But when he is summoned by a mysterious man to look into three unsolved paranormal cases, Goodman appears to become involved in a personal manner while the cases unfold on screen in different chapters. And Martin Freeman (Fargo, Sherlock) plays some sort of figure with his own connection, and skepticism. (Although he almost strikes me as some Lovecraftian character who appears mundane but is up to no good.)
The stage play was famous for its unique marketing that only showed images of shocked audiences, instead of photos from the production. And critics played along with the request to keep the details of each chapter secret, so plot details are fairly thin. That's exciting since we don't entirely know what tale the movie will tell.
The film has already opened in the UK on a limited run, and opens wide April 13. But the reviews are pretty great, and this sounds like what I look for in a spooky movie: Atmospheric, and creepy with lots of twists, some jumps, and even a little bit of humor. If it's what I'm hoping, Ghost Stories is of that classic M.R. James British Gothic Horror genre that evokes dread.
Thus far, The Hollywood Reporter called it "a witty and well-crafted love letter to old-school horror tropes," while The Guardians said it is "a weird world of menace, despair and decay."
Check out the trailer, and let me know what you think. And if you're in the UK, and have seen it, I want to hear from you.
-Aaron Sagers