GHOST STORY

(A.k.a. MADHOUSE MANSION; ASYLUM)

The place is England, the time is the 1930s.

Geeky Talbot (Larry Dann) and uptight Duller (Vivian Mackerall - apparently the inspiration for Withnail in WITHNAIL AND I!) recognise each other at a train station and share the remainder of their journey reminiscing over their University days. At least, Talbot would like to - but Duller is decidedly uninterested. It turns out they have both been invited to a countryside mansion by old chum McFadyen (the wonderful Murray Melvin).

Upon arrival they're met by McFadyen, who seems to be trying his utmost to epitomise eccentric.

The three old boys enter the open mansion, Talbot initially perturbed to find that no one answers their calls. McFadyen explains that the mansion is his father's and he has it on loan for the weekend so he can catch up with his friends, and rifles through each room of the empty dwelling before allocating bedrooms for each of them.

After an evening meal and an awkward fireside chat where McFadyen evades telling Talbot why he chose to specifically invite him and Duller there, Talbot makes his excuses and trots to bed with a couple of books loaned to him by Duller - books by MR James and Edgar Allen Poe. Duller and McFadyen, meanwhile, sit up to discuss ghosts.

Hoping for an early night ahead of a day spent shooting in the countryside, Talbot tucks himself into bed only to be drawn to a spooky doll named Elizabeth sat in the corner of his room. Through the doll he is able to see episodes from an alternate time in the same house: a story that unfolds in a Victorian setting, and introduces the likes of Penelope Keith and Marianne Faithfull to the film. Fortunately these images (apparitions?) cannot see Talbot - although he spies on them from behind hiding places, just in case.

The story Talbot becomes privy to reveals that the mansion was once an asylum, and takes in class struggles, an unfortunate captive named Sophy (Faithfull) and an illicit affair along the way.

But back in the 1930s setting, what does all this mean? Is it an elaborate hoax that Duller and McFadyen have staged against Talbot? Talbot certainly thinks so, and takes his two mates to task about this over dinner after the morning shoot. They insist they have nothing to do with his overnight experience.

Back at the house, Talbot's visions continue as the story-within-a-story unravels. Beginning to fear that something more sinister is afoot, Talbot starts to think that he may be in the company of ghosts. A possibility that paranormally interested Duller rejects, when later believing he too is the victim of an elaborate prank perpetrated by their host.

The story starts to come clear when McFadyen reveals the truth about the house to Talbot ...

This GHOST STORY is not to be confused with the 1981 Fred Astaire vehicle. Rather, this is a moderate chiller of British origin and Indian location (Tamil Nadu posing as 1930s England) from 1974 and crafted very much in the tradition of M R James' stories.

The film's first obvious asset is its elegantly haunting setting. The building used is indeed an imposing beast, standing tall and dark amid its tranquil green surroundings. Decayed colours and looming shadows lend an atmosphere of ill-foreboding while the architectural ageing further suggests an authentically unsettling history within the walls. Director Stephen Weeks (I, MONSTER) makes good use of this means, keeping camera angles off-kilter and scenes dimly lit for maximum impact.

Performances are broad and theatrical, giving the film a quaint dated feel. They work alongside the subtle, carefully paced storyline to present an enjoyable drama that fits in with the likes of the BFI 'ghost story at Christmas' collection or, going further back, the classic DEAD OF NIGHT.

While some may dismiss the film as boring or lacking in content, that would be missing the point. This is a quiet escalation of subtle chills, designed to slip insidiously under the viewer's skin. It is, after all, a ghost story ... and not necessarily a horror film.

Nucleus Films presents GHOST STORY in a generously bestowed 2-disc Special Edition.

Disc 1 offers the film in anamorphic 1.66:1. Colours are a tad washed out and contrast is not the strongest, but it's a highly watchable presentation and is probably the best the film is ever going to look.

English 2.0 audio is clean and clear throughout.

An animated main menu gives way to an animated scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 12 chapters.

Extras on disc 1 include an audio commentary track and a trailer.

The commentary track finds Weeks offering good insight into the themes running through the film, along with a healthy amount of technical information and fluent conversation. The track is moderated by Professor Samuel Umland, who prompts Weeks with decent questions occasionally. For the most part though, Weeks offers an intelligent and erudite track that needs little prompting, especially when all the "Professor" can ask are silly questions like "what does 'disused' mean?".

The theatrical trailer clocks in at just over four minutes in length.

Disc 2 offers some interesting bonus features, by far the best of which is "Ghost Stories" - an all-new 72-minute documentary. This is a comprehensive retrospective look at the film, featuring interviews with principal cast and crew members (chiefly Weeks), along with British author Kim Newman. Interspersed with clips from the film, this is a great in-depth look back at the making of GHOST STORY, it's inspirations and it's reception. It's nice to see new interviews with the very keen Melvin and Dann, along with the delightful Barbara Shelley. Weeks looks fine for his age - but perhaps that has something to do with him being interviewed in a dimly lit room!

The fun continues with several of Weeks' short films: Owen's War (1965), Deserted Station (1965), The Camp (1965), Moods of a Victorian Church (1967), Two at Thursday (1968), the Tigon production 1917 (1968) and Flesh (1969). All are interesting in a once-only fashion, with Flesh (a nice montage of breasts and buttocks, juxtaposed with rotting meat in lingerie) and the lengthier, narrated 1917 standing out. With a combined length of approximately 68 minutes, these films fill out disc 2 nicely.

Disc 2 also contains alternate opening titles for the main feature, trailers for other Nucleus titles and some PDF content (a press book). Unfortunately each time I tried to access these the screener disc kept directing me back to Flesh.

This is an excellent package from Nucleus for a fine, old-fashioned ghost tale that deserves to be rediscovered. Having the film on DVD, with director's commentary and a feature-length documentary in tow, is a treat.

Review by Stuart Willis