Ghost Story (1981)

36% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
49% of users liked it
(7,350 ratings)

This 1981 John Irvin picture constitutes an adaptation of Peter Straub's colossal, bestselling novel. The central plot -- shared by both book and film -- revolves around the four elderly members of the Chowder Society (Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and John Houseman), who… More This 1981 John Irvin picture constitutes an adaptation of Peter Straub's colossal, bestselling novel. The central plot -- shared by both book and film -- revolves around the four elderly members of the Chowder Society (Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and John Houseman), who gather in each other's drawing rooms each winter to sip cognac and spin elaborate ghost stories. The four men also share a dark secret far more unsettling than fiction -- a secret which has literally come back to haunt them, as well as their own adult offspring. Each man is visited by a hideous specter bearing the likeness of a young woman (Alice Krige) they accidentally killed 50 years ago when spurning her mischievous sexual advances. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By: John Irvin
Written By: Lawrence D. Cohen
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Dec 18, 1981 Wide
On DVD: Oct 10, 2000
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
creepy but muddled
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
The classic Hollywood stars lend distinction to this rather tepid spook show.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Impressive cast can't advance the flick's snail pace.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Great to see old vets Astaire, Houseman, Fairbanks, Douglas and Neal headlining a major film its just too bad that film isn't better.
Lanning :

And speaking of Fred Astaire . . . It's almost painful to see some stars grow old on screen. I can well understand Jamie Lee Curtis' statement about needing to set a date for retirement because she does not want to be a witness to herself growing old on film. Not that… More
And speaking of Fred Astaire . . . It's almost painful to see some stars grow old on screen. I can well understand Jamie Lee Curtis' statement about needing to set a date for retirement because she does not want to be a witness to herself growing old on film. Not that Astaire does not grow old gracefully -- by any means. It's just that his aging is more pronounced because of the added dimension of his great dancing ability. I could not imagine him, in this movie, breaking into a dance over the furniture during a meeting of the Chowder Society -- and that hurts. <p>I loved this book when it first came out. The movie does bring together some aging heavyweights, and they acquit themselves like the acting legends that they are, given the limitations of age. But if you really want to have the pants scared off of you, you gotta read the book. It's right up there with <i>The Shining</i> for me.
First L

Sloppily directed, sloppily edited, with a bare-thread, can-be-seen-coming-from-miles-away storyline, it all adds up to the giant waste of time that is "Ghost Story". The dialogue is so bad that it's sometimes laughable, but unintentional laughs can't even save… More
Sloppily directed, sloppily edited, with a bare-thread, can-be-seen-coming-from-miles-away storyline, it all adds up to the giant waste of time that is "Ghost Story". The dialogue is so bad that it's sometimes laughable, but unintentional laughs can't even save this movie from being an incredible bore. Neither can rubber masked ghosts or gratuitous nudity. Nor can feeble old actors on their way to death's door. In fact, there's no point in writing anymore about this movie, it only prolongs the amount of thinking I must continue to do about it. It's best to strike it from your memory, I promise not to mention it again if you won't.
Cindy I

The book scared the hell out of me. The movie? Eh...not so much. It had its moments, but it really just didn't do it for me.
Dr Blood

It isn't overly horrific but ghost stories are scary anyway and the murder mystery flashback elements add to the long lasting appeal of this tale.
Steve B

Not particularly scary, or creepy, or even atmospheric. The biggest shock is that the movie is actually better than the book.