Ghost Story (1981)

[DMRI2006]

I don't agree.. maybe he was wishy-washy in "overshooting" the movie, but after reading the synopsis for the book I am very happy he decided to tone it down and make it an actual ghost story.

I'm glad he didn't use the "shock" endings they tried (and why they'd even bother with Fenny Bate in the first place is perplexing given he has so little screen time that the character is basically useless in the film altogether). But the book is very clearly a "ghost story" -- actually a whole handful of them. The movie focuses on the very basic aspects of the main narrative line, but misses not only its scariest parts, but also its most emotional elements. It's like they got the outline right, but missed the larger point. Not to mention the depth of characterization is almost totally absent in the film. The book's ending is also more cinematic and satisfying -- why they didn't both with it is something I've also never understood.

The website you linked to, while very interesting, is also very opinionated. His analysis of the novel is pretty nutty (that it was "all in someone's head" is actually the first and only place I've seen someone claim that) and I don't think many would agree with his reading of it.

Don't get me wrong -- I always liked the movie (and still do) but after reading the book it's amazing to see how much they simplified, missed or just screwed up. They could make a really, truly outstanding horror film based on that book. It's still one of the most enthralling things I've ever read, and if you like the movie at all, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It's really worth it.

Still, I placed an order for the german blu too, so let's hope it is at least a HDTV rip or something as opposed to a dvd upscale.

The good thing about the Paragon discs is they're not DVD upscales. They are legit HD masters, but they vary. Some are Blu-Ray quality so to speak, others look like Netflix HD streaming masters or HDTV level rips with obvious DNR applied. I'm sure it'll be better than DVD...but I'm keeping my expectations in check.

Hopefully it will be one of the better ones (like NIGHTHAWKS), but either way, at least it's cheap. Germany is turning out more catalog content than we're getting in the US and the Amazon.de shipping is so inexpensive it's easy to take a chance on these and not end up being royally burned even if they suck.