Ghost Story: The classic small-town horror filled with creeping dread

Product Information

a b Barton, Steve (September 30, 2015). "Scream Factory Details Ghost Story Blu-ray Release". Dread Central. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016 . Retrieved December 10, 2017. I can totally see why Ghost Story is seen on lists of the greatest classic horror books. This defied many of my expectations, and pre-conceived notions -- both of the book, and of Peter Straub. GHOST STORY was my favorite novel for many years-mostly because of the intricacy of it. The stories of these men, the stories about the relatives of these men, and the stories about the town itself, wind around and through each other-to me it's like a beautifully woven tapestry of art. I have to think that the author had it all planned out from the very beginning, otherwise how could it have been so wonderfully done?

You could be forgiven for getting a little nervous when you open a novel and discover that the protagonist is driving south with a young girl whom, seemingly, is along for this ride against her will. Especially when the man ties her to him in intricate knots before he’ll allow himself to sleep, and when he insists on keeping his hand clamped around her wrist before he’ll let her pee at the side of the road. a b Galbraith, Stuart IV (September 22, 2004). "Ghost Story: DVD Talk Review of DVD Video". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013 . Retrieved December 15, 2017. I know that I’m keeping this vague but due to spoilers, it’s best to go into this one not knowing much about what’s evil and why the men of The Chowder Society are haunted. Of course, as with any ghost story, there has to be a “Boo!” moment. At some point, the mysteries start to resolve themselves, the enemy takes shape, and our heroes must find a way to kill it. I’ll admit, my attention started to wane towards the end, once the explanatory dialogue started flying (and there is a lot of explaining to do). Eventually, there is a final battle between good and evil, human and not-human, and it is suitably over-the-top and gory, for those that expect that sort of thing, and when the dust settles all the puzzle pieces come together to form a whole.

Overall Summary

Great book to read during the winter. All of the snow and cold made me want a blanket and some hot chocolate! This is actually one of the "scariest" books I've read so far as atmosphere and actual emotional scare goes.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique: The air grows chilly as October draws to its close, and four old men gather to tell ghost stories while carefully skirting around the one horrifying incident none of them will ever forget. When I was a kid, I had a long list of fears. A short summary would include: tornadoes; big dogs; bullies; the basement; fire; music class; swimming lessons; spiders; cat burglars; and girls. As I got a bit older, say around middle school and high school, that list changed. Some items remained (girls, the possibility of being forced to sing in public), some fell away (tornadoes, big dogs, swimming), and some new fears were added (school dances, acne, various other complex social interactions). And finally, Don Wanderley and Peter Barnes could just as well have been Ben Mears and Mark Petrie from Salem's Lot.This is a book that combines the chill of the New York winter with the arthritic helplessness of old man nightmares. It plays shamelessly with reality. The devices Straub incorporated in this book are so subtle that they had to be corrupted or ignored entirely when a movie was made based on this book.

Now I will leave you with my favorite quote courtesy of one of the many side characters whose name I have long since forgotten.An entertaining horror novel with exceptional frightening factor that sadly loses some potential and momentum towards the end. Reed, Rex (December 16, 1981). "This 'Ghost Story' is really horrible". New York Daily News. New York City, New York. p.C-20 – via Newspapers.com. The fact that this novel's monsters weren't even ghosts - like the title suggests - was irritating. The fact that they come across so silly and un-intimidating is quite a bit more offensive. Not in the I'm triggered kind of way; rather in the You have stolen my childhood, entire eco-systems are dying, HOW DARE YOU!!! sense of the word. I adored, and distinctly remember trying to emulate in a short story I wrote in college. What a great conjuring of claustrophobia and unease!