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Ghost Story
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Irvin
Produced by	Burt Weissbourd
Written by	Novel Peter Straub Screenplay Lawrence D. Cohen
Starring	Fred Astaire Melvyn Douglas Douglas Fairbanks Jr. John Houseman Craig Wasson Patricia Neal
Music by	Philippe Sarde
Cinematography	Jack Cardiff
Editing by	Tom Rolf
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	16 December, 1981
Running time	110 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Gross revenue	$23,371,905

Ghost Story is a 1981 American horror film based on the book of the same name by Peter Straub. It is directed by John Irvin and it stars Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Houseman and Craig Wasson (in a dual role). It was the last film to feature Astaire, Fairbanks, and Douglas, and the first film to feature Michael O'Neill.

Plot

The plot is taken from the novel of the same name by Straub.

A group of elderly gentlemen in their New England hometown have formed a group called "The Chowder Society". Together, they spend their evenings telling ghost stories to one another. However, they begin to experience an actual ghost who wants revenge. The members of the group start dying in mysterious ways, as does the son of one member, who falls to his death after seeing his new bride's face as she really is. His brother attempts to prevent any more deaths. As the story progresses, the audience learns more about the mysterious woman and her relationship with The Chowder Society members.

Cast

• Fred Astaire as Ricky Hawthorne
• Melvyn Douglas as Dr. John Jaffrey
• Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Edward Charles Wanderley
• John Houseman as Sears James
• Craig Wasson as Don / David Wanderley
• Patricia Neal as Stella Hawthorne
• Alice Krige as Eva Galli / Alma Mobley

Award nomination

In 1982, the film was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film.

Reception

The film earned a respectable $23,371,905 at the US box office. It was the third highest grossing horror film of 1981 and the 34th highest grosser of the year.^[1]

Critical reception was mixed upon release. Roger Ebert gave it a positive review, praising the performances and considering it an improvement on Straub's novel.^[2] In The New York Times, Vincent Canby had the opposite view, also praising the performances but feeling that the movie oversimplified Straub's story and themes.^[3]

References

External links

• Ghost Story at the Internet Movie Database
• Ghost Story at Allmovie
• Ghost Story at Box Office Mojo
• Ghost Story at the TCM Movie Database
• Ghost Story at Rotten Tomatoes