Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Drama/Ghost Story
Ghost Story poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 63.0 / 100
1981·Drama / Horror / Thriller·1h 50m

GHOST STORY

“The Time Has Come to Tell the Tale”

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.

Above the Line
John Irvin·DirectorLawrence D. Cohen·ScreenplayPeter Straub·NovelJack Cardiff·Director of PhotographyPhilippe Sarde·Original Music ComposerTom Rolf·Editor
Cast
Fred Astaire·Ricky HawthorneMelvyn Douglas·Dr. John JaffreyDouglas Fairbanks Jr.·Edward Charles WanderleyJohn Houseman·Sears JamesCraig Wasson·Don Wanderley / David WanderleyPatricia Neal·Stella HawthorneAlice Krige·Eva Galli / Alma MobleyJacqueline Brookes·MillyMiguel Fernandes·Gregory BatesLance Holcomb·Fenny Bates
Full Crew
(30 credits)
Directing· 3
John Irvin·DirectorDan Kolsrud·First Assistant DirectorDean Lyras·Second Assistant Director
Writing· 2
Lawrence D. Cohen·ScreenplayPeter Straub·Novel
Camera· 1
Jack Cardiff·Director of Photography
Editing· 1
Tom Rolf·Editor
Sound & Music· 3
Philippe Sarde·Original Music ComposerJames R. Alexander·SoundAllan Bromberg·Assistant Sound Editor
Art & Design· 13
Norman Newberry·Production DesignNorman Newberry·Art DirectionMay Routh·Costume DesignMary Ann Biddle·Set DecorationRick Baker·Special Effects Makeup ArtistIrving Buchman·Makeup ArtistCarl Fullerton·Special Effects Makeup ArtistAlbert Jeyte·Makeup ArtistRobert Jiras·Makeup ArtistRick Sharp·Makeup ArtistJames Allen·Assistant DecoratorWilliam Apperson·Construction ForemanJohn Zemansky·Property Master
Production· 6
Burt Weissbourd·ProducerDouglas Green·Co-ProducerRonald G. Smith·Associate ProducerMike Fenton·CastingRobert Latham Brown·Production ManagerRonald G. Smith·Production Manager
Other Departments· 1
Philip Leto·Hairstylist
By the Numbers
63.0
OF 100
Master Score
6.3
OF 10
IMDb
29%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Ghost Story's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#0077BE
#E6B8AF
#000000
Mood
Eerie, Mysterious
Composition
Centered
Era
1970s
Visual Style
Illustrated

“The movie poster features a cartoonish illustration of a man with a large nose and beard, wearing a blue suit and holding a golden candelabra. He is also holdin”

horror
Key Elements
CandelabraBookMansionVulture
Atmosphere
Vibrant
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
Fantasy
Design Score
7/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY JOHN IRVIN

Every catalog entry where John Irvin is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE DRAMA

Top-ranked films inside drama, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1980S

The best films of the 1980s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows