Ghost Stories review: a love-letter to British horror that chills to the bone ★★★★ Adapted from the hit stage show by Andy Nyman and The League Of Gentlemen’s Jeremy Dyson, Ghost Stories is […]

★★★★

Adapted from the hit stage show by Andy Nyman and The League Of Gentlemen’s Jeremy Dyson, Ghost Stories is an expertly crafted British horror anthology that serves up genuine chills.

It draws inspiration from classic British portmanteau horror films such as Dead of Night (1945) and Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965).

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Suspenseful, darkly funny and surprisingly moving, Nyman and Dyson have created a creepy cinematic compendium that’s the equal of their stage show – and is sure to stand the test of time.

Directors: Andy Nyman, Jeremy Dyson

Starring: Andy Nyman, Martin Freeman, Paul Whitehouse, Alex Lawther, Leonard Byrne, Nicholas Burns, Jill Halfpenny

Genre: Horror

Country: United Kingdom

Release date: 6 April, 2018

Cert: 15

Running time: 97 mins

Nyman plays Professor Philip Goodman, a TV investigator who specialises in debunking the paranormal and exposing hoaxes and frauds.

Out of the blue, Goodman gets a call from his childhood idol Charles Cameron – a man long thought disappeared – who challenges him to investigate three cases that he was unable to solve.

They include a night watchman played by Paul Whitehouse, who experiences a terrifying vision in a former asylum; a teenager (Alex Lawther) who believes he hit a demon with his car in the forest; and a wealthy banker (Martin Freeman) whose mansion is plagued with poltergeist activity as his wife goes into labour.

However, as Goodman attempts to solve the cases, he becomes increasingly unsettled, believing each of the stories to be related to a traumatic incident in his own past.

A deap-seated, creeping terror

Like the stage show, the film is an unabashed love-letter to British horror, and Dyson and Nyman’s deep-rooted affection for the genre is apparent in every frame.

The clever script both embraces and celebrates standard horror movie tropes, while also pulling off its own set of original twists and turns.

To that end, the traditional jump scares and shock moments are superbly handled, but the film also achieves a deep-seated, creeping terror that intensifies as the film goes on and leaves you profoundly shaken.

Similarly, Dyson’s background in the League of Gentlemen (which also paid tribute to British horror in its own distinctive way) is very much in evidence, as Ghost Stories is leavened with jet-black humour throughout, with plenty of dark laughs between the scares.

The performances are superb. Nyman strikes the perfect balance of arrogance and uncertain vulnerability, while Freeman is deeply unsettling as the haunted banker.

Impressive attention to detail

The filmmakers also play clever tricks with the casting. When Whitehouse appears, the audience is expecting to laugh, but his performance is deeply disturbing and full of below-the-surface hostility, like a drunk in a pub who could suddenly punch you in the face for no reason.

The film generates an intensely creepy atmosphere, thanks to Grant Montgomery’s pervasive production design (a miasma of greens, browns and greys) and some inspired location choices, including a dilapidated pub and a deserted seaside caravan park.

The overall effect is heightened by an extremely impressive attention to detail, including subtle touches and background elements that will reward multiple viewings.

This is a lovingly crafted and thoroughly enjoyable horror tale that succeeds admirably in its spooky intentions.

Ghost Stories was screening at Glasgow Film Festival