Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories had an appealing pitch compared to the pathetic standard of contemporary supernatural horror. Three distinct horror mini-stories, which then coalesce into a single main thread, take us to an abandoned women's asylum, a dark forest at night, a super-modern mansion, an abandoned train station, and the corridors of an old sewer. The hero is not merely chased by a single oozing creature, but instead we encounter one-eyed girls, fiery-toothed corpses, and for a change an angry ent accompanied by Baphomet himself. Nor is the protagonist an everyday family man with no fault in the matter, but a skeptical scientist searching for rational truth (even if he is a completely passive moron throughout the film). This multi-feature reminded me in some ways of sweetly dumb horror compilations like Bava's Black Sabbath or Carpenter's Body Bags. Unfortunately, the whole concept is framed by an all-too-contemporary approach to horror, where basically all three episodes play the same formulaic game to the point of tedium, while the viewer waits with their legs spread wide open for a jump-scare that keeps getting put off. What's more, all of these barking scenes even have the same loud sample, once again sinking us waist-deep into the bog of current mundanity in the genre. Please don't let Hereditary be a disappointment, I’m begging you. (04/09/2018)

A bit of an unconventional anthology. In the great majority of horror anthologies what you remember is the individual tales, while the story that frames them is something extra, but in Ghost Stories it’s actually the opposite. The spooky mini stories are functional, but dull. They are scary and can make you a bit nervous, but they don’t go anywhere because they end quickly (my favourite was the second one about the young guy in the car; it was creepy, especially the circumstances under the which the main character tells it). But the gem is the story of Professor Goodman, who leads the film. It delivers a couple of surprises after which the readings of the mindfuck-meter go higher than you’d expect before the screening. The final outcome is a shame, however. It’s a cowardly way to explain the previous events, even if, in Ghost Stories, the creators take it so literally that it becomes a joke. (13/05/2018)

A compilation of short stories with a higher goal than just telling its three stories. These would be unsatisfactorily unfinished by themselves, though able to raise some desired goose bumps. In the end, it is a British variant of Creepshows, masterfully crafted and modern, but nicely old-school at heart, which makes it kind of feel like an old-timey movie. (05/07/2018)

I didn’t like this. The stories are about nothing, really, and when it becomes unsurprisingly clear that they are supposed to frame something larger and more ambitious, the helplessness of the narration is stretched to the maximum. As horror it’s as weak as English tea, as a drama is dull and basically incomprehensible, because the attractions at the end overshadow the logical climax. Martin Freeman after a long time in something uninteresting through and through. (12/11/2018)

This is a ghost anthology where the unlikeable to me main character tries to prove that all paranormal cases are a hoax and gets three cases to solve. The cases alone aren't that interesting except for the last one, where at least something interesting happens and Martin Freeman scores points, but what is worth mentioning is the main final line, which could be described as a decent mindfuck as it absolutely avoids the previous plot, but I'm not entirely sure I understood it either. It's nicely shot, has atmosphere, the acting is decent and it's unusually overwrought for a horror film, so it's worth a watch, though I prefer more action-packed and entertaining stuff. 65%. (01/08/2018)