movies like The Deadly Mantis (1957) ASIN: 6302763916 you would see a few soap bubbles and you know that the native will so be munchies. But this one is down right creepy. And talk about tension, this movie builds and builds but you have no idea what it is building until it is too late.

The first clue that this is going to be a good movie is the cast list, which includes, but is not limited to, Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Houseman, and Patricia Neal [The Fountainhead (1949) ASIN: 6301969294]. And where did they find the sexy and exciting Alice Krige (also of Star Trek "Borg Queen" fame)? She could attack me anytime.

Guess I should mention that the plot line was good also.