This is a very lonely-feeling film that you need to be relaxed and open-minded about. In my opinion, when a film can show you a piece of imagery and have you understand what a character is going through, what they're thinking, all while giving you a sincere look at our planet as a whole, when it's accomplishing everything it set out to do, and then some. Simply put, sometimes showing things to an audience is much more powerful than having it explained. In the end, A Ghost Story is strangely enough one of the most powerful experiences you'll be able to see an all of Now, there isn't much dialogue, so you really have to pay attention and think about every piece of imagery, but if you're willing to do that, then I believe you will have a terrific experience as well.
If you're not into this film after the first minutes then you're either not in the right mindset or it's just not for you, which I completely understand. Many people will hate this movie, but I believe the message itself is worth waiting for alone. A Ghost Story is easily one of my favourite films of the year and I can't wait to watch it multiple times. More Top Movies Trailers. DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Black Panther Dominates Honorees.
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Trending on RT Avengers: Post Share on Facebook. View All Videos 1. Recently deceased, a white-sheeted ghost Academy Award-winner Casey Affleck returns to his suburban home to console his bereft wife Academy Award-nominee Rooney Mara , only to find that in his spectral state he has become unstuck in time, forced to watch passively as the life he knew and the woman he loves slowly slip away.
Increasingly unmoored, the ghost embarks on a cosmic journey through memory and history, confronting life's ineffable questions and the enormity of existence. Casey Affleck as C. Rooney Mara as M. Will Oldham as Prognosticator. Kenneisha Thompson as Doctor. Rob Zabrecky as Pioneer Man. Sonia Acevedo as Maria. Grover Coulson as Man In Wheelchair. Liz Cardenas as Linda. Barlow Jacobs as Gentleman Caller. Richard Krause as Mover. Dagger Salazar as Mover. Carlos Bermudez as Carlos. Yasmina Gutierrez as Yasmina.
Kimberly Fiddes as Making Out. Daniel Escudero as Making Out. Kesha Sebert as Spirit Girl. Jared Kopf as Magician. Brea Grant as Clara. Jonny Mars as Oversharing Man. Rachel Ballard as Patient Woman. Rachal Ballard as Patient Woman. Bryan Pitts as Chairman. Margot Tomerlin as Pioneer Children. Sara Tomerlin as Pioneer Woman. Sylvie Tomerlin as Pioneer Children. Savanna Walsh as Pioneer Children.
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Get Out Wins Best Feature. Yes, I'm sure you'll enjoy Straub and especially Ghost Story. It's by far his best. It's a little more literary in style than early King …more Hi Jshalhov.
Ghost Story
It's a little more literary in style than early King so you may find it slower to get going. But stick with it because it's a fantastic book. I've read it several times and I'm about to do so again because it's a tradition of mine to read it at Christmas. There are some genuinely chilling moments in the novel and the whole thing has a great claustrophobic atmosphere as the weather closes in.
A true horror classic in my opinion. See all 14 questions about Ghost Story…. Lists with This Book. Dec 07, Maciek rated it liked it Shelves: I don't think one can truly rate Ghost Story as a novel without acknowledging the fact that it's a literary homage to the classics of the genre. Indeed, two characters bear the surnames of Hawthorne and James.
This is my introduction to the work of Peter Straub. Having read The Talisman and Black House which he co-authored with Stephen King I was anxious to know how he writes on his own, and Ghost Story came recommended by virtually everyone who has read it. As mentioned in the first paragraph, G I don't think one can truly rate Ghost Story as a novel without acknowledging the fact that it's a literary homage to the classics of the genre. As mentioned in the first paragraph, Ghost Story is a homage to the old masters who paved the road of fright for future generations.
Peter Straub himself says that "[Ghost Story] started as a result of my having just read all the American supernatural fiction I could find". It is noticeable; the first part is largely a reworking of The Turn of The Screw.
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The theme of a story within a story is everpresent, as the work deals with a group of old men who tell themselves ghost stories on regular meetings. Shades of Lovecraft, Poe and Hawthorne brood in the corners of the rooms they sit in. The men find themselves terrorized by terrible, realistic nightmares. Terrible things start happening in the small, sleepy town of Millburn. They remember the crime they had committed years before What's not to like? A chore to get through. Straub switches between several narrative viewpoints much like Stoker in Dracula and the plot plods frequently and slows down so much that reading soon becomes a challenge.
There's no doubt that Straub is a great writer - some of his passages I've read several times, because I simply enjoyed them so much - but he becomes lost in what he tries to do, the references he includes so subtly vanish in the detail he describes so voraciously. The protagonists discuss ghost stories they tell to each other, but for some reason refuse to talk about the one they all share even when darkness has fallen upon their city. Instead of trying to scheme how to fight or at least delay the danger, they remain passive.
No one fights back. No one things of moving away and running from the deadly force. The passivity, the stupidness of their actions drastically slows down the plot and kills any tension that might have emerged. It would be understandable if the novel featured only one protagonist who witnessed these events and who would be afraid to entrust his story to others in fear of being considered insane - but Ghost Story features a group of men who believe each other, and do nothing.
The theme of a town besieged by malevolent forces or beings has been done previously, most notably by Peter Straub's fellow writer and friend Stephen King in Salem's Lot. Straub acknowledges the influcence: Besides the large canvas, I also wanted a certain largeness of effect. The town of Millburn is described as a small town, but it completely lacks any awareness and interaction.
The characters seem to be detached from reality - everyone walks everywhere, and there's little mention of pop culture - music, television and such. The novel is supposed to take time in the s, but for all we are shown it might just as well be the s. Last, the Evil with a capital E. While the concept of the Evil is really interesting, the Evil is really inconsistent and incompetent.
There's no sense of looming presence of Evil, ready to fall upon the heads of innocent people and end their lives at any moment, like in Salem's Lot or Phantoms. Evil seems to be employed when it is needed by the narrative, and then pushed back, only to be called again later. I don't want to spoil anything, but the nature of the Evil and it's actions don't follow any pattern of logic and reason. Evil is at times omniscient and capable of incredible power, only to have its abilities reduced to humanlike status, and then go back to the supernatural and all-powerful again. Evil capable of everything is boring - why, it'd take a snap of fingers to eliminate a human being, much like a child breaking a twig in two - but one might wonder why the author chose to grant his menace that priviledge, only to take it back Overall, I'm sad to say that Ghost Story doesn't live up to the hype that surrrounds it.
While it is a complex, multilayered work, a homage to the creators of the genre, It's not very compelling and in fact is pretty easy to put down and leave unfinished. The concept, the idea of the novel - the premise, the prose, the situations - everything works, but not as a whole.
I think I like the idea of the book better than the book itself - Peter Straub tends to be meandering and repetitive. There are sections of Ghost Story that are narrated brilliantly, but there are sections that are stale and uninteresting. For each flash of suspense and atmosphere, there's a whole lot of mundane and ordinary.
The idea of the novel deserves five stars, but I can't give the novel itself more than three - I liked it, but I liked analysing the text more than reading it. Nevertheless, Peter Straub is an ambitious writer who's much more "literary" than most horror authors - his prose and style easily rivals the so-called "serious" writers - and I most certainly will read his other novels.
View all 33 comments. May 08, Lou rated it it was amazing Shelves: A few words i found by Stephen King about this novel "Probably Ghost Story by Peter Straub is the best of the supernatural novels to be published in the wake of the three books that kicked off a new horror "wave" in the seventies—those three, of course, being Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and The Other.
The fact that these three books, all published within five years of each other, enjoyed such wide popularity, helped to convince or reconvince publishers that horror fiction had a commercial p A few words i found by Stephen King about this novel "Probably Ghost Story by Peter Straub is the best of the supernatural novels to be published in the wake of the three books that kicked off a new horror "wave" in the seventies—those three, of course, being Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and The Other.
The fact that these three books, all published within five years of each other, enjoyed such wide popularity, helped to convince or reconvince publishers that horror fiction had a commercial potential much wider than the readership of such defunct magazines as Weird Tales and Unknown or the paperback reissues of Arkham House books. This is my first Straub novel and he writes a plot well and makes you feel you are there amidst the snow filled town slowly falling apart day by day. The review is more2read also with a video2watch interview with Peter Straub.
View all 13 comments. Jan 24, Carol rated it really liked it Shelves: I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me John Jaffrey, their n "What was the worst thing you've ever done? View all 11 comments. Mar 25, Dirk Grobbelaar rated it it was amazing Shelves: An intelligent and ambitious novel, Ghost Story has received some well deserved acclaim.
That is, however, not enough. This is a book that should be re-introduced to a whole new generation of readers. It really is that good.
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Stephen King himself lists it as one of the best horror novels of the 20th century refer Danse Macabre. I will not go into plot details at this stage, since these can be had by reading the book synopsis. Instead, in general terms, I'll try and explain just w An intelligent and ambitious novel, Ghost Story has received some well deserved acclaim.
Instead, in general terms, I'll try and explain just why this book should be on the reading list of any self respecting horror fan. First of all, this is not a novel that offers up cheap thrills and quick scares. The terror, sometimes expected, often unexpected, is measured out in precise and exact quantities. Mister Straub has managed to weave into Ghost Story an absolutely breathless sense of inevitability and futility. Secondly, it is a pretty complicated story: The cast is also fairly big. Think you know what's going on around here?
Lastly, Peter Straub is arguably one of the best wordsmiths out there. Comparisons with Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot' are inevitable: In both novels, a great amount of time is spent on creating breathing, flesh and blood, characters. This, of course, makes the terror more palpable when it comes. And does it come! Often subtle, the Horror element takes on interesting shapes in Mister Straub's capable hands.
Things aren't quite what they seem, and isn't it marvellous? Looking for a thrilling read that will ever so slowly freeze your blood without attempting to shock with gratuitous gore and schlock tactics? Then line up, Dr Rabbitfoot has your medicine right here! Nov 02, Becky rated it did not like it Shelves: Just not in the way that was probably intended. I'm quitting you, book. Because you're fucking boring. Because I dread picking you back up.
Because you're not in the least bit scary to me, if you don't count the horror and dread I have of actually contemplating trudging along to the finish line with you. By all accounts, the second half is where all the awesome happens. I've given almost an entire month to this book. The only thing it's given me back was confirmation that Straub's books just aren't for me. View all 20 comments. This copy of "Ghost Story" is signed by Peter Straub. View all 3 comments. First and foremost, I would like to thank Jessica Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile for this awesome addition to my collection.
Back in , my family and my fifteen-year-old self moved from California to Alabama. The week we arrived in Alabama Mobile area Hurricane Opal decided to make landfall. Most of our stuff was still on the back of my brother-in-law's flatbed trailer. The most important items lost for me, at least was my mother's book collection.
Whilst in California, Mom called her First and foremost, I would like to thank Jessica Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile for this awesome addition to my collection. This grand space was stocked with more than first editions of some of the best horror literature ever written. These books were gifts from friends, family, and co-workers, but mostly they came from one person in particular—my mother's best friend Andrita. Sadly, all the books Andrita ever bought my mother were lost to water damage. Not only was my mother 2, miles away from her lifelong friend but she'd also lost most of the collection Andrita helped her build.
Freakishly enough, I would lose those final 22 books another 9 years later when Hurricane Ivan came through Montgomery, Alabama and flooded my storage shed. To date, I have replaced all books my mother kept record of all her gifts and purchases, and I've been working off the contents in her ledger for the past ten years aside from three.
With Jessica's gift, I only need to replace two more. Thank you so much, Jessica. So there's your E. History Lesson of the Day. After receiving Jessica's gift, I decided to reread Ghost Story so that I might give it a proper review. Here is that review: For this reread I chose the audiobook narrated by Buck Schirner. All too often, literary horror is read in a cheesy, over-the-top fashion. These narrators seemingly want to be Vincent Price, but only Price could pull of Price without sounding like a bit of rejected B-movie voiceover.
Buck Schirner is damn good at what he does. His performance is highly recommended. If you dig earhole stimuli, stimulate your earholes with this audiobook. Now for the book itself. Ghost Story is one of the greatest literary horror novels ever written. The prose is gorgeous and the writing flows. The characters are varied and exquisitely drawn, believable and nearly tangible. The horror is achieved through mounting dread and rarely relies on gore to disturb, leaning more toward creatures with twinkling yellow eyes slowly climbing the stairs toward their victims, or a creepy child staring through a window.
This is the essence of Ghost Story.
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This is where the novel succeeds the most. The subject matter is insidious. I will admit, however, that Ghost Story is a chore to get into. You will be tempted to put the book down, but I beg of you, push through the tedious opening chapters. Everything makes pays off by the end, and every word is needed.
Ghost Story is a novel better read if you know nothing about it. One of the truly nightmare-inducing additions to horror literature.
Tell Gregory Bates that E. Best read while snowed in. View all 15 comments. Dec 07, Apatt rated it really liked it Shelves: I read a hell of a lot of sci-fi SF , I read about a couple of fantasy F titles a year, but I've been neglecting the horror fiction H genre in recent years. The reason is that besides Stephen King I don't tend to hear much about exciting new horror titles.
Sci-fi and fantasy books win the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards and I am always aware of the winners. Anyway, to cut a long story short I miss reading horror fiction and want to get back to it. Having just reread it this is not so surprising as this is quite a complex story and the title is somewhat misleading.
The book is divided into several parts with a nonlinear timeline. It starts off intriguingly with a 24 pages prologue about a man who has kidnapped a strange little girl, but the kidnapper is more afraid of the kidnappee than the other way around. The girl seems to take it all in stride and may, in fact, not be a girl at all. After this prologue the story goes back to a few years earlier where a group of for elderly gentlemen meet on a regular basis to share ghost stories which may or may not be true.
The next part of the book tells the story of Donald Wanderley, the child kidnapper from the prologue. He is a nephew of the dead club member of the Chowder Society and an author of a horror novel. After publication of his book he took a temporary job teaching at Berkeley, there he meets and falls madly in love with a mysterious beautiful girl. They get on famously, make wedding plans and one day she just disappears; next thing he knows she meets his brother David in another town, they fall in love and soon David dies under mysterious circumstances.
The girl disappears again. Ghost Story is not a whodunit, but it is not really about ghosts though a few do show up. The story is quite a complex but not at all hard to follow. A creepy atmosphere pervades the entire book and the reader what is going on with the disappearing girls and the dead people they leave behind.
It is meticulously written by Straub. The supernatural element often has a hallucinogenic feel to it and the climax is quite rousing. The characters are well drawn but not particularly memorable. His brand of horror is subtle and often psychological, there is very little in the gore department. If you are looking for an elegantly written, unusual and complex horror story this is for you, but how many people are looking for such a thing?
If you are reading this in October this would be a great Haloween read. View all 10 comments. Feb 21, Matt rated it really liked it Shelves: When I was a kid, I had a long list of fears. A short summary would include: As I got a bit older, say around middle school and high school, that list changed. Some items remained girls, the possibility of being forced to sing in public , some fell away tornadoes, big dogs, swimming , and some new fears were added school dances, acne, various other complex social interactions. N When I was a kid, I had a long list of fears.
Now, as an adult, the list has changed entirely. This is not because I am brave, which I am certainly not, or because I am idiot, which is debatable; rather, my limited understanding of probabilities allows me to rest assured that I am far likelier to die in a car crash because I am texting, than I am to plummet earthward in a Boeing , and that the mounting nights of pizza and hard drinking are more lethal to my person than a sociopathic killer just escaped from the county asylum on a dark and stormy night.
The simple fact is that for most of us, all the terrorists and all the murderers and all the faultily-constructed planes in all the world are not nearly as likely to hurt us than uncontrolled cell growth within our own bodies. Sure, I get a little jittery when my plane hits turbulence; and yes, I sneak around my own house with a baseball bat every time I hear a bump in the night. It wasn't set up to be an action movie. One of the characters has to endure loss through linear time that they can affect, one is It's a such a unique framing on both the pathos and euphoria of life, love and loss.
One of the characters has to endure loss through linear time that they can affect, one is trapped and has to observe things without being able to change them. If you're in an open frame of mind, this movie is a beautiful romp through the heart and soul. It's the kind of movie that, if you're well-versed in philosophy and metaphysics, you'll probably love it, but, if not, you'll likely come away with a decidedly puzzled look. While it's certainly laudable that the director has aspired to make a picture that appeals to an intellectual and It's the kind of movie that, if you're well-versed in philosophy and metaphysics, you'll probably love it, but, if not, you'll likely come away with a decidedly puzzled look.
While it's certainly laudable that the director has aspired to make a picture that appeals to an intellectual and enlightened audience, the finished product could also be seen as an exercise in preaching to the choir. Its depiction of various philosophical and spiritual themes is deftly handled through an atmospheric production design, minimalist dialogue and an ethereal soundtrack, though there are times when the patience of even the most tolerant fans can get tried and when a fast forward remote would definitely come in handy.
Nice try, but not quite what it could be. TVJerry Aug 7, If it hadn't been for Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara starring as a married couple, I doubt this film would have gotten made. It's so self-indulgent and somewhat pretentious.
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His character dies early on and comes back to haunt their home in a flowing white sheet with 2 eye holes. Other hints If it hadn't been for Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara starring as a married couple, I doubt this film would have gotten made. Other hints that this was a hollow exercise in art: In case you hadn't figured it out, this is NOT a horror movie. It's not that kind of spectre, but a lonely soul on an existential journey.
I'll concede that the plot is original and ultimately "haunting," but the pain leading up to it will only appeal to those who like pensive reflections on life, love and eternity. Beecee Aug 9, A Ghost Story attempts profundity, and there is an A list cast, but I felt that it was ultimately unsuccessful. Casey Affleck is acting without speaking and with a sheet over his body most of the time, so you can't really get much emotion out of it.
Couldn't the ghost be portrayed in a A Ghost Story attempts profundity, and there is an A list cast, but I felt that it was ultimately unsuccessful. Couldn't the ghost be portrayed in a fashion that could still show facial features and emotion? I felt that his relationship with his wife, Rooney Mara, should have been the focus of the movie, but she leaves the movie too soon, and she doesn't have any interaction with the ghost. Any potentially interesting avenue to explore like the relationship with the ghost next door is given short shrift.