Ghost Stories (2017)

Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman have perhaps produced the most thought-provoking British horror of the past decade. Ghost Stories isn’t just a “scary movie” - it’s an exploration into the terrifying depths of the human psyche, using themes of regret and guilt instead of blood and gore to really tap into our greatest fears.

The story follows the cynical Phillip Goodman, a man who devotes his life trying to debunk the ideas surrounding the paranormal. He is sent off to investigate three seemingly “unexplainable” cases of paranormal activity.

It is shown at the beginning of the film that Goodman had a hard time as a child. He was born into a Jewish family who clearly didn’t warm to him (his father being the main culprit of this). His Jewish upbringing and the rocky relationship with his father is briefly explained to be the reason that Goodman becomes such a cynic in regards to the afterlife and the paranormal in his later life.

These themes of religion and family are some of my favourite things about this film. Personally, I love how unclear Goodman’s past is, as it really makes this film open to interpretation. Although we don’t know much about his Jewish history, it is referenced many times throughout the film and plays a pivotal role in introducing the main themes of regret.

In regards to the actual “horror” sequences of the film, of which there are three, Nyman and Dyson do not disappoint. As well as building up the suspense of the first sequence perfectly, they also incorporate almost every basic horror cliché into them. Horror clichés are very important in this film, as Nyman and Dyson want this film to feel fake. Yes, the film is scary, but at the same time there is a certain element of unoriginality when it comes to the jump scares and tension. This is not accidental; they have purposely included clichés to further emphasise the idea that something is wrong.

As well as the brilliant directing talents of Nyman an Dyson, the cast is equally as amazing. I particularly loved Alex Lawther’s interpretation of Simon Rifkind - he portrays his nervous, desperate personality excellently. I also have a great deal of admiration for Andy Nyman, for he, as well as writing and directing this masterpiece, also played the lead role.

One thing that did ruin the atmosphere of the film for me a little was when Nyman looked straight at the camera and said the line “can we cut?”. I understand that he was trying to (yet again) hint at something being not quite right, but this was too much for me. I felt it ruined the “horror cliché” atmosphere that the film had worked to create, and made it feel slightly less serious. Another thing that was slightly off was the make-up work on the character of Charles Cameron. I felt they could have definitely done a better job at disguising his true identity, but nevertheless it didn’t completely ruin the enjoyment for me by any means.

Obviously I have to talk about the film’s finale because, in my eyes, it is one of the greatest, most thought-provoking twists in the history of British cinema. It’s not just the idea that appeals so much to me, it’s the execution. The whole scene by the tunnel is incredible. Goodman turning back into the boy he once was, the bullies we see at the very beginning of the film, and of course the reveal of the hooded figure - everything seems to slowly start to piece together as this scene unfolds.

Finally, the second twist. The grotesque, deformed figure of Callahan leading Goodman down the white hall was one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen in a horror film, and not just because of Callahan's horrific corpse. It chilled me to the bone because it was the first time we had seen Goodman completely break down in the film. When we see that Goodman is drowning in his own guilt, we start to realise something else; this horror film was never about monsters or “ghosts” - at least not in that sense of the word. It is about ghosts of the past, and how they are infinitely more frightening than anything that resides under our beds. Everything in this film makes the audience question whether or not ghosts are real, and at the end we finally get our answer; they truly are.