Celebrating My 50th With 50 Favorites - Part 5 - THE TOP TEN

 Finally, my top ten have arrived.  Are any of these in your list of favorites too??

10. Frankenstein (1931)

My favorite Universal monster film.  There, I've said it. There's not much I can say about a film so revered that hasn't already been said.  But the reason I love it so much is that I can identify with the monster. Everyone probably can in their own way.  Pushed to be something that he wasn't, so much expected of him, yet misguided and anxious only for people to accept him the way he was, despite knowing he was an abomination.  Boris Karloff as the monster said so much just with his eyes and mannerisms, he didn't even need to speak to convey that message. The fact that Mary Shelley wrote the book when she was a mere 19 years old just blows my mind - so far ahead of her time! It's a beautiful film, too...the gorgeous sets, including Dr Frankenstein's laboratory, are a sight to behold particularly for such an early time in film.  And Colin Clive as the unhinged but brilliant scientist who steals bodies from their graves with his hunchback assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) brings to mind many an evil man who desires more than he should, and really should just leave well enough alone.  But the fact that he proceeds with his experiments despite the immoral and corrupt ramifications just goes to show that greed and the desire for fame and/or fortune always brings out the worst in mankind, often times with irreparable results - and it's still happening today, nearly 90 years later.

9. The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (aka Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, 1974)

It's only in the last several years that I have come to really love this film.  It's my favorite "zombie" film. George (Ray Lovelock) is off for the weekend on his Norton motorcycle when he stops to gas up and Edna (Cristina Galbó) rams his bike with her car, unintentionally but puts it out of commission nonetheless.  To make up for it, she tells him they can ride together and he can use her car while his bike is being fixed.  Traveling through the English countryside they stop to seek out directions and George sees some men using some kind of equipment that uses ultrasonic radiation to kill insects on crops.  Obviously that sounds like an awful idea and of course it is, as soon the dead are rising and George and Edna are smack in the middle of it.  The dialogue is campy, the blood is too red and film is somewhat dated but quite honestly it does raise the question as to what we are doing to the world with all our chemicals and treatments and what might happen if things go awry.  George and Edna are likeable leads and the gore factor is ratcheted up as the film goes on and the zombies get hungrier.  Just a damn fun film!!

8. Ghost Story (1981)

'Four old men and a secret' should be the alternate name for this chiller.  From Peter Straub's amazing novel comes the story of John, Ricky, Sears and Edward....a quartet of college pals that meet an enigmatic beauty and spend a summer charming her. Until something awful happens. The repercussions of the tragedy that unfolds are so malevolent, so vengeful that words can't quite do it.  The novel is very much my favorite book, and the movie, while not completely faithful, still packs a frightening punch with loads of disturbing imagery! And that house!!! So much love! Starring some of Hollywood's finest older leading men - Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.  Alice Krige as Eva/Alma still haunts my dreams.

7. The Changeling (1980)

Years have not aged this fantastic ghost story starring George C. Scott as John Russell, a man grappling with the tragic death of his wife and daughter in a horrific accident. A famous composer, John moves across the country in order to take a teaching job and try to resume some semblance of a life  He rents an old mansion from the local historical society, makes friends with Claire (played by Scott's wife, Trish Van Devere) and gets to work on finishing a composition he's been working on. Soon though, hes awakened by loud banging noises during the night, which escalate to the point that a seance is held in which they discover a young boy was killed in the house.  Everything about The Changeling is stellar - the acting, the musical score, the house itself...it's just that good!  Scott's portrayal of a desperate man's agonizing mourning for his family is heart-breaking.  And though this one has every haunted house gimmick known to man, they make it work  - it's never cheesy and always legitimately frightening.  Loud, inexplicable noises, pianos playing by themselves, disembodied voices, a creepy attic with a child-size wheelchair - all these things combine to bring fear into your very soul.  This one just got a fantastic BluRay release so if you haven't seen it yet, now's the time.  Truly one of the best of its kind.

6. The Thing (1982)

You know how I feel about remakes, I've made it abundantly clear several times.  But when they are done right and it's time for one, I'm on board.  A remake of 1951's The Thing From Another World, John Carpenter's The Thing is in my opinion perhaps the best of his work.  With top-notch practical special effects by genius Rob Bottin and a stellar cast, it's a harrowing showcase of fear.  Frequent Carpenter collaborator Kurt Russell as MacReady is just the icing on the cake, with his snide remarks yet excellent leadership skills when everything starts falling apart.  As researchers literally at the end of the earth, the Antarctic team finds themselves fighting the unknown...an organism that literally has the capability to attack unsuspecting victims and morph into an exact replica of them, so the question remains....who is the thing?  Everything about this film is terrifying - the isolation...the fear of the unknown...the thought that someone might not be who they say they are...it's an action-packed, straight-up thrill ride, one I've taken over and over again!

5. Alien (1979)

I mentioned previously that sci-fi isn't my favorite--(even though The X-Files is my favorite TV show- I prefer the stand alone horror episodes.) That said, I LOVE ALIEN.  To me, it's just the finest sci-fi horror film in existence. Sure, there are some who say Aliens is the better movie, but they'd be wrong. Ridley Scott's effective and brutal Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver as fierce heroine Ripley, is full of suspense and laden with terror. The Xenomorph creature is an astounding work of art conceived by H.R. Giger and the story by Dan O'Bannon is what nightmares are made of. Immediately claustrophobic due to the whole of the film taking place in space, mostly on the commercial towing ship Nostromo, the sense of helplessness permeates the whole two hour running time. There's nowhere to run when you're stuck in space.  Ripley is an excellent character, a welcome female presence in a mostly masculine crew. She's got guts and runs on pure adrenaline by the film's end. She's a role model and a formidable adversary for the relentless alien. For pure shock factor, Alien is bar none, particularly in that famous chest-burster scene. 

The last thirty minutes are a edge of your seat uncomfortable fright-fest in which you'll believe every word of the tagline: In space, no one can hear you scream. 

4. Friday the 13th (1980)

Oh Friday the 13th, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  Warning: SPOILERS! 

I love your campiness (pun intended). I love your heroine, Alice and her mad drawing skills. I love Crazy Ralph and the fact that you all actually ARE, in fact, doomed. I love that you play strip monopoly. I love that Bing Crosby's son is a hottie and can play a mean guitar. I love that sexy Brenda wears a granny gown. I love that Jack and Marcie have sex with Dead Ned above them. I love that poor Annie doesn't like to call children kids because it sounds like little goats. I love that when Mrs Voorhees finally gets a chance to kill Alice she slaps her up and pushes her face in the dirt instead. I love that Steve's Jeep won't pull that tiny trailer and that he only leaves Sally a 75 cent tip at the diner, even though she flirts with him like crazy. I love that Marcie has dreams about little bloody rivers and can fix a faulty faucet. I love that Jack puts it all out there in his Speedo at the docks. I love that Alice and Bill don't run for their lives after they find the bloody ax in the bed. I love that Mrs Voorhees hands still clench their fingers after she loses her head. 

What I don't love? The fact that they killed that snake. 😐

3. The Woman in Black (1989)

I've been championing this film for 25 years or longer.  I can't remember the first time I saw it but as soon as I did, I knew I had to own it. I had it on VHS first, and when DVD's began taking the world by storm, I purchased a bootleg copy from overseas and I'm not afraid to admit it. The novella by Susan Hill that it is adapted from is the best ghost story I may have ever read, and the only one that gave me legit chills when I read it. The story adapted for film changes a few minor details but involves Arthur Kidd (Adrian Rawlins), a lawyer who is assigned the task of closing the estate of one Mrs. Drablow, an eccentric old woman who lives on an isolated piece of land across a causeway that floods during high tide. Kidd attends the funeral of his client and notices a woman in black at the back of the church and later in the cemetery. Townsfolk seem terrified when he mentions it, and later he comes to know why after spending the night at the spooky Drablow house. By investigating the decedent's personal belongings, he learns of a horrific accident involving the mysterious woman in black and her relationship with the old woman. Vengeance is a great motivator, apparently even after death. This film is hard to come by, out of print for many years. It is available on YouTube, and though not a stellar copy it's still worth seeking out! 

2. Psycho (1960)

As previously mentioned, Psycho is very special to me, right up there with Jaws as far as movies I've seen the most. I can quote every line, I know every scene. I love Norman Bates, in all his quirky, psychotic glory.  John Gavin...be still my heart! And the sheer brilliance of killing off your marquee name in the first act of the film, well....that's brave....hats off to Hitchcock. Robert Bloch may have created the character of Norman, but Hitchcock perfected it and Anthony Perkins embodied it. Even people not familiar with the horror genre as a whole know Psycho. The shower scene....the fruit cellar...Mother and Norman's "close" relationship, there's so much to appreciate. It's one of my desert island films, because I'll never tire of it. And if you're sitting there thinking I'm nuts then we just can't be friends. 

1) Jaws (1975)

My favorite. The I-Ching of films for me. The be-all-end-all.  I don't think I've seen any movie as many times as Jaws.  I own multiple copies over many formats and yet if it is on television with commercials every five minutes I'm still unable to turn it off. As with Psycho, the book is good, the movie is superior.  All the characters, Brody (Roy Scheider ), Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Quint (Robert Shaw) are strong and engaging in their own ways. John Williams' score is just legendary, the most recognizable two notes in music. Spielberg's direction jump-started a visionary, critically acclaimed career and with good reason! We're not just talking summer blockbuster here, we are talking about a film beloved by fans and critics alike. The simple plot of man vs. shark made millions of people afraid to go in the ocean. An impressive feat to be sure. Let's just say, if I could marry a film, this would be the one. My only one!

Snowbound: Winter Horror Films To Keep You Warm ~Part 2

 GHOST STORY (1981)

One of my very favorite films is steeped in cold dread as four men face the irresponsible and costly mistakes of their youth. A freezing winter setting is perfect for the ghostly happenings that descend upon the small New England town of Milburn. There is a quiet uneasiness about the whole film as it follows a group of older gents that when in college, met the beautiful and enigmatic Eva Galli. A horrific accident puts Eva in her grave - but she doesn't quite stay there.  While some people complain about it being too slow, or that it doesn't follow author Peter Straub's book close enough (and I've long considered Straub's book my favorite novel) - it didn't bother me. The weather plays a big part in Ghost Story, as their little Vermont town is front and center and overtaken by snow at every turn.  It even has some lovely wintery deaths (a man falls off a bridge into a frozen river, another is attacked in his car while driving down a snowy road and ends up into a snow bank, etc.) and then there's the fact that Eva Galli has been under snow and ice in the pond for over fifty years...and she's pretty pissed.  A well-worth it slow burn with loads of atmosphere and many chilling scenes that will stick with you for a long time to come. /CH

COLD PREY II (2008)

Having survived the massacre at the abandoned hotel, Jannicke finds her way to a hospital. Much to her chagrin, the body of the maniac she tossed over an icy precipice has been recovered along with her dead friends, and brought to the same hospital. On closer inspection, the doctors discover he is not dead at all… Cold Prey II is a supreme slasher sequel. Picking up directly where the first film leaves off (in the first of many nods to Halloween II) it maintains the suspense and adds to the back-story. Aware of its status as a slasher sequel, but not in a Kevin Williamson kinda way, it has a bigger cast, higher body count and more elaborate kills, but still unravels as a refreshingly intelligent horror film. The body count may be higher, but the bodies are fully developed characters that react realistically to their predicament. The draughty, eerily deserted hospital setting emphasises the isolation and vulnerability of the characters. The explanation for its emptiness is rooted in social commentary and mirrors the plight of many small rural communities in Norway. Adding to the creepy atmosphere is the ever-wintry environs of the rural setting. Not a good place to be stranded when a psycho is on the loose…/JG

WHITEOUT (2009)

Looking for meteorites near the South Pole, an unexpected murder investigation goes south as Kate Beckinsale tries to discover who is on the right side of the law. When an unknown body is discovered in a remote location, it doesn't take anyone too long to realize death by ax in the Antarctic isn't exactly the norm. While it's somewhat hard to fathom Beckinsale as a US Marshall, I suppose belief can be suspended for a few hours while we watch her try to nab a killer. Time is of the essence though, as if they are too late boarding the final plane out before a monster storm, they will be stuck there for six months - with a murderer.  Not the best plot ever, but the howl of the antarctic wind, the brutal temps and non-stop blizzard conditions pack a frigid punch. /CH

CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944)

This ‘tender tale of terror’ was a follow up Cat People, the first in a series of moody, literate horror films produced by Val Lewton in the 1940s. It told of Serbian immigrant Irena who believes she descends from a race of people who turn into slathering panthers when their passions are aroused. Her marriage to the All-American Oliver becomes increasingly strained, and when Oliver begins an affair with his co-worker Alice, Irena’s heartbreak and jealously unlocks a side of her she had previously tried to suppress… Whereas Cat People, one of the first films to reference the work of Sigmund Freud, plays out as a dark and unflinching study of sexual repression and anxiety, Curse unravels as a haunting study of childhood fears and psychology, as Oliver and Alice’s young daughter makes a new friend who bears an uncanny similarity to her father’s now-dead first wife. Is her friend imaginary or is something more sinister afoot? Directed by Robert Wise, Curse is another evocative Lewton production which demonstrates how effective the ‘less is more’ approach to horror can be. Choosing to suggest horror rather than show it outright, Curse is a beautifully moody and atmospheric tale. Much of the story unfurls around Christmas time and there’s a particularly memorable moment when Irena reveals herself to Amy in the garden; light and shadows dancing and moving across the snow-covered scene./JG

MISERY (1990)One of the best Stephen King adaptations to date, Misery not only showcased the stellar acting talents of both Kathy Bates and James Caan, but it made everyone think twice about admitting to being a "number 1 fan:" of anything.  Paul Sheldon leaves his writing haven during a blinding snowstorm and finds himself down an embankment and into a snowbank, soon to be rescued by one Annie Wilkes. Conveniently, Annie is a former nurse with knowledge of orthopedic injuries and an endless supply of pain killers.  Unfortunately for Paul, she's also fucking crazy.  The tension that ensues as Paul begins to realize he may never get out of Annie's remotely located snowed-in farmhouse only ratchets up further when she finds out he's been out of his locked room.  Not only that, but he killed off Annie's favorite character in his famous Misery Chastain romances. Over time the snow piles up higher and higher, as does Paul's fears - until he devises a plan to escape.  But Annie's punishments are ever-so hobbling humbling. A really great film to watch on a snowy Sunday afternoon./CH

WIND CHILL (2007)

Revolving around two unacquainted university students driving home for Christmas and becoming stranded in a snow storm on a haunted stretch of road in the middle of nowhere, Wind Chill has much to recommend it. Described by its screenwriter Steven Katz as an attempt to create “the world’s smallest ghost story”, the majority of the film is set within a small, draughty car stalled on the snow-smothered roadside. Boasting a creepy intimacy which is enhanced by well-drawn characters, an unnerving atmosphere, claustrophobic setting and unrelenting chilliness, much of the uneasiness, to begin with anyway, comes from the frosty relationship between the two characters. Although events eventually venture out into the snowy night beyond the relative safety of the car, they do so only briefly, and what unfolds there, in the dark, icy forest, will have you longing to be back inside the car. Disturbing encounters and spectral visions bolster the wintry tone and up the tension, as do the secretive and ambiguous nature of Ashton Holmes’ character, and his true intentions regarding his offer to drive Emily Blunt home. Sadly, if the overall foundering atmospherics don’t freeze your blood, the unsurprising reveal will leave you feeling somewhat cold…/JG

LET ME IN (2010)

When it was announced that an American remake was in the works for the already perfect LTROI made only a few years before, outrage within the horror community seemed imminent. The original film, based on the book by John Ajvide Lindqvist, was a fantastic tale about a adolescent young boy and his relationship with a cold-hearted killer - a vampire stuck in the body of a twelve-year-old who has been feeding off humans for decades. The remake tells the same story, basically. The two actors in the main roles (Chloë Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee) were excellent as Abby and Owen, able to convey true depth of emotion well beyond their young years. As the two get to know each other in a snow-covered courtyard of their apartment building, we slowly become aware that Abby is something other than just your average pre-teen.  Winter horror abounds here, with frozen lakes, snowy schoolyards, and plenty of the red stuff on white. For as quietly wonderful and genuinely terrifying as the original film is, this redux is - while not its equal - an extremely good Americanized version. In my opinion not to be missed, and I don't say that about too many remakes! /CH

31 days, 31 faves: Ghost Story (1981)

Pretty much everyone knows I am an obsessive fan of this film. There's no denying it. Even though it is generally panned by critics and horror fans alike, just the same it has my heart.
Based on a terrifyingly superb novel by Peter Straub, 1981's Ghost Story is a slow-burning film that builds to a spine-tingling ending, and has one of my favorite horror villains of all time.
And yes, it is yet another film from the banner year of 1981. Wow.

Ghost Story tells the tale of four old men who've grown up together and still live in the same small town. A dirty old secret hanging over their heads starts an ominous chain of events that can be called nothing short of terrifying.
Ricky Hawthorne (Fred Astaire), Sears James (John Houseman), John Jaffrey (Melvin Douglas), and Edward Wanderley (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) have formed the what they call the Chowder Society, in which they tell each other scary stories in order to frighten the pants off each other.
They live in the quaint little town of Milburn, Vermont, a snowy little hamlet that becomes a tense hotbed of ghostly activity once a certain secret unfolds.

When Edward's son David dies in a mysterious fall in NYC, his twin brother Donny (Craig Wasson, in a dual role) comes back for the funeral and to stay with his father for a while. Donny is quite down on his luck, having lost his job as a professor at a college down in Florida.

Edward isn't exactly thrilled with Donny, always having thought David was the more ambitious of the two and obviously headed for greatness. But after David's untimely death, Edward becomes disillusioned, and horrific nightmares begin.

What we as the audience already know is that David's cause of death was anything but natural. He was with a woman in bed in his apartment, having some sort of issue with how cold she is. He knows something about her just isn't right, and when he confronts her and turns her toward him, we see her absolutely terrifying face - morphed into a ghastly visage. Enough to literally scare David into jumping from his (extremely high) terrace to his death below.

All four old men at this point fear that something is amiss. They mutter amongst themselves that someone needs to do something, that they can't go on harboring what is obviously a very big secret. When Edward wanders out into the street early one snowy morning and ends up on a bridge, he is called out to by someone with a female voice. Turning, he too sees a dreadfully awful looking apparition that causes him to tumble into the ice filled river below.

Donny, distraught about his father's death and knowing something more is afoot, goes to visit the three remaining friends. He attempts to "buy" his way into the Chowder Society with a ghost story of his own.

For this part of the film we are treated to a flashback of Don as he is just starting his job as a professor at the local college in Florida. He meets the attractive secretary, Alma Mobley (Alice Krige), and immediately hits it off with her. He takes her to dinner and they share a sundae for dessert. Then they promptly share a bit more back at her apartment during a thunderstorm.

It's the start of a very passionate affair, and you could quite possibly say Donny is addicted to Alma.
He starts missing a lot of work, pissing off the dean that got him the job in the first place. But all Don cares about is getting it on with Alma 24/7.

But again, something just isn't right. For one thing, Alma hates the rain. Matter of fact, she hates water in general. Scared to death of it. She has an episode when they are sharing a bath that made me jump ten feet high the first time I saw it. And she's forever cold. Donny is constantly called upon to warm her up, and at first he doesn't mind - but several times he has awakened to find her standing nude in front of a window or wandering around the apartment mumbling creepy things about being wet and cold. When they are at his rental one night making wedding plans, she stresses how she wants his entire family and all their friends to be present at the ceremony- and it MUST be at his hometown. Stricken with how adamant she is, Donny thinks perhaps they need to wait a bit before settling down. Alma completely freaks out and leaves. The next day when he goes to her apartment, she's moved out. Disappeared without a trace.

Soon, he gets a call from his brother Donny, who has great news. He's getting married. She's a really great girl... who happens to be his brother's ex. Donny of course tries to warn him, telling him to just watch her- see how strange she is. Something is very, very wrong with her.
But alas, we all know what happened to David.
And Donny knows it too. And he's scared to death.

Naturally the four old gents are utterly wigged out, realizing that Donny may indeed need to be told about their past. Ricky is all for telling Don, but Sears - always the arrogant bastard - becomes quite flip about the incident. They wait to tell him, but after John Jaffrey dies of a heart attack (after a strange woman came to the house asking for him), the remaining men cave and tell Donny their ghost story.

Back to the past again, only a bit further back. The Chowder Society is newly formed, and are a group of audacious young men just starting out in the world. They meet a lovely girl named Eva Galli who is renting a nearby mansion for the summer. All four men seem to fall head over heels with her, but her attention seems to be geared toward Edward, who in turn tries to impress her at every turn.
[We, as the film's audience, are immediately aware that Eva Galli and Alma Mobley are one and the same. Which of course does not bode well.]

When Edward tries to bed Eva, he discovers himself to be impotent (not the days of Viagra yet, sorry) but brags to all his friends that they indeed did the nasty. Later though, Eva (pissed from before because Edward lied about getting laid) taunts him in front of the other three men and Edward gives her a little push, knocking her down. She falls down and cracks her head on the fireplace. John, who is in medical school, pronounces her dead - and in a moment that is reminiscent of Psycho and could most certainly be blamed for influencing I Know What You Did Last Summer, the men decide to get rid of the body so there is no evidence linking them to a crime. It will just be like she disappeared.
Yeah, right. That shit never goes down the way you want it to.

They dump her body in her car, pushing it into a nearby lake. Suddenly, just as it is submerging under the water, they hear a pounding. Looking at the car, they see Eva in the back, looking out the window at them, screaming. A few of the men attempt to go in after her, but the car sinks too quickly and they realize she no doubt drowned. The men, torn to pieces about what has happened, make a pact to never, ever talk about the incident again.

Donny, after hearing the appalling tale, is certain Eva and Alma are the same person and that she has been haunting all of them with a vengeance. The only thing to do, he says, is confront their fears. He suggests they all go to Eva's house, positive that if she is indeed a ghost, that will be where she is. Sears isn't sure it's a good idea, but the two men talk him into it.

Off they go to the mansion on the edge of town. It has fallen into complete ruin (which is a major crime - it's one beautiful house!) and is as scary on the outside as the men feel on the inside.
Once in the house, Donny accidentally falls through a few steps on the decrepit staircase, falling and breaking his leg. Sears decides to go for help, and takes off in a snowstorm. As he's driving, he sees something on the road ahead of him. Just as he nears close enough to see that it's Eva, one of her supporters, a depraved little boy, shows up in Sears' backseat. He attacks him, causing him to wreck and perish.

Eventually Ricky knows something has happened to Sears and he takes off on his own to find him. Another of Eva/Alma's co-conspirators, a criminal - tries to stab Ricky but he is able to get away and reach the police, whom he then convinces to pull up the car in the lake and put Eva's spirit to rest.

Meanwhile back at the house, Eva's ghost shows up, gliding down the rotting staircase in her wedding gown. She speaks to Donny of them being together forever under the cold, dark lake. When she reaches for him, she's a repulsive corpse.
Just as she touches him, the car is pulled from the lake and Eva's water-logged remains fall out of the car.
It's over.

I simply can't stress how much I love this story - the book even more so than the movie. Anyone who likes to read should make it a priority.
Though the film showcased the four older men (all of whom had distinguished Hollywood careers) but the movie is really all Alice Krige's. Her Eva/Alma utterly chills me to the bone. Quick glimpses of her here and there, standing on the road or behind a tree - that always gets to me. Her frightening delivery of lines such as "I'll take you places that you've never been..." and "I'll watch the life run out of you..."

Mommy!

Female Villains in Horror: Eva Galli/Alma Mobley

I'm well aware that the movie in question here, Ghost Story (1981) has been panned by critics and casual viewers alike for as long as I can recall, but I'm going to start by saying that I like this movie, so get over it. We're going with the film incarnation here, even though the marvelous book by Peter Straub is not translated quite up to par.

However, the villainess here - Eva Galli a.k.a. Alma Mobley - is one for the ages. She was so well written in the novel, and I think she translates to the big screen fairly well. In part because of Alice Krige's masterful performance. She carries the entire weight of the film on her shoulders, and she's so damn terrifying.



Ghost Story is a tale of friendship, secrets and most of all, revenge.
In a sleepy village in snowy New England (actually Saratoga, NY!), evil has come to town.



Over fifty years ago, Eva Galli spent her quality time fascinating four college-age gentlemen who were all utterly smitten with her.



They spent countless hours with Eva, all of them endlessly vying for her attention - until one night while having a bit of an argument with the men, she fell and hit her head, leading the men to come to the conclusion that she was dead. Considerably at fault for the mishap, they decide not to "ruin the rest of their lives" and hide (dispose of) the body. {May I just add here that that is never a good idea...}
They put her in a car and drive the car into a nearby lake (shades of Psycho here).
As it descends slowly, Eva suddenly appears at the back window, screaming and trying to get out of the sinking vehicle.



But it's too late, and the car has gone under. (One of the great moments in horror for me.)

Back to the present, where all the men are pillars of their community but still have the memory of Eva in the back of their head, never more present than when they get together to tell each other ghost stories. Calling themselves The Chowder Society, they agree never to speak the name Eva Galli again.



Unfortunately, the men are plagued with bad dreams and haunting visions, and when one of them dies under mysterious circumstances, it isn't long till they discover perhaps Eva was never really gone.



Later, a son of one of the men relates his chilling story of Alma Mobley, a woman he fell in love with who turned out to be more than just a little unsettling.
Seems Alma and Eva are one in the same.



There are many moments of subtle horror in this film if you know where to look. A few of mine include when Donny follows Alma home from dinner and they are in her apartment. She is drying her hair by a heater and telling Donny how much she hates storms...



-the look in her eyes makes me shiver.... the line in the film where she tells Donny she's going to watch the life run out of him gets me every time.... Eva's ghost at the side of the bridge, softly laughing.... and Alma/Eva coming down the dilapitated steps at her former house - Donny awaiting Ricky's return and incapacitated by a broken leg - in her wedding gown, fingers caressing the banister as she descends and then promptly turns into a messy skeletal ghoul.

There are outright shocks, as well. Alma revealing herself to Donny's brother right before he hurls himself out the window to his (full-frontal!) death....the startling bathtub scene where Alma bolts upright out of the water screaming....the scene where Eva is standing in the middle of a snow covered road in Sears' path...



...and of course, the last shot of the film.



Alice Krige portrays Eva/Alma with so much understated intensity. The potency of her fear-inducing gaze has never left me, and she had the delicate expertise and ethereal beauty to make a mediocre adaptation of a great novel more than adequate. Point being, Alice Krige is the real reason to watch Ghost Story.

Buy it here.