“Dance with me, you little toad.” Okay, but could we have a safe word, just in case? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they discuss Ghost Story (1981), the film made from Peter Straub’s bestselling novel starring five Hollywood legends.
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 269 – Ghost Story (1981)
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Two generations of men find themselves haunted by the presence of a spectral woman. When the son of one of the elderly men returns to his hometown after his brother’s mysterious death, they attempt to unravel her story.
- Directed by: John Irvin
- Writing Credits: Lawrence D. Cohen (screenplay by); Peter Straub (based on the 1979 novel by)
- Music by: Philippe Sarde
- Cinematography by: Jack Cardiff (director of photography)
- Editing by: Tom Rolf
- Costume Design by: May Routh
- Production Design/Art Direction by: Norman Newberry
- Makeup Department:
- Dick Smith (make-up illusions by)
- Rick Baker (special makeup effects artist)
- Carl Fullerton (special makeup effects artist)
- Visual Effects by:
- Albert Whitlock (special visual effects)
- Syd Dutton (matte artist)
- Dennis Glouner (matte photographer)
- Bill Taylor (matte photographer)
- Henry Schoessler (matte crew) (uncredited)
- Susan Turner (visual effects) (uncredited)
- Stunts (selected): Glenn Randall Jr. (stunt coordinator); Dick Warlock (stunts)
- Selected Cast:
- Fred Astaire as Ricky Hawthorne
- Melvyn Douglas as John Jaffrey
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Edward Wanderley
- John Houseman as Sears James
- Craig Wasson as Don / David
- Patricia Neal as Stella
- Alice Krige as Alma / Eva
- Jacqueline Brookes as Milly
- Miguel Fernandes qs Gregory Bate
- Lance Holcomb as Fenny Bate
- Mark Chamberlin as Young John Jaffrey
- Tim Choate as Young Ricky Hawthorne
- Kurt Johnson as Young Edward Wanderley
- Ken Olin as Young Sears James
- Brad Sullivan as Sheriff Hardesty
- Robin Curtis as Rea Dedham
- Breon Gorman as Nettie Dedham
- James Greene as Mailman
- Cagle D. Green as Eva’s Apparition
- Kyra Carleton as Eva’s Apparition
- Alfred Curven as Man in Coffin
Our apologies to the Grue-Believers expecting Without Warning (1980), but Ghost Story (1981) is a film the Grue-Crew have been keeping their collective eyes on for a few years, patiently waiting for it to move from PPV to a subscription service. Rest assured, Without Warning is already rescheduled to record in late November 2024.
Ghost Story’s cast and crew sports eight Oscar winners plus several nominees, and yet, the Grue-Crew are divided in their appreciation. Compromises and sacrifices must be made when transforming a 500-page, complexly plotted novel into a two-hour movie, and the results are hit-and-miss. Despite its faults, it’s a remarkable film, and the crew has much to discuss.
At the time of this writing, Ghost Story is available to stream from Amazon Prime (for a short time) and multiple PPV sources. It is also available on physical media as a Blu-ray formatted disc from Scream Factory.
Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Jeff, will be The Blob (1988)! Classic Era covered the original 1958 version, and a previous 80s crew covered this version in episode 126 almost seven years ago. This time, the current 80s Grue-Crew will be joined by effects artists Ralph Miller and Jeff Farley, who both worked on the film. This is going to be fun!
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