Four successful elderly gentlemen, members of the Chowder Society, share a gruesome, 50-year old secret. When one of Edward Wanderley’s twin sons dies in a bizarre accident, the group begins to see a pattern of frightening events developing.
I can’t believe that so many people criticize this film. It appears that most dissenters are comparing it to the book which seems unfair because I found this a great ghost story movie. I haven’t read it yet so this is an unbiased review of what I’ve seen.
I first saw this movie when I was a kid and, back then, it terrified me. I just couldn’t then and can’t now ever forget the cold, clammy images of the ghost girl in a dark wedding gown walking slowly toward the man, David Wanderley, alone in the decrepit, abandoned mansion with a broken leg. Terrifying! Upon this viewing, I found it just slightly less scary but it’s still effective, in my opinion.
The story felt less complex upon this viewing but still engaging and intriguing. It’s basically a ghost out for revenge against the four men who accidentally caused her death decades before. While I loved the basic premise, there are a bit of unanswered questions and/or plot holes. Like how is the ghost taking a tangible corporeal form? Why did she wait fifty years to seek revenge? Why is she going after the two sons of one of the old men? If you can just accept these without worrying about questions such as these, you will probably enjoy is movie a lot more. It did not bother me too much because I was too gone up what I actually did see.
I think that the real highlight of the movie is the atmosphere. It is set in New England in and around the winter season so that the sky is very gray and dull and the air is very windy and cold, with a dusting to a few inches of snow on the ground. This does seem to set the tone for the whole movie because the ghost sets off the same eerie feelings as the weather outside. The chowder society also adds to the mood because it is a group of old men who tell scary stories around the fireside. And John Houseman is almost like their leader; he had a similar role in the original “The Fog” so it felt very familiar and comforting to see him in this role again. The music also adds a bit to the atmosphere as well.
The acting is very good in my opinion. This film has four great veteran actors as main characters. To see Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and John Houseman all in the same movie is a treat in itself. Some people criticize Craig Wasson, the younger male actor of this group, who played Don/David Wanderley. While I do not think he is the same league with the other actors and actresses in this film, I think he holds his own here adequately. All of the rest of the cast does pretty well here considering they are all veteran actors and actresses.
But the gorgeous Alice Krige, while not really a veteran actress, she comes off as what anyway in her duel role as Eva Galli/Alma Moble (the ghost). Her role here is probably the best one in this movie. She pulls off being sophisticated, sexy, playful, serious, menacing and downright creepy, all in the same movie. Oh, did I mention that she has a few nude scenes? It must’ve slipped my mind for a moment! Simply gorgeous!
There’s not really any gore or blood here, just a few corpse/skeleton SFX that serve their purpose. Alice Krige is creepy here in a shady kind of way but it’s sufficient to make you get chills down your back – at least the did it me. No, it wasn’t her nudity! 🙂
This movie is a good old-fashioned ghost story, plain and simple. It has several eerie moments, some being blunt and in your face, others being more subtle but just as terrifying. One such scene is the bathtub scene (you’ll now when you see it!). I recommend this movie to all horror fans.
