Jack Bennett A professional debunker of psychics, mystics and all things paranormal is tasked to find explanations for three ghostly tales, only to have his beliefs and sanity tested.As a professor (played by writer/ director Andy Nyman who also played the same role in the original stage play of the same name) listens to three ghostly tales he has been tasked to debunk for an dying colleague, what he hears begins to play on his mind more heavily the more he listens. The three stories are each told by the people who experienced them: a night watchman (Paul Whitehouse), a teen driver (Alex Lawther) and a successful businessman expecting his first child (Martin Freeman). As the stories are told, a common theme begins to emerge of a devil, a doll and a strange figure in a hooded padded jacket. Each account can be easily explained away in one way or another but it's what begins to happen to the professor outside these stories that presents the greater challenge. Maybe, he begins to think, ghosts are real?A lot of this film is clichéd and stale by today's standards - long and slow scenes of a derelict loony-bin corridor lit only by a single torch through the dust and then a jump scare - but there are some moments which make this a stand-out example of British horror. Yes, the scares are sometimes predictable but still startle and there are moments that cause genuine discomfort even long after the initial scare is over (the ghostly finale of Freeman's story is one such example). There are also brief moments of sometimes bizarre comedic relief which certainly highlight the film's 'Britishness'.The ending rapidly hurries up to you (and the professor), throwing in new things about his past and beliefs to take on board with barely anything left in the runtime to use them effectively. It's one of those in which the twist would be fine if we'd at least had some clues it was coming or some pieces to put together ourselves so it didn't seem so completely out of the blue when it's piled on you with minutes to go. That's not to say the ending isn't good or satisfying, it just might be frustrating for some who thought they had it worked out (repeated images in the stories lead you to a possible twist conclusion) only to have the rug pulled out from under them and shown something entirely different which was set up in the final 10 minutes. It's certainly worth a watch, and with a repeat viewing I think I'll even appreciate the ending.Best Quote: "Do you believe in evil, Professor? I didn't, until that night."

jtindahouse There are some films that simply have to be reviewed using spoilers. I don't like to do it, but on occasions like this it is simply unavoidable. I take extensive measures to know as little about a film before going into it as possible (I even avoid trailers wherever possible). 'Ghost Stories' was a film I knew almost zero about other than that Martin Freeman was in it and it was classified as a drama/horror (whatever that means). Very early on in the film we meet a character who is supposedly an old man. Being quite familiar with him as an actor I said to myself that is Martin Freeman in heavy make-up. Sure enough it is revealed later in the movie that that was indeed the case. Now I'm not sure whether the make-up was supposed to be intentionally revealing, but I very much doubt it. I feel I would've enjoyed the reveal much more when it came around if I hadn't already suspected it over an hour ago. I can only guess the make-up budget wasn't quite high enough to pull it off properly. This is very much a retrospective film. You are asked to look back and reconsider everything you've seen. That element to it I really liked. The ending is unquestionably the strongest part. The three horror stories told through the middle are on the other hand of the mixed bag variety. There are very strong moments in each of the stories, but ultimately they were a little tedious and forgettable. They were of course serving a purpose for later on, but I still feel they could have been done with a little more creativity - particularly the second one.Martin Freeman is a breathe of fresh air in this film. He really shows the rest of the cast up it has to be said with his class, charisma and screen-presense. When I thought it was going to be a straight up horror movie I was a little concerned about whether his star-power would take me out of the horror mind-frame. Knowing now how the story plays out though I think he was an excellent choice for his role. There's certainly enough creativity and originality to make 'Ghost Stories' worthy of a watch.

mrmurr9909 For starters, as a fan of the genre, I know that everyone enjoys their horror in different ways. Some are supernatural fans, some like slashers, etc. Persnally I am a fan of supernatural/demon/ghost stories as well as psychological thrillers. Rarely can a movie deliver both of these feels for me, and Ghost Stories does just that. This is reason #1 I loved the movie.Reason #2 is based on how the scares are delivered. The style of the movie being 3 seperate ghost tales offers great scares in a short amount of time. Many horror films drag on for hours delivering 4-5 scares in the entire film. This movie gives you a solid 4-5 within each tale all without feeling like the story relied on them to be entertaining.Reason #3 is due to the great performances. Some characters aren't on screen for long (again, due to the "short story" format. However, they bring a lot to their characters and offer genuine performances that are very believable.This movie had all the feels for me. Not ready to place it as a classic (maybe after I've views more times, discussed with peers, and reflected). However, I jumped, I laughed, I cried, I even genuinely got the chills on one scene. Really loved Ghost Stories and highly recommend.

MitzenWarriorChiefChief Clever, but not overly clever. Not so clever that you want to punch the writer(s) in the face. I was very surprised and satisfied with the ending of the film, and thoroughly enjoyed the path the storytellers took the viewers on to reach the conclusion. I watched it multiple times after renting in order to locate the delicious little hints that pointed to what was actually going on in the film. My first viewing was obviously the most satisfying: sitting alone in my lil' house in the woods, late at night, with all the lights off. The silence and darkness of my surroundings definitely added to the overall experience. I also really enjoyed the subsequent viewings, which helped me understand reasons behind certain shots, bits of dialogue, etc. And it was still scary the second and third times around! I thought each paranormal case presented in the film was uniquely frightening. The filmmakers made effective use out of many different types of scares. It isn't overly gory, which I appreciate because I am not really into blood and guts. There was a lot of suspense and eerie sounds, which I love. And some spooky critters, which I also love. The lighting (or darkness, I guess) in the first scenario was really unsettling. And then...the soul horror. Lawd have mercy. Thought Martin Freeman stole the show, but then he usually does. Really enjoyed the 3 or so minutes with Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as the priest. His dialogue was beautifully written and performed. Alex Lawther is always creepy. He could do a sweet-as-sugar romcom with Emma Watson and he would still freak me out. Love the cover art/film poster/whatever you call it as well. All in all, I found it really enjoyable. Classically spooky with modern twists. Good times.