The Horror Show
Ghost Stories
by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman
I adore ghosts. I adore Martin Freeman. I adore Jeremy Dyson. When I discovered that Ghost Stories had all three I was off my tits with happy! Then I watched it. I don't think I was prepared for what I got.
A little back story on this film and its directors/writers: Jeremy Dyson made a name for himself as the “behind the scenes” member of The League of Gentlemen. A sketch comedy group that also consists of Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith, and Steve Pemberton. They had a long running British television show of the same name. It's one of my favorite shows. It has absurdist comedy mixed with some dark themes, it's so great. Andy Nyman is not only an actor, writer, and director, but he's also an accomplished mentalist that has worked closely with magician, Darren Brown. They are a talented couple of guys! They wrote this magnificent play called Ghost Stories that did amazingly well in London's West End. It did so well it's now a film!
Ghost Stories is exactly that and more. It's the story of Professor Phillip Goodman, played wonderfully by Andy Nyman. He is the host of a show that is geared towards debunking psychics and other paranormal experiences. He was inspired to take up this line of work after seeing Charles Cameron debunk cases as a child. Sadly, Cameron disappeared. Years later Goodman receives a mysterious package and, lo and behold, it's from Charles Cameron. He needs Phillip's help to debunk the three cases he never could. This begins an interesting trip that will change how Phillip Goodman sees the world. That's all you need to know. If I say any more it would ruin the fun.
I went into this film thinking it was just an anthology. It was so much more than a bunch of tales with a wraparound story. It's amazing how they connected everything. The attention to detail is amazing! The opening where we set up the professors tv show is a direct nod to the Peter Popoff scandal back in the 80's, except in the film it's a “psychic” and in real life it was a televangelist.
Everything about this film is pretty close to perfect. The acting is on point, the effects are pretty great, and the writing is just stellar. This has taken a place on my top ten movies list. It is an incredible mindfuck of a film and I really hope I can see it on the stage some day!
Robin Thompson, HMS
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