'Bewitched'- Edith Wharton
rba...@hotmail.com
Heh heh. Just thought I'd get that out of the way. If nothing else, it's a
guaranteed method to get people to read a post.
Okay, quick recap: 'Bewitched' in a nutshell is, woman's husband is consorting
with the ghost of his old girlfriend, woman gets old girlfriend's dad, and the
Deacon, and some other guy together to tell them about it, the three men go to
the alleged place of manifestation, shot is fired, next day news has it the
still living *sister* of the old girlfriend is dying of pneumonia, she kicks,
funeral, end.
Well, I did say 'in a nutshell.' That's why it is necessary to establish all
that 'atmosphere'...I read this in HERE AND BEYOND (Appleton; NY & London,
1936, yes I have the first, I got it at a flea market for a dollar, along
with the first of XINGU, Scribners; NY 1916, clang-clang went the trolley),
and as it just so happens I also have the *video* of the Granada Television
production of it, one of those Shades Of Darkness things; they did Hartley's
'Feet Foremost,' too.
ANYWAY, when the three men break into the assignation hut where the living
man supposedly meets the ghost woman, the story is printed like this:
"...the door collapsed like a playing card, and Brand stumbled after it into
the darkness of the hut. The others, after a moment's hesitation, followed.
Bosworth was never quite sure in what order the events that succeeded took
place. Coming in out of the snow dazzle, he seemed to be plunging into total
blackness. He groped his way across the threshold, caught a sharp splinter of
the fallen door in his palm, seemed to see something white and wraithlike
surge up out of the darkest corner of the hut, and then heard a revolver shot
at his elbow, and a cry--
Brand had turned back, and was staggering past him out into the lingering
daylight. The sunset, suddenly flashing through the trees, crimsoned his face
like blood. He held a revolver in his hand and looked about him in his stupid
way.
'They *do* walk, then,' he said, and began to laugh. He bent his head to
examine his weapon. 'Better here than in the churchyard, They shan't dig her
up *now.*, he shouted out. The two men caught him by the arms, and Bosworth
got the revolver away from him.
The next day..." blah blah blah. Brand is, of course, the dad, Bosworth is the
other guy.
But in the *video* they add this bit as the men stumble out of the hut:
Bosworth: That was VENNY ! (Not 'Ora,' the dead sister, he means, but Venny
the live one)
Brand: It was Ora.
Deacon: (confirming) It was Ora.
Neither in the story or the video does anyone go back into the hut, and both
video and story proceed to the end without significant difference. Venny dies
unseen, the funeral takes place, and that's it.
Which brings me to my question.
Was it Venny or Ora?
(signed) Bewildered
P.S. Stop whining. The Collected Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton is not at all
uncommon. You could go read this if you really wanted to !
_______________________________________________________________
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Miss Dazzle
>SPOILERS !!!
>Was it Venny or Ora?
>
It had to have been Ora, otherwise IT'S NOT A GHOST STORY, and you
couldn't have posted your message to this newsgroup. Q.E.D.
Bill B.
Ghost-fondler
rba...@hotmail.com
Man, that spam filter works even BETTER than I could have ever dreamed !!!
rbadac
kun...@hilltop.ic.edu
I've always liked Wharton's "Bewitched." Kind of the *Ethan Frome* of ghost
stories, with all those taciturn, dour, hardscrabble New Englanders mumbling
and shrugging and generally struggling to repress every emotion. I can only
envy rbadac his first edition (what a find!): I, alas, refer to the Fawcett
Popular Library paperback of *The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton* ($2.95 back
in 1982).
My ability to detect nuance may be sadly rusty from not having re-read
Aickman recently, but, looking back over "Bewitched," it seems hard to find
any ambiguity about the specter in the deserted house. As the men go up to
it they see the bare footprints of a woman in the snow, and Bosworth thinks
"[N]o live woman would travel with naked feet across that freezing
wilderness." Rutledge himself claims it's Ora whom he meets. And, after
Venny's burial, Mrs. Rutledge says her husband will sleep quieter, "and *her*
too, maybe, now she don't lay alone any longer." I assume she means Ora will
now have company, and won't need to come visit Rutledge.
What is a bit puzzling is the suggestion of vampirism--the way Brand's wife,
then Ora, then Venny, all waste away. One gets the feeling that the community
may be getting three revenants for the price of one (of course, Mrs. Rutledge
has the all-purpose remedy: "A stake through the breast!").
A good, grim story. Got any other Wharton ghouls in that collection?
"Kerfol," "Afterward," "Pomegranate Seed," and "Mr. Jones" are other
favorites of mine.
Robert
In article <7er0qb$450$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
> Was it Venny or Ora?
>
> (signed) Bewildered
>
> P.S. Stop whining. The Collected Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton is not at all
> uncommon. You could go read this if you really wanted to !
>
> _______________________________________________________________
> Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
>
rba...@hotmail.com
kun...@hilltop.ic.edu wrote:
> My ability to detect nuance may be sadly rusty from not having re-read
> Aickman recently, but, looking back over "Bewitched," it seems hard to find
> any ambiguity about the specter in the deserted house. As the men go up to
> it they see the bare footprints of a woman in the snow, and Bosworth thinks
> "[N]o live woman would travel with naked feet across that freezing
> wilderness." Rutledge himself claims it's Ora whom he meets. And, after
> Venny's burial, Mrs. Rutledge says her husband will sleep quieter, "and *her*
> too, maybe, now she don't lay alone any longer." I assume she means Ora will
> now have company, and won't need to come visit Rutledge.
>
> What is a bit puzzling is the suggestion of vampirism--the way Brand's wife,
> then Ora, then Venny, all waste away. One gets the feeling that the community
> may be getting three revenants for the price of one (of course, Mrs. Rutledge
> has the all-purpose remedy: "A stake through the breast!").
>
> A good, grim story. Got any other Wharton ghouls in that collection?
> "Kerfol," "Afterward," "Pomegranate Seed," and "Mr. Jones" are other
> favorites of mine.
>
> Robert
I love that word, 'hardscrabble.' It's so alliterative. Gotta use all your
tiles on every turn around here.
I thought it was pretty clear in the story, too, Robert ! That damn Granada
production intentionally muddied the waters, I think. They kept inserting
flashbacks of Venny dancing barefoot on the beach, angling that she was
perhaps mentally unsound, and cast her as a smallish-framed girl, as if to
imply the possibility of the snow footprints being hers. But in the story
she's not crazy, just 'wild and ignorant,' plus she's described as 'swarthy.'
It just confirms that the easy majority of my problems stem directly from
watching television. Even PBS fare is not safe. Granada tried to make Mrs.
Rutledge out as a witch also, by the way, completely ignoring the Brand
connection you noted.
Those are great picks, too, those other stories. 'Afterward' was the first
one of Wharton's I ever read, way back when I was a wee lad, when Cokes were
a dime and lids were fifteen dollars. Bill A. read this recently and thought
it a bit staccato-- am I misquoting you correctly, Bill ? Maybe he read it on
a vibrating bed in a motel. Hey, save those quarters for the ice machine,
willya?
I think we were agonising over 'Pomegranate Seed' around here not long ago--
I seem to remember an embarrassed silence descending when I suggested that
the Persephone character was actually the husband. Then somebody coughed, and
somebody else said my gosh, will you look at the time? and...I dunno.
'Kerfol' is the one with the dogs, isn't it? 'Mr Jones' is another good one--
what a nudge *he* was !
Before I stop waving around my copy of HERE AND BEYOND (which bears a
pencilled inscription on the half-title: 'Alida Carey Gulick, Edgartown
1926'-- someone on the Vineyard bought it *new*) I really should mention the
story 'Miss Mary Pask,' which-- oh my, I'm afraid I can't say anything about
it at all.
Well, maybe I can. One, it's great. Two, it is possibly the only story of its
type I have ever liked.
rbadac
William Allison
-snip-
>It just confirms that the easy majority of my problems stem directly from
>watching television. Even PBS fare is not safe.
Just so. When my wife and I split up, she took the "big TV" and the VCR.
I stuck an old clapped-out set in the gaping hole in the entertainment center
just to give prospective buyers of the house a feeling of "saneness" in the
home. Wouldn't want the folks thinking the owner was some sort of nut that
didn't watch TV or something... Ha ha ha ha ha... Hee hee hee hee...
>Those are great picks, too, those other stories. 'Afterward' was the first
>one of Wharton's I ever read, way back when I was a wee lad, when Cokes were
>a dime and lids were fifteen dollars. Bill A. read this recently and thought
>it a bit staccato-- am I misquoting you correctly, Bill ? Maybe he read it on
>a vibrating bed in a motel. Hey, save those quarters for the ice machine,
>willya?
Lazy nut, 'er person that I am, I'm taking the liberty of pasting in the
remarks that I made on this august forum 11/24 regarding "Afterward":
"Afterward"- Edith Wharton. This one was frustrating. I really liked
Wharton's prose style, and the story could have been excellent if not
for a mechanical breakdown (for me anyway). I refer to the whole idea
that Mary could have *completely forgotten* directing the stranger to
her husband, especially after the amount of attention she paid him-
noting his businesslike air, his slight build, and his American accent.
The whole time she was interrogating the maids I wanted to yell: "Hey
Laadyyy! HELLO! HELLO!" Yeah, I know, she was supposed to be "absorbed
in her meeting with the boiler-maker", but I just couldn't buy it. If
Mary had perhaps just seen Elwell approaching the house and Trimmle had
let him in (and supplied the details regarding his person) it would have
been easier to accept Mary's forgetting him. But I suppose that would
have weakened the whole "afterward" effect. I'm impressed enough with
Wharton to have high hopes for her other stories, and just hope they
don't "suffer a puncture" partway through like "Afterward" did... I'd
still recommend it as a worthy read, in case I'm just being too picky.
Perhaps I'd like the story better if I'd watch some TV...
Bill A. (who, when he had a TV, was a Weather Channel junkie...)
kun...@hilltop.ic.edu
declare that I know of NO successful video production of a ghost story.
There are some effective horror movies (not many), but ghost stories really
can't be done on film as effectively as in print. I hasten to admit that I
haven't seen that many, biut one reason is that I was always so disappointed
by them. I'd be delighted to be proven wrong with recommendations of
first-rate ghost stories on tv or in movies.
I think it might be especially hard to put Wharton on the screen. In many of
her stories--and "Bewitched" partly fits that model--not a whole lot happens.
The ne plus ultra of this in Wharton is the story "All Souls'" in which
absolutely nothing happens. It's effective, though, because she is able to
create an atmosphere of uncanniness and dread so well. The lady could write!
I'm sorry I missed the discussion of Pomegranate Seed. My memories are a bit
vague, but, as I mull it over, I think your suggestion that the husband is
the Persephone figure makes a lot of sense. His disappearance means that
he's gone to the underworld to be with his dead wife, right? Unlike
Persephone, though, one suspects he'll be there longer than three months. My
question about that story is about the title--what's the "pomegranate seed"
in the story? The husband's remarriage? I've never been quite sure.
I'll have to look back at 'Mary Pask'--I remember it was one of those very
grim stories of a failed life, and I've always found those a bit painful.
Nice talking Wharton--I hope some more join in.
Robert
In article <7f2d8v$deb$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
rba...@hotmail.com wrote:
>
> I love that word, 'hardscrabble.' It's so alliterative. Gotta use all your
> tiles on every turn around here.
>
> I thought it was pretty clear in the story, too, Robert ! That damn Granada
> production intentionally muddied the waters, I think. They kept inserting
> flashbacks of Venny dancing barefoot on the beach, angling that she was
> perhaps mentally unsound, and cast her as a smallish-framed girl, as if to
> imply the possibility of the snow footprints being hers. But in the story
> she's not crazy, just 'wild and ignorant,' plus she's described as 'swarthy.'
>
> It just confirms that the easy majority of my problems stem directly from
> watching television. Even PBS fare is not safe. Granada tried to make Mrs.
> Rutledge out as a witch also, by the way, completely ignoring the Brand
> connection you noted.
>
> Those are great picks, too, those other stories. 'Afterward' was the first
> one of Wharton's I ever read, way back when I was a wee lad, when Cokes were
> a dime and lids were fifteen dollars. Bill A. read this recently and thought
> it a bit staccato-- am I misquoting you correctly, Bill ? Maybe he read it on
> a vibrating bed in a motel. Hey, save those quarters for the ice machine,
> willya?
>
> I think we were agonising over 'Pomegranate Seed' around here not long ago--
> I seem to remember an embarrassed silence descending when I suggested that
> the Persephone character was actually the husband. Then somebody coughed, and
> somebody else said my gosh, will you look at the time? and...I dunno.
> 'Kerfol' is the one with the dogs, isn't it? 'Mr Jones' is another good one--
> what a nudge *he* was !
>
> Before I stop waving around my copy of HERE AND BEYOND (which bears a
> pencilled inscription on the half-title: 'Alida Carey Gulick, Edgartown
> 1926'-- someone on the Vineyard bought it *new*) I really should mention the
> story 'Miss Mary Pask,' which-- oh my, I'm afraid I can't say anything about
> it at all.
>
> Well, maybe I can. One, it's great. Two, it is possibly the only story of its
> type I have ever liked.
>
> rbadac
>
James Rogers
>
>Reading rbadac's comments on the TV production of "Bewitched" I am moved to
>declare that I know of NO successful video production of a ghost story.
>There are some effective horror movies (not many), but ghost stories really
>can't be done on film as effectively as in print. I hasten to admit that I
>haven't seen that many, biut one reason is that I was always so
disappointed
>by them. I'd be delighted to be proven wrong with recommendations of
>first-rate ghost stories on tv or in movies.
>
with some of Matheson's teleplays.
James
rbm...@library.syr.edu
kun...@hilltop.ic.edu wrote:
> Reading rbadac's comments on the TV production of "Bewitched" I am moved to
> declare that I know of NO successful video production of a ghost story.
> There are some effective horror movies (not many), but ghost stories really
> can't be done on film as effectively as in print. I hasten to admit that I
> haven't seen that many, biut one reason is that I was always so disappointed
> by them. I'd be delighted to be proven wrong with recommendations of
> first-rate ghost stories on tv or in movies.
>
_A Christmas Carol_, the '50s version starring Alaistair (sp?) Sim
_The Body Snatchers_ (sort of a ghost story)
_The Haunting_, both directed by Robert Wise
_Curse of the Demon_ directed by Jacques Tournier (sp?) (based on M.R. James
story)
_The Uninvited_ starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey and Gail Russell
_The Beast With Five Fingers_ starring Peter Lorre
Can't think of any other reasonably successful ghostly movies besides those.
Note that all are in black & white, made when directors knew about creating
mood through lighting. Bombarding the viewer with special effects was rarely
an option.
Randy
paghat
> In article <7f3b77$8qi$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
> kun...@hilltop.ic.edu wrote:
> > Reading rbadac's comments on the TV production of "Bewitched" I am moved to
> > declare that I know of NO successful video production of a ghost story.
> > There are some effective horror movies (not many), but ghost stories really
> > can't be done on film as effectively as in print. I hasten to admit that I
> > haven't seen that many, biut one reason is that I was always so disappointed
> > by them. I'd be delighted to be proven wrong with recommendations of
> > first-rate ghost stories on tv or in movies.
> >
>
> _A Christmas Carol_, the '50s version starring Alaistair (sp?) Sim
> _The Body Snatchers_ (sort of a ghost story)
> _The Haunting_, both directed by Robert Wise
> _Curse of the Demon_ directed by Jacques Tournier (sp?) (based on M.R. James
> story)
> _The Uninvited_ starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey and Gail Russell
> _The Beast With Five Fingers_ starring Peter Lorre
>
> Can't think of any other reasonably successful ghostly movies besides those.
> Note that all are in black & white, made when directors knew about creating
> mood through lighting. Bombarding the viewer with special effects was rarely
> an option.
>
> Randy
THE DYBBUK is one of the greatest movies of all time & it happens to be a
ghost story as well. Of similar vintage is a film based on Selma
Lagerlof's THY SOUL SHALL BEAR WITNESS but I can't for the life of me
remember what title they put on the film, it's on video though, & it's a
stunner. I'm also forgetting the name just now but a Mexican film based on
a B. Traven story about a man who dies in the woods but Death gives him
the water of life & sends him back into the world as a physician -- that
film is awesome. The scene in the cavern with all the candles of the
living -- some of them guttering out -- what an image. The Japanese film
UGETSU is a tragic & beautiful story a peasant held captive by the ghost
of a Taira princess, very beautifully adapted from two Akinari stories.
The above artful ghost films are b&w like the ones randy lists. But
KWAIDON is lush color, and the section entitled "Hoichi the Earless" is
one of the most gut-wrenchingly horrifying & beautiful ghost stories on
celluloid, about the ghosts of the Taira clan who kidnap a blind biwahoshi
singer every night so that he will sing the epic of their downfall, Heikei
Monogatori, in nightly episodes, getting a little sicker every night &
being blind not knowing he is singing to ghosts. The other three segments
of the film are also very winning but this longest story of the four is
outstanding.
All the above are all high art but there are some genre horror films that
transcend their own kitchery. There was one of Bette Davis's last films,
this about a vampiric house that regenerates its shingles by killing its
inhabitants; I think it was called THE BURNING, a unique take on the
haunted house film & really quite good. THE HAUNTING OF JULIA based on the
Peter Straub novel is excellent of kind.
As ghost comedies go, HEATHERS is actually worthwhile, as is THE
CANTERBURY GHOST. And of course the original CHINESE GHOST STORY which
alas has just been released in cartoon version -- don't see it! -- but if
you can manage to see the original film letterboxed on laser disc you'll
laugh, you'll cry, you'll pop an eye. Two sequels equally campy & almost
as cool.
An earlier classic Hong Kong film called HUA PI (aka "Painted Skin") is
drawn from the classic "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio." It's about a
scholar who falls in love with a woman who turns out to be the animated
skin of a woman who died young. Very melancholy. There are several other
Hong Kong films like it from the 1960s just before everything went
chop-socky, most of them drawn from the Strange Tales anthology (the
anthology is available in English & of spectacular merit -- the greatest
of all kung fu films, King Hu's TOUCH OF ZEN, is also drawn from this
anthology, if only as the first spark of idea).
There are scores more but these lept to mind.
-jessica
Reed Andrus
> _A Christmas Carol_, the '50s version starring Alaistair (sp?) Sim
> _The Body Snatchers_ (sort of a ghost story)
> _The Haunting_, both directed by Robert Wise
> _Curse of the Demon_ directed by Jacques Tournier (sp?) (based on M.R. James
> story)
> _The Uninvited_ starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey and Gail Russell
> _The Beast With Five Fingers_ starring Peter Lorre
>
> Can't think of any other reasonably successful ghostly movies besides those.
Oh Whistle, Randy, and I'll Come To You, M'Lad. You've left yourself
wide open on this one. Just off the top of my head, how about:
The Legend of Hell House
The Lady in White -- Frank Laloggia
Haunted -- based on James Herbert novel starring Aidan Quinn
The Forgotten One -- a real sleeper, with Terry O'Quinn
paghat mentioned Kwaidan, an excellent choice.
There are numerous others.
Of your list, I take exception to The Body Snatchers (science fiction);
Curse of the Demon (do you consider Casting The Runes to be ghostly?)
The Beast with Five Fingers (the film copped out into a psychological
Ann Radcliffe ending; if you're going with these tropes, you have to
consider The Innocents, The Hand -- Michael Caine, a bunch of others).
... Reed (being a bit testy tonight)
Otzchiim
>Of your list, I take exception to The Body Snatchers (science fiction);
>Curse of the Demon (do you consider Casting The Runes to be ghostly?)
novel, too) is science fiction, but The Body Snatcher, from RL Stevenson, dir.
Val Lewton, is not, and I suspect that was meant.
Curse of the Demon -- well, what is generally meant here by ghost stories
is actually the range of supernatural fiction, with whompyears, curses, etc,,
not just strict ghosts. Though a strict ghost is an intriguing idea.
Gee, the only good movie ghost I could think to add is The Strangler of the
Swamp (1944 or so), which is obscure enough it took me years to find on
videotape. Well, there is Def by Temptation, a fairly recent all-black
independent production distributed by Troma, but that's actually about a
succubus.
Mark Owings
The 13th Floor
of ambiguity in that ending. And even if the governess IS insane,
that doesn't mean the ghosts aren't real ;)
In any case, "The Innocents" rates as one of my favorite
horror/ghost/creepy movies ever. I'll also second the motion for
"Kwaidan."
Anyone remember the two made-for-TV films with Louis Jordan as a
psychiatrist investigating hauntings? "Fear No Evil" and "Ritual of
Evil." I'd love to see those again.
On Fri, 16 Apr 1999 00:29:44 GMT, Reed Andrus <ran...@home.com>
wrote:
>rbm...@library.syr.edu wrote:
>
>> _A Christmas Carol_, the '50s version starring Alaistair (sp?) Sim
>> _The Body Snatchers_ (sort of a ghost story)
>> _The Haunting_, both directed by Robert Wise
>> _Curse of the Demon_ directed by Jacques Tournier (sp?) (based on M.R. James
>> story)
>> _The Uninvited_ starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey and Gail Russell
>> _The Beast With Five Fingers_ starring Peter Lorre
>>
>> Can't think of any other reasonably successful ghostly movies besides those.
>
>Oh Whistle, Randy, and I'll Come To You, M'Lad. You've left yourself
>wide open on this one. Just off the top of my head, how about:
>
>The Legend of Hell House
>The Lady in White -- Frank Laloggia
>Haunted -- based on James Herbert novel starring Aidan Quinn
>The Forgotten One -- a real sleeper, with Terry O'Quinn
>
>paghat mentioned Kwaidan, an excellent choice.
>
>There are numerous others.
>
>Of your list, I take exception to The Body Snatchers (science fiction);
>Curse of the Demon (do you consider Casting The Runes to be ghostly?)
Reed Andrus
>
> Does "The Innocents" really cop out? I always found a certain amount
> of ambiguity in that ending. And even if the governess IS insane,
> that doesn't mean the ghosts aren't real ;)
>
> In any case, "The Innocents" rates as one of my favorite
> horror/ghost/creepy movies ever. I'll also second the motion for
> "Kwaidan."
Ha! If you have to ask that question, Henry James has succeeded! I
actually agree with you, though. I do prefer the reality of Miss Jessel
and Quint to sexually-repressed neurosis.
> Anyone remember the two made-for-TV films with Louis Jordan as a
> psychiatrist investigating hauntings? "Fear No Evil" and "Ritual of
> Evil." I'd love to see those again.
Yup. Good catch. And there was also the one called "Don't Be Afraid of
the Dark" with Kim Darby -- although it's more in line with Curse of the
Demon than The Innocents.
... Reed (warming to the subject; checking for stray shrinkwrap)
rbm...@library.syr.edu
> >Curse of the Demon (do you consider Casting The Runes to be ghostly?)
> novel, too) is science fiction, but The Body Snatcher, from RL Stevenson, dir.
> Val Lewton, is not, and I suspect that was meant.
Yup. That's what I meant. By the way, _The Body Snatchers_ was the first
movie directed by Robert Wise (_The Day the Earth Stood Still_, _The
Haunting_). Lewton produced.
> Curse of the Demon -- well, what is generally meant here by ghost stories
> is actually the range of supernatural fiction, with whompyears, curses, etc,,
> not just strict ghosts.
Since it was based on an M.R. James story, I figured it was fair game.
> Though a strict ghost is an intriguing idea.
Hmmmmmm ... I wouldn't be surprised if one of those books by "Anonymous"
deals with that.
> Gee, the only good movie ghost I could think to add is The Strangler of
> the Swamp (1944 or so), which is obscure enough it took me years to find on
> videotape. Well, there is Def by Temptation, a fairly recent all-black
> independent production distributed by Troma, but that's actually about a
> succubus.
> Mark Owings
I haven't heard of that. I'll keep my eyes open for it, though.
And thanks to Reed and Jessica and 13th floor for the other suggestions. I'll
look into those, too.
Anyone willing to accept "Carnival of Souls" into the ghost movie pantheon?
rba...@hotmail.com
indicates the direction one must look for the classics, which are nearly
always more effective for being in black and white, and for being from the
era when more attention was paid to good filmmaking. To his list I'd add THE
INNOCENTS (1961), DEAD OF NIGHT (1943), CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962), and
Bergman's HOUR OF THE WOLF (1968), all of which have very respectable ghosts.
Jessica adds some great offbeat picks and excellent examples of the
significant Oriental connection, the directors of which seem to have more
natural ability in the handling of film spectres, and achieve the most
consistently worthy results of anybody. The cultures of the Far East have
always had an active working relationship with their ghosts, one that
transcends the West's in ways that sometimes cause embarrassing conflicts
(when Coca-Cola had to export their slogan 'Coke Adds Life' , it ended up on
a Japanese billboard with the literal translation 'Coke brings your ancestors
back from the dead' !) One more recent example of great Asian filmmaking
would be Kurosawa's DREAMS (1990).
There are a few others which, though they are not specifically ghost films,
nevertheless contain notable spooks: Robert Wise also did CURSE OF THE CAT
PEOPLE (1944), a delicate fantasy with the ghost of Irena from the first film
providing its tenuous claim as a sequel; THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (1941),
a truly great film and one of my top three favorite black and white movies,
has quite a few chilling ghosts interwoven in the story; Dreyer's VAMPYR
(1932) has its ghosts acting as satellites for the central villains; Joseph
Strick's admirable attempt at the unfilmable ULYSSES (1967) features the
disquietingly well-done ghost of Stephen Daedalus' mother in a brief
sequence; Frank Wisbar's STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP (1945) has some fine moments
among the murdered ferryboatman's mission of vengeance; the three parter
SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1968) has at least two worth a look: Louis Malle's
'William Wilson' segment, and Fellini's 'Toby Dammit,' though Vadim's
'Metzengerstein' is a bore, even with Jane Fonda's romps.
More in the TOPPER school are THE GHOST GOES WEST (1935), delightfully done
by Rene Clair, the aforementioned THE CANTERVILLE GHOST (1944), surely one of
Charles Laughton's finest moments, and BLITHE SPIRIT (1945), Noel Coward's
hilarious ghost play brought to the screen by David Lean and starring Rex
Harrison.
With the advent of color came an unrelated deterioration in the quality of
movies in general, though there are a few that bear consideration: the
European directors, especially the Italian horror specialists, conjure up the
occasional ghost, as can be seen in the films of Argento, Bava, Franco, and
others. John Hancock's LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1972), though dated, has
some appreciable haunting in it; Nicholas Roeg's DON'T LOOK NOW (1973)
creates the kind of moody atmosphere that is absolutely in the tradition of
ghost-fare; the two amazing girls in Jacques Rivette's CELINE AND JULIE GO
BOATING (1974) are privy to the goings-on in a haunted house; Peter Medak's
THE CHANGELING (1980) with George C. Scott has more than one scene that will
make your hair stand up; Gordon Hessler's THE GIRL IN A SWING (1988) is
ghostly *and* kinky, and I still like the ghosts in the first PET SEMATARY
(1989), though most critics panned the film for reasons that went right over
my head.. I have to agree with them on GHOST STORY (1981) though, in spite of
Alice Krige's excellent portrayal, which unfortunately couldn't save the
movie.
I'll still watch the Granada productions; they aren't totally bad. Even when
they fall flat, the acting and scenery still make them pleasant viewing. They
don't really understand how the ghost story works though, and invariably go
for the Merchant-Ivory treatment alone, in neglect of the elements that, in
the hands of more sympathetic and astute directors would, I think, go a lot
farther onscreen than they are usually given credit for being able to do.
BBC's take on Kingsley Amis' THE GREEN MAN (1991) was pretty enjoyable,
partly perhaps because they had an entire novel to draw from, rather than
story-length; the film of Stephen Gregory's THE CORMORANT(1997-?) came off
well too, I thought.
Reading of course will always be the optimum vehicle for the ghost story, but
I don't believe it is as unfilmable as it's made out to be-- someone just
needs to understand how that subtle suspension of reality we achieve in our
minds so easily can be effectively transmitted to the screen.
rbadac, who still has to hide behind the couch during the segment 'A Drop Of
Water' from Mario Bava's BLACK SABBATH (1964)-- it's a childhood trauma he has
never gotten over. But what he *really* wants to do is direct.
John Brower
rbm...@library.syr.edu wrote:
> Anyone willing to accept "Carnival of Souls" into the ghost movie pantheon?
>
> Randy
I was going to mention it. I've always liked it's atmosphere.
"Kwaidan" is still at the top of my list.
A couple of others that haven't come up yet:
"Dead of Night" - certainly among my top favorites (did this really not come
up yet, or are some of you smacking your foreheads as you read this?)
"Diabolique" - another personal favorite, and the ending nicely doubles back
on its rational explanation for events.
"The Tenant" - one of Polanski's more memorable outings
Thanks to Jessica for giving me a couple of titles to look up.
John Brower
rbm...@library.syr.edu
Your mention of DEAD OF NIGHT, VAMPYR and DON'T LOOK NOW made me smack my
head. Ditto your mention of TOPPER, to which I would add one of the great
schmaltzy movies, THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR. (Probably I should admit bias
since as a teenager I developed an instant and to date uncurable crush on
Gene Tierney after first seeing LAURA. God, what an overbite!)
> [...] Gordon Hessler's THE GIRL IN A SWING (1988) is
> ghostly *and* kinky,
I rather liked it, too. Enough so that I still intend to read the book.
Eventually. I recently found a hardcover of it for a buck, which will make it
easier than the tiny print of my blasted mass paperback copy.
> and I still like the ghosts in the first PET SEMATARY
> (1989), though most critics panned the film for reasons that went right over
> my head.. I have to agree with them on GHOST STORY (1981) though, in spite of
> Alice Krige's excellent portrayal, which unfortunately couldn't save the
> movie.
It still boggles my mind that any movie with Fred Astaire, Melvin Douglas,
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and John Houseman could manage to be so
unentertaining. And I'm glad to hear someone else who found the least
well-known member of the cast the most compelling. Her scene in the bathtub
was the only scary thing in the movie.
Thanks for the note.
Randy
Chris Bolton
Reed Andrus wrote in message <37168396...@home.com>...
>Oh Whistle, Randy, and I'll Come To You, M'Lad. You've left yourself
>wide open on this one. Just off the top of my head, how about:
>
>The Legend of Hell House
>The Lady in White -- Frank Laloggia
>Haunted -- based on James Herbert novel starring Aidan Quinn
>The Forgotten One -- a real sleeper, with Terry O'Quinn
I was just about to throw "Lady In White" out there -- great atmosphere!
One of very few scary movies in the past few years that doesn't: (A) beat
you over the head; and (B) insult the intelligence. "Haunted," however, let
me down -- the story just collapsed into random chaos and never amounted to
anything. There were some good parts, though, and anything with Kate
Beckinsale...
Chris A. Bolton
www.fade-to-black.com
Chris Bolton
rba...@hotmail.com wrote in message <7f7muo$121$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...
>I have to agree with them on GHOST STORY (1981) though, in spite of
>Alice Krige's excellent portrayal, which unfortunately couldn't save the
>movie.
Haven't read the novel (shame on me!!) and I'll agree the film is no
masterpiece, but I kinda feel like GHOST STORY has gotten an unfair shake.
It's a little on the lean side (it definitely feels like a stripped-down
novel hastily adapted to screen and missing a lot of important parts), but I
saw it a year ago and nearly jumped out of my skin. The reason: Alice
Krige. She is better than a whole platoon of special-effects experts.
Those creepy dark eyes... I was shaking for days after the bathtub scene,
and the climax was chilling thanks to Krige, but the creepiest moment for me
was simply when she's sitting up in bed watching the guy sleep with those
dark eyes... *shudder*
Chris A. Bolton
www.fade-to-black.com
paghat
[big clip of great commentary on ghost films]
>
> I'll still watch the Granada productions; they aren't totally bad. Even when
> they fall flat, the acting and scenery still make them pleasant viewing. They
> don't really understand how the ghost story works though, and invariably go
> for the Merchant-Ivory treatment alone, in neglect of the elements that, in
> the hands of more sympathetic and astute directors would, I think, go a lot
> farther onscreen than they are usually given credit for being able to do.
> BBC's take on Kingsley Amis' THE GREEN MAN (1991) was pretty enjoyable,
> partly perhaps because they had an entire novel to draw from, rather than
> story-length; the film of Stephen Gregory's THE CORMORANT(1997-?) came off
> well too, I thought.
I love THE CORMORANT with Fiens' fine performance & a truly demented love
story. When he's kissing the cormorant, now that was spooky, even if you
don't know that a cormorant's razor sharp beak could easily have sliced
his nose off filming that.
-jessica
paghat
> rbadac wrote,
>
> > and I still like the ghosts in the first PET SEMATARY
> > (1989), though most critics panned the film for reasons that went right over
> > my head.. I have to agree with them on GHOST STORY (1981) though, in
spite of
> > Alice Krige's excellent portrayal, which unfortunately couldn't save the
> > movie.
>
> It still boggles my mind that any movie with Fred Astaire, Melvin Douglas,
> Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and John Houseman could manage to be so
> unentertaining. And I'm glad to hear someone else who found the least
> well-known member of the cast the most compelling. Her scene in the bathtub
> was the only scary thing in the movie.
>
> Thanks for the note.
>
> Randy
I regard only the first half of the novel as brilliant, one of the few
books that actually got me upset. But once it goes Cosmic Menace, it falls
all to shit. As for the film, I saw in (i think it was) FANTAGRAPHIC some
sequences that were not kept in the film, cosmic creature stuff like being
swallowed alive by the ghost. The film could've been VERY tacky and that
might've been more entertaining; but some producer nixed the stupid cosmic
parts. But since the script hadn't never even considered just doing the
first half of the book, it left a "neither/nor" feel about the film -- it
was neither that spectacular ghost story in the first half of the book,
nor the lame cosmic story that flew right over the top. I still enjoyed
watching the old guys sitting around.
jessica
paghat
<jrl...@my-dejanews.com> wrote:
> Howdy!
Doody!
julie long
> On Fri, 16 Apr 1999 00:29:44 GMT, Reed Andrus <ran...@home.com>
> wrote:
> >Of your list, I take exception to The Body Snatchers (science fiction);
Howdy!
That "Body Snatcher" being listed is (I think) the R. L. Stevenson story
w/Karloff & Lugosi and some good supporting players, from 1945. It's a fine
example of how good a movie can be on a less than huge budget. And it's based
on a true story! So it went from a short story based on a true story, through
the cinema pipeline, and came out a ghostly-ish yarn. Same guy wrote it
(pseudonymously) who wrote the original "Cat People".
I'm a supporter of the "real ghosts" interpretation to "The Innocents" too.
Here're my offerings for ghostly movies:
1."Jennifer" starring Ida Lupino & Howard Duff, 1953. Saw it but once when
young & impressionable, but its very ambiguous last moments really impressed
me.Even though it sure looked like it was filmed at a closed-down private
school!Of course it's not on video and Maltin gives it only **1/2.
2. Speaking of closed down private schools, what about the original
"Diabolique"? There's some more ambiguous last moments for you.
Julie
The 13th Floor
"Haunted" is good, but it does seem to fall apart... it builds up
GREAT, and then sort of fizzles out. But... Kate... what a beauty!
Reed Andrus
> Howdy!
>
> That "Body Snatcher" being listed is (I think) the R. L. Stevenson story
> w/Karloff & Lugosi and some good supporting players, from 1945. It's a fine
> example of how good a movie can be on a less than huge budget. And it's based
> on a true story! So it went from a short story based on a true story, through
> the cinema pipeline, and came out a ghostly-ish yarn. Same guy wrote it
> (pseudonymously) who wrote the original "Cat People".
Hi Julie!
Yeah, we're talking Burke and Hare, here. Peter Cushing and someone else
played the roles later for Christopher Lee's experimentalist doctor. But
I still fail to see where the ghostliness comes into play, unless
there's a dream sequence I can't dredge up from memory (which actually
happens quite frequently).
> I'm a supporter of the "real ghosts" interpretation to "The Innocents" too.
>
> Here're my offerings for ghostly movies:
>
> 1."Jennifer" starring Ida Lupino & Howard Duff, 1953. Saw it but once when
> young & impressionable, but its very ambiguous last moments really impressed
> me.Even though it sure looked like it was filmed at a closed-down private
> school!Of course it's not on video and Maltin gives it only **1/2.
I don't remember this one at all! But your reference to ambiguity keys
memories of yet another excellent, overlooked film -- The Sender. the
final scene where Shirley Knight is sitting in the back of the car and
turns around to look at Katherine Harrold with a Mona Lisa benificent
half-smile is truly chilling.
And of course your reference to a Jennifer also conjures up the
wonderful Joseph Cotten/Jennifer Jones A Portrait of Jennie.
> 2. Speaking of closed down private schools, what about the original
> "Diabolique"? There's some more ambiguous last moments for you.
>
> Julie
Now here's another I take some issue with. Diabolique has ghosts?
Naww... It was one of the first "twist" endings in thriller films, but
nothing ghostly about it. That's like saying Catherine Deneuve's scene
in Repulsion where the arms are coming out of the wall is ghostly, when
actually it represents her descent into homicidal madness.
We're ranging far and wide on this topic. Others that might qualify in
that they involve true ghosts:
Haunts of the Very Rich (made for TV, 1972); not very good; a Carnival
of Souls rip-off.
Herschel Gordon Lewis's 2000 Maniacs is really a remake of Brigadoon --
whole village of ghosts.
The recent Danish mini-series about a haunted hospital -- The Kingdom
-- didn't hold up all the way, but had a few nice moments.
Kill, Baby, Kill -- I saw this in Miami back in 1967. The little
girl-ghost with the bouncing ball had a huge impact. Mario Bava's first
effort if I recall correctly.
An excellent 1970 made-for-TV movie called Sole Survivor, about a US
bomber crash in the African desert, told by the ghosts who can't leave
the plane. Richard Basehart, William Shatner, Vince Edwards. Very good
story.
That's enough. I wish I had copies of some of these.
... Reed (thinking how Alzheimer-ish it is to dream of 70s TV movies)
Miss Dazzle
wrote:
>We're ranging far and wide on this topic. Others that might qualify in
>that they involve true ghosts:
And don't forget:
Casper
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters II
A Nightmare on Elm Street I-XXXV
Heart and Souls
Ghost Dad
Beetlejuice
Bill B.
(ducking)
rba...@hotmail.com
miss....@erols.com (Miss Dazzle) wrote:
> And don't forget:
> Casper
> Ghostbusters
> Ghostbusters II
> A Nightmare on Elm Street I-XXXV
> Heart and Souls
> Ghost Dad
> Beetlejuice
>
> Bill B.
> (ducking)
Who let HIM in here???
rbadac, throwing his human skull paperweight at Bill, with a note in it
asking him if he wants to discuss 'Beetlejuice' in a chat later next week...
julie long
Reed Andrus <ran...@home.com> wrote:
Yeah, we're talking Burke and Hare, here. Peter Cushing and someone else
played the roles later for Christopher Lee's experimentalist doctor. But I
still fail to see where the ghostliness comes into play, unless there's a
dream sequence I can't dredge up from memory (which actually
happens quite frequently).
Hi Reed!
I always got the impression from the very last scene (in the jolting cart, in
the rainstorm) in "The Body Snatchers" that justice was being done in
supernatural style -- if this is toeing the edges of ghost-land rather than
fixed in the center, so be it. Though I oughta re-read the story itself and
see what Stevenson was saying (and implying). So many ghost stories have
worked so well by "straddling the fence" that it seems like quibbling to say
"I saw no ghosts, therefore no one is being haunted".
> And of course your reference to a Jennifer also conjures up the
> wonderful Joseph Cotten/Jennifer Jones A Portrait of Jennie.
Thanks for reminding me! A great film. I loved the 40s supernatural cycle.
> Now here's another I take some issue with. Diabolique has ghosts?
> Naww... It was one of the first "twist" endings in thriller films, but
> nothing ghostly about it.
That's what I always thought the "twist" was -- in the photograph at the end
-- because it appeared that human ingenuity had been exhausted re: schemes
and super-schemes. That the story was being taken to another level, so to
speak. I realize we have gone far afield as you said - but this is valuable
because it helps define what we (you or I or Joe Blow) think works in a
story, written or filmed. And layers of interpretation accompany great
stories pretty often.
>
> ... Reed (thinking how Alzheimer-ish it is to dream of 70s TV movies)
Awww -- they've just aged enough now to have a little (in some cases very
little) charm! As have we all!
Julie
kun...@hilltop.ic.edu
> > [...] Gordon Hessler's THE GIRL IN A SWING (1988) is
> > ghostly *and* kinky,
>
> I rather liked it, too. Enough so that I still intend to read the book.
> Eventually. I recently found a hardcover of it for a buck, which will make it
> easier than the tiny print of my blasted mass paperback copy.
I just wanted to second the recommendation of Adams' THE GIRL IN A SWING.
The film was rather a disappointment to me. I saw it after reading the book,
and, as you know, it's always harder to go from the book to the film and be
satisfied. GIAS labored under a special handicap, which is the twin burdens
of being successfully ghostly and erotic simultaneously. I think the book
does that--indeed, it reminds me of Aickman in some ways--but the movie just
couldn't get over both hurdles. I think that you'll find the book is a lot
better: scary and tastefully sexy.
Robert
Miss Dazzle
>In article <37186d3...@news.erols.com>,
> miss....@erols.com (Miss Dazzle) wrote:
>
>> And don't forget:
>> Casper
>> Ghostbusters
>> Ghostbusters II
>> A Nightmare on Elm Street I-XXXV
>> Heart and Souls
>> Ghost Dad
>> Beetlejuice
>>
>> Bill B.
>> (ducking)
>
>
>Who let HIM in here???
But seriously, thanks to everyone for the wealth of recommendations,
few of which I've seen. The laws of time and logistics preclude me
from seeing any more in the foreseeable future, so thank goodness for
the DejaNews archives.
Two that I really would add to the list are High Plains Drifter, and
The Frighteners, if only for Jeffrey Combs's most deliriously
over-the-top performance yet. But you have to take the bad with the
good (Michael J. Fox--need I say more?).
>
>rbadac, throwing his human skull paperweight at Bill, with a note in it
>asking him if he wants to discuss 'Beetlejuice' in a chat later next week...
The movie or the Saturday cartoon?
Bill B.
Relishing the lush, melancholic beauty of my new Portishead in New
York City CD
Chris Bolton
Miss Dazzle wrote in message <3718e9b2...@news.erols.com>...
>>> And don't forget:
>>> Casper
>>> Ghostbusters
>>> Ghostbusters II
>>> A Nightmare on Elm Street I-XXXV
>>> Heart and Souls
>>> Ghost Dad
>>> Beetlejuice
Loved BEETLEJUICE as a kid. Still love the first GHOSTBUSTERS. 'Nuff said.
(Reaching for the phone to contact the FBI and get into the witness
protection program...)
>Two that I really would add to the list are High Plains Drifter, and
>The Frighteners, if only for Jeffrey Combs's most deliriously
>over-the-top performance yet. But you have to take the bad with the
>good (Michael J. Fox--need I say more?).
If I haven't had a contract put out on me yet, this out to do it: I also
happen to *love* THE FRIGHTENERS -- yes, even Michael J. Fox! (Hey, c'mon,
he's got a few good flicks...) It's a fun movie, what can you say?
Sometimes Hollywood can do some good work with ghosts... although mostly it
ends up being miserable shit like HIGH SPIRITS... <shudder!>
Chris A. Bolton
www.fade-to-black.com
Otzchiim
supernatural horror, but it is a wonderful movie.
Mark Owings
rba...@hotmail.com
Message 16, James ! This thread turned into Isadora Duncan's scarf !!
rbadac
rba...@hotmail.com
rba...@hotmail.com wrote:
> Message 16, James !
Oops. Mark Sorry. I was on the phone with James.
He says hi, by the way.
rbadork
bbar...@jhu.edu
"Chris Bolton" <chris...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> If I haven't had a contract put out on me yet, this out to do it: I also
> happen to *love* THE FRIGHTENERS -- yes, even Michael J. Fox! (Hey, c'mon,
> he's got a few good flicks...) It's a fun movie, what can you say?
> Sometimes Hollywood can do some good work with ghosts... although mostly it
> ends up being miserable shit like HIGH SPIRITS... <shudder!>
That reminds me (don't know why) of the very enjoyable, non-ghostly but
definitely supernatural romp DEATH BECOMES HER. It's always nice to see a
"serious" actor (Meryl Streep in this case) take on a fun role. (Check out
Liam Neeson in DARKMAN!)
Bill B.
rbm...@library.syr.edu
bbar...@jhu.edu wrote:
> In article <7ffqpo$1gc$1...@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net>,
> "Chris Bolton" <chris...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>
> > If I haven't had a contract put out on me yet, this out to do it: I also
> > happen to *love* THE FRIGHTENERS -- yes, even Michael J. Fox! (Hey, c'mon,
> > he's got a few good flicks...) It's a fun movie, what can you say?
> > Sometimes Hollywood can do some good work with ghosts... although mostly it
> > ends up being miserable shit like HIGH SPIRITS... <shudder!>
>
> That reminds me (don't know why) of the very enjoyable, non-ghostly but
> definitely supernatural romp DEATH BECOMES HER. It's always nice to see a
> "serious" actor (Meryl Streep in this case) take on a fun role. (Check out
> Liam Neeson in DARKMAN!)
>
> Bill B.
I liked _Darkman_, although to an extent it did spoil _Dr. X_ for me when I
finally got to see that. _Dr.X_ is another '30s movie I'd strongly suggest
to anyone interested in weird films. _The Mystery of the Wax Museum_ is
another, though it's not quite as good as its reputation. (Maybe I should
note, that it's rep. was established during a time when it was a "lost"
movie. A full copy only turned up within the last decade or so.)
Randy
Alissa Bennett
On Tuesday, April 13, 1999 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, kun...@hilltop.ic.edu wrote:
> A la rbadac, note the spoilers ahead!
> I've always liked Wharton's "Bewitched." Kind of the *Ethan Frome* of ghost
> stories, with all those taciturn, dour, hardscrabble New Englanders mumbling
> and shrugging and generally struggling to repress every emotion. I can only
> envy rbadac his first edition (what a find!): I, alas, refer to the Fawcett
> Popular Library paperback of *The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton* ($2.95 back
> in 1982).
> My ability to detect nuance may be sadly rusty from not having re-read
> Aickman recently, but, looking back over "Bewitched," it seems hard to find
> any ambiguity about the specter in the deserted house. As the men go up to
> it they see the bare footprints of a woman in the snow, and Bosworth thinks
> "[N]o live woman would travel with naked feet across that freezing
> wilderness." Rutledge himself claims it's Ora whom he meets. And, after
> Venny's burial, Mrs. Rutledge says her husband will sleep quieter, "and *her*
> too, maybe, now she don't lay alone any longer." I assume she means Ora will
> now have company, and won't need to come visit Rutledge.
> What is a bit puzzling is the suggestion of vampirism--the way Brand's wife,
> then Ora, then Venny, all waste away. One gets the feeling that the community
> may be getting three revenants for the price of one (of course, Mrs. Rutledge
> has the all-purpose remedy: "A stake through the breast!").
> A good, grim story. Got any other Wharton ghouls in that collection?
> "Kerfol," "Afterward," "Pomegranate Seed," and "Mr. Jones" are other
> favorites of mine.
> Robert
> In article <7er0qb$450$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
> rba...@hotmail.com wrote:
> > SPOILERS !!!
> >
> > Heh heh. Just thought I'd get that out of the way. If nothing else, it's a
> > guaranteed method to get people to read a post.
> >
> > Okay, quick recap: 'Bewitched' in a nutshell is, woman's husband is consorting
> > with the ghost of his old girlfriend, woman gets old girlfriend's dad, and the
> > Deacon, and some other guy together to tell them about it, the three men go to
> > the alleged place of manifestation, shot is fired, next day news has it the
> > still living *sister* of the old girlfriend is dying of pneumonia, she kicks,
> > funeral, end.
> >
> > Well, I did say 'in a nutshell.' That's why it is necessary to establish all
> > that 'atmosphere'...I read this in HERE AND BEYOND (Appleton; NY & London,
> > 1936, yes I have the first, I got it at a flea market for a dollar, along
> > with the first of XINGU, Scribners; NY 1916, clang-clang went the trolley),
> > and as it just so happens I also have the *video* of the Granada Television
> > production of it, one of those Shades Of Darkness things; they did Hartley's
> > 'Feet Foremost,' too.
> >
> > ANYWAY, when the three men break into the assignation hut where the living
> > man supposedly meets the ghost woman, the story is printed like this:
> >
> > "...the door collapsed like a playing card, and Brand stumbled after it into
> > the darkness of the hut. The others, after a moment's hesitation, followed.
> >
> > Bosworth was never quite sure in what order the events that succeeded took
> > place. Coming in out of the snow dazzle, he seemed to be plunging into total
> > blackness. He groped his way across the threshold, caught a sharp splinter of
> > the fallen door in his palm, seemed to see something white and wraithlike
> > surge up out of the darkest corner of the hut, and then heard a revolver shot
> > at his elbow, and a cry--
> >
> > Brand had turned back, and was staggering past him out into the lingering
> > daylight. The sunset, suddenly flashing through the trees, crimsoned his face
> > like blood. He held a revolver in his hand and looked about him in his stupid
> > way.
> >
> > 'They *do* walk, then,' he said, and began to laugh. He bent his head to
> > examine his weapon. 'Better here than in the churchyard, They shan't dig her
> > up *now.*, he shouted out. The two men caught him by the arms, and Bosworth
> > got the revolver away from him.
> >
> > The next day..." blah blah blah. Brand is, of course, the dad, Bosworth is the
> > other guy.
> >
> > But in the *video* they add this bit as the men stumble out of the hut:
> >
> > Bosworth: That was VENNY ! (Not 'Ora,' the dead sister, he means, but Venny
> > the live one)
> >
> > Brand: It was Ora.
> >
> > Deacon: (confirming) It was Ora.
> >
> > Neither in the story or the video does anyone go back into the hut, and both
> > video and story proceed to the end without significant difference. Venny dies
> > unseen, the funeral takes place, and that's it.
> >
> > Which brings me to my question.
> >
> > Was it Venny or Ora?
> >
> > (signed) Bewildered
> >
> > P.S. Stop whining. The Collected Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton is not at all
> > uncommon. You could go read this if you really wanted to !
> >
> > _______________________________________________________________
> > Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com