Review of Ghost Story (1981) by Brad S — 27 Oct 2014

I'm not sure whether the horror lies in the story itself (a vengeful female ghost returns 50 years later to destroy her killers) or in the fact that we can see how age has ravaged such popular matinee idols as Doug Fairbanks, Jr.

, Fred Astaire, and Melvyn Douglas or producer extraordinaire John Houseman. Indeed, such a fate lies in store for us! But hopefully not the vengeful ghost part. Nondescript Craig Wasson stumbles into the story which remains absorbing (if not frightening) for the first 2/3 and then, in the reveal-all flashback from the 1930s, the less than excellent acting (and the absence of our old leads) makes everything go flat.

Overall though, the blend of schlocky horror and somewhat stately drama is pulled off (by the standards of the very dodgy horror genre where masterpieces are slim pickings indeed) -- but one would have hoped for better for these old guys ending their careers.