Line #48 Film/GhostStories2017


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ghost_stories_1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''Be careful what you believe.'']]
3
4	->''"Please, Professor Goodman. Tell me I'm wrong. I need you to tell me I'm wrong."''
5
6	''Ghost Stories'' is a 2017 supernatural {{Horror}} film written and directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, adapted from their successful stage play. Starring Andy Nyman as Professor Phillip Goodman, a present day professional skeptic who debunks stage psychics and mediums. Goodman was heavily influenced in his youth by another professional skeptic, Dr. Charles Cameron, who vanished without a trace sometime in the 70s. When Professor Goodman is contacted by Dr. Cameron (ill, elderly and seemingly at death's door, but certainly not missing), he [[NeverMeetYourHeroes insults Goodman's body of work]], calls [[MyGreatestFailure his own work shameful]], and asks Goodman to investigate 3 supernatural cases that have haunted him since his disappearance. The investigations themselves are disturbing and unsettling, and all the while there are subtle background clues that something else is going on.
7
8	A loving homage to the Creator/AmicusProductions anthology films of the 60s and 70s, ''Ghost Stories'' captures the British aesthetic of those films, while still retaining its modern sensibility. Features a rather nasty TwistEnding.
9
10	----
11	!!This film provides examples of:
12
13	* AbandonedHospital: Tony's story is set in one of these.
14	* AbusiveDad: Goodman's father did not approve of his daughter's dating choices, and is seen yelling at her while his mother tries to calm him down.
15	* AgeCut: Used at the end of the intro with a young, cheerful Goodman slowly fading into a much older, much sadder Goodman.
16	* AndYouWereThere: [[spoiler:The people whom Goodman interviews are based on the people who work at the hospital where he is being kept, and most of their personalities are the same.]]
17	* AnimalisticAbomination: [[{{Satan}} Whatever it is]] that Simon hits with his car, it certainly qualifies.
18	* ArcWords:
19	** "The brain sees what it wants to see."
20	** "Be careful what you believe in."
21	* {{Arc Number}}s: The numbers 6, 79, 19, 11, 92, 20, 48, 1 and 32 recur repeatedly throughout the film, either as individual numbers or as part of this specific sequence.
22	** In addition to being scribbled on the screen at the start of the movie, they also appear flashing across the screen at the start of the flashback to Goodman's childhood.
23	** In the psychic show bust sequence, the number 11 can be seen in multiple empty chairs.
24	** The short clip we see of "The Enigma of Charles Cameron" has the phrase, "WTR 92:20" in the bottom left corner, and the house he visits is number 6.
25	** The "Fun Spot Amusement Centre" which Goodman parks in front of on his visit to Cameron has the numbers 92, 20, 1, 48 and 32 painted on its doors.
26	** 79 is the number of Charles Cameron's caravan/trailer home.
27	** The pub where Goodman finds Tony Matthews is called "The 10th Number" and the nine numbers are painted on the sign, [[spoiler:around a picture of a tunnel.]] Goodman passes the first four of these numbers on a bulletin board in the hallway as he goes into the pub.
28	** 19, 11 and 92 are on three of the doors which Tony passes as he makes his rounds.
29	** They are on the hymn board in the church Goodman visits.
30	** Simon's house is number 20.
31	** The numbers can be seen on a piece of paper inside the shotgun shack which Mike Priddle retrieves his gun from.
32	** [[spoiler:These nine numbers are chalked in an abandoned sewage tunnel. As a prank, two bullies forced a young Phillip Goodman and later Desmond "Kojak" Callahan to go inside the tunnel and read them in sequence until they find the tenth and final number that doesn't exist. Goodman survived his ordeal, but Callahan collapsed in an asthma attack and died. Goodman has been haunted by his failure to do anything to prevent Callahan's death or tell the authorities afterwards.]]
33	* BedsheetGhost: A particularly upsetting one in Mike Priddle's story.
34	* BungledSuicide: It's revealed at the end of the film that [[spoiler:Professor Goodman attempted suicide by breathing in exhaust fumes, as he was unable to live with the guilt that his choices have left him with.]]
35	* CampbellCountry: This is a British film through and through. The costuming of the characters is modern, but leans into an aesthetic that reminds you of the setting, with a lot of wool sweaters and flat caps. Mike Priddle loads a shotgun stored in a weathered shed that stands in a muddy, windswept field. Tony Matthews talks to Goodman over a pint of beer, a glass of whiskey, and a hand-rolled cigarette. The end result is a movie that truly feels like no other country could have produced it, in the best possible way.
36	* CatScare: Tony's happens with a pigeon.
37	* CreatorCameo: Jeremy Dyson has an uncredited cameo as the DJ at Goodman's Bar Mitzvah.
38	* CreepilyLongArms: A subtle example (especially when compared to [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos other works]] with this trope) in [[spoiler:Mike's baby son, who is heavily implied to be some kind of inhuman abomination.]]
39	* CreepyDoll: Doubling as TheBlank, there is a faceless, brown-haired doll wearing a yellow dress that recurs throughout the film. [[spoiler:It's even in Goodman's hospital room.]]
40	* DangerTakesABackseat: The [[{{Baphomet}} goat-creature]] that Simon hits eventually winds up in the seat behind him after first stalking him and jumping on top of his car.
41	%%* DarknessEqualsDeath:
42	* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Professor Goodman when Callahan is dragging him to his hospital bed.]]
43	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Mike Priddle]] at the end of his story -- [[spoiler:foreshadowing for Goodman's actual suicide attempt.]]
44	* TheEndingChangesEverything: [[spoiler:Professor Goodman has been in a coma all along and the ghost stories are his brain's attempts to process his guilt over his choices in life.]]
45	* ExistentialHorror: Lightly touched on throughout the movie, but brought into sharp focus with the twist at the end where [[spoiler:it's made clear that the real horror of this story falls much closer to AndIMustScream than the supernatural premise the movie starts with.]]
46	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Lots of clues alluding to the twist ending are peppered throughout the three cases.
47	** The film begins with the sounds of water dripping and heavy breathing. [[spoiler:These are the sounds of Callahan suffering an asthma attack.]]
48	** After meeting with Cameron and sitting on a bench, a "Fine Fare" shopping bag blows into his leg, which seems to trouble him. [[spoiler:It's the same bag which Callahan had been holding before he entered the sewage tunnel.]]
49	** Tony calls Goodman "Series/{{Kojak}}" after he barrages him with questions. [[spoiler:This is the nickname given to Callahan.]]
50	** One of the mannequins which Tony finds is wearing a hospital gown. [[spoiler:The same gown which Phillip is wearing.]]
51	** Goodman briefly sees [[spoiler:someone wearing hospital scrubs]] in a room in Simon's upstairs. [[spoiler:This is the real world Simon.]]
52	* GhostStory: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin As you might have guessed from the title]], this movie has a reverent love for ghost stories and the tropes that go with them.
53	* GhostlyChill: In all three of the case investigations, there are points where the temperature drops due to ghost activity. In Mike Priddle's story, he can see his own breath.
54	* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Simon's experience has left him more than a little disturbed.
55	* GuiltInducedNightmare: [[spoiler:The entirety of the film takes place within Goodman's comatose dreams, and his profession of supernatural debunking stems from his guilt over failing to prevent the death of Callahan. After this failed, he tried to kill himself in his car, which left him in an endless purgatory.]]
56	* {{Homage}}: Tony Matthews' story starts on a closeup of his watch, before slowly panning across to his hand (which is holding a cigarette) before zooming out to show him sitting, staring into space. ''Identical'' to the introductory shot of Pink in ''[[Film/TheWall Pink Floyd: The Wall]]''.
57	* InspiredBy: Creator/AmicusProductions mainly, but there are a great many references to famous horror films for those who pay attention.
58	* JumpScare: A few - Starting with the film title!
59	* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Nico and Marcus, the two bullies who caused Callahan's death, aren't shown facing any consequences for what they did.]]
60	* KillTheLights: The ghost that stalks Tony is not a fan of the light.
61	* LackOfEmpathy: This is Goodman's problem throughout the story, as he is only interested in debunking or explaining the experiences of the people he talks to.
62	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: There's something off about Simon's house and his parents' behaviour, enough to unsettle Professor Goodman.
63	* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: Too many to count. Or notice on your first watch.
64	* MirrorScare: A non-horror example, but the young Goodman is caught spying on his sister get berated by his father after his dad opens a closet with a mirror in it.
65	* MoodSwinger: Interviewing Tony Matthews is an uncomfortable experience due to his frequent shifts into a hostile (if not actually menacing) demeanor.
66	* MyGreatestFailure:
67	** Dr. Cameron considers his work in debunking the supernatural to be shameful, due to coming across three cases he couldn't explain away.
68	** It's revealed towards the end that [[spoiler:Professor Goodman feels incredibly guilty about not saving a mentally-handicapped boy who died of an asthma attack.]]
69	* NightmareFace: Quite a few.
70	** The ghostly girl in Tony Matthews' story has a gaunt, pale face. She's also [[EyeScream missing her left eye]].
71	* NothingIsScarier:
72	** This movie takes full advantage of the power of the audience's imagination. During Tony Matthews' story, neither Tony nor the viewer see anything at all for the majority of the scene, but it's teeth-grindingly suspenseful and frightening.
73	** The creature that attacks Simon has one ExtremeCloseup, and in for the rest of Simon's story it's only seen in quick flashes and from far away.
74	* OhCrap:
75	** Goodman's face when he sees the tunnel entrance.
76	** Simon's face when he sees the back door of the car is open.
77	* PersonalHorror: Every major character wrestles with this in different ways, [[spoiler:including and especially Phillip Goodman.]]
78	* PrecisionFStrike: Both comedic and serious, as Simon unleashes a ''very'' loud "Fuck that!" in response to [[spoiler:the goat-demon telling him to stay]].
79	* PreInsanityReveal: Simon's flashback reveals that, while he was always soft-spoken and awkward, he wasn't paranoid.
80	* PronouncingMyNameForYou: A RunningGag is of various people pronouncing Simon's surname as "Riff-Kind," and him correcting them as it being "Riff-''Kinned''.
81	* TheReveal: [[spoiler:The dead and rotting Callahan grabs hold of Phillip's coat, and rips all his clothing away to reveal a hospital gown, confirming that Phillip is in a coma and the movie so far has been the fractured projections of his guilt-ridden, fearful brain.]]
82	* RewatchBonus: So, so many.
83	* RoomFullOfCrazy: Simon's bedroom doesn't suggest a healthy, well-balanced view of life.
84	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Simon pulls one of these after [[spoiler:the demon tells him to stay]].
85	* ShoutOut:
86	** Tony named his daughter "Film/{{Marnie}}," since he was always a big fan of Creator/AlfredHitchcock. He also mentions that if he had had a son, he would have named him "[[Film/{{Psycho}} Norman]]."
87	* SpookyPhotographs: On the way up to Simon's bedroom, one of his photographs catches Goodman's eye, [[spoiler:since it is of ''him'' as well as his childhood bullies and, after removing some dust, Callahan]].
88	* StoppedClock: Every single instance of time shown in this movie, beginning with the headline photograph of Big Ben which Charles Cameron sends to Professor Goodman, is 3:45. [[spoiler:Most telling, in the one instance where we see a close-up of Tony Matthews' watch, not only is it 3:45 but the second hand ISN'T MOVING. In the end, it is revealed that 3:45 AM is the time that Phillip Goodman was admitted into Christchurch Hospital.]]
89	* TentativeLight: As the lights go out around him, Tony's flashlight begins to flicker as well.
90	* UndeadChild: The girl in the [[{{Foreshadowing}} yellow dress]] in Tony's story.
91	* WalkingSpoiler: [[spoiler:Dr. Cameron. There's a reason why his character is not listed in the film credits.]]

Context Film / GhostStories2017