Ghost Story (1981) 4/10

So I figured a film called Ghost Story starring Fred Astaire in his last days would at least be classy and spooky. Guess I figured wrong.

Ghost Story is about a group of old men living in a small town harboring a terrible secret. When people close to them start dying they must finally face the tragedy that befell them so many years ago.

The film is filled with talented actors phoning in their performances. I mean who would expect a cast of veteran actors to perform so blandly and unbelievably? Beyond that the script is filled with long flash backs, so long in fact that when the audience is brought back to the present it feels jarring and unnatural. We get used to the past and then are forced back into the present, when we really want to know what happened next in the flash back. It makes for a confusing and frustrating watch. There is some great spooky makeup effects but there are too many characters and too little action. Most of the plot points take place in the past so the film is constantly going back in time to keep us interested in the present, which doesn't work at all.

The bottom line is that you have a film filled with poor performances, flash backs, and a slow pace. The film feels confusing and terribly slow. Avoid

Gore - none

Nudity -very little

Overall - 4/10