Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
English horror anthology is weirder than it is scary.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Ghost Stories
What's the Story?
In GHOST STORIES, Professor Goodman (Andy Nyman) is the star of a TV show that debunks supernatural and paranormal phenomena. He's invited to meet with Charles Cameron (Leonard Byrne), a paranormal investigator who originally inspired him, and Cameron gives Goodman a file containing three unsolved cases. The first involves a security guard (Paul Whitehouse) who sees a ghost while working the night shift in an old asylum. The second is about a teen boy (Alex Lawther) who claims to have hit something unholy in the woods with his car. And the third is Mike Priddle (Martin Freeman), an expectant father who received a visit from a poltergeist. Goodman returns to Cameron, claiming that all three cases are easily explainable via psychological means, but Cameron has at least one more shocking surprise up his sleeve.
Is It Any Good?
This old-fashioned horror anthology isn't terrifying or scream-inducing; instead, it's closer in spirit to the moody, clammy, atmospheric English movies of decades past that lovingly inspired it. Nyman and Jeremy Dyson co-wrote and co-directed Ghost Stories based on their hit stage play, and what the movie lacks in that real-life theatrical connection it makes up for in eerie, clever cinematography and editing. The asylum in the first segment consists of pitch-black corridors running off into infinity, but it's far from neat and tidy; it's littered with decades of sinister refuse. The teen boy's room is decorated with occult drawings of demons and monsters, making a simple doorway seem terribly unsettling.
Weirdly, one of the movie's creepiest sequences takes place in an open field in broad daylight. The filmmakers beautifully use the on-screen and the offscreen, the seen and the unseen, sounds and clever cuts to suggest, rather than show, its horrors. Still, anthology horror movies usually have a weak spot, and here it's the wraparound story. But even though savvy horror fans may groan at how things unfold, Ghost Stories is so stylish and so satisfying that it gets by on spirit alone.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Ghost Stories' violence. How much is shown, and how much is implied or left offscreen? What part does sound play in the violence?
How scary is the movie? What's the appeal of horror movies?
How does the movie treat bullies? How are they handled? Can you think of other ways to address the situation?
The movie asserts that "the brain only sees what it wants to see." Do you think this is true? Why? Are there potential, rational solutions for everything, or could there be things we don't quite understand?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 20, 2018
- On DVD or streaming : September 4, 2018
- Cast : Martin Freeman , Andy Nyman , Alex Lawther
- Directors : Jeremy Dyson , Andy Nyman
- Studio : IFC Midnight
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy
- Run time : 98 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate