Marianne Faithfull in Ghost Story (1974)
Ghost Story (aka Madhouse Mansion) is an interesting low-budget independent horror film made in 1974 by the British director Stephen Weeks. The film tells the story of a small group of privileged young men in the 1930s that gather together for a weekend in the country at a sprawling British estate. As soon as they arrive, personality clashes, petty arguments and the gloomy environment start to wear on everyone’s nerves. To make matters worse, the estate’s owner (Murray Melvin) neglects to mention that the place might be haunted and when evening comes, one of the men (Larry Dann) begins having strange dreams and visions involving a creepy doll and the ghost of a beautiful young woman (Marianne Faithfull). As the story progresses the tenuous ties that bind the men together begin to unravel and the strange visions become more and more vivid, until they threaten to drive one of them mad.
The film suffers from its low-budget, Stephen Weeks’ lackluster direction and a distracting score by composer Ron Geesin, who some viewers might know from his work with Pink Floyd and Roger Waters. Weeks seems capable of creating an unsettling mood, but he has trouble sustaining it for any substantial period of time.
Even with the movie’s numerous problems, I still thought Ghost Story was an interesting supernatural film with a fascinating premise. It contains some truly eerie moments and dabbles in all sorts of interesting topics including incest, madness and the arcane arts, but unfortunately it never fully explores any of them.
Top: Larry Dann and Murray Melvin
Bottom: Vivian Mackerall and Leigh Lawson
My favorite thing about Ghost Story was Marianne Faithfull’s wonderful performance as a ghostly apparition. I adore Marianne Faithfull and she’s perfectly cast here as the tortured, yet lovely and effervescent Sophy. Marianne does a wonderful job of injecting the film with some much needed vitality and charm. The rest of the cast is good, but they often seem uncommitted to the material. The talented actress and Hammer regular Barbara Shelley also has a small role as the matron of a madhouse, but she’s never given enough screen time.
Marianne Faithfull had just overcome a rough patch in her personal life when she made Ghost Story. After her relationship with Mick Jagger ended, she lost custody of her son and became addicted to heroin. Thankfully she managed to pull herself together with the help of some friends and started acting again in television. Before making Ghost Story Marianne had appeared in numerous stage productions and had memorable roles in films such as Made in U.S.A. (1960), I’ll Never Forget What’s ‘is Name (1967) and The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968).
Director Stephen Weeks had only made a few films before making Ghost Story in 1974, including the entertaining Amicus production I, Monster (1971), which starred Christopher Lee and was based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic horror novel Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. The independently made Ghost Story has a much more adult script, but it lacks the raw energy found in I, Monster. I think both of his horror films are worth seeking out if you enjoy British horror movies with a gothic sensibility and period setting.
Unfortunately Ghost Story is only available on video
Recommended Link:
- The Official Website of Marianne Faithfull
I pretty much agree with all your thoughts here. I would love to see a good print of it someday though, as my VHS suffers from the same quality issues yours does…
I just love Marianne. She is so incredibly talented and lovely. I wish she could have made more films in this period, but I am glad to have the ones she did.
Comment by Jeremy — November 19, 2007 @ 5:54 am
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve seen this film. The video was of poor quality. I would love to see a good version of this on dvd. I really enjoyed this film, especially because of Marianne Faithful. The woman definitely went through some rough times in her life. She really shined here. What a beauty who owned this film. I do wish she would have made more films back then.
Comment by Keith — November 19, 2007 @ 9:32 am
Great to see this one get a mention. As you say, Weeks can’t sustain the moments of unease he does sometimes achieve, but it’s well worth repeat viewings for several disquieting scenes and for Faithfull. I was lucky enough to see this lady deliver a reading from one of her books in a HMV store some years ago, and it was very moving to hear her describe various parts of her life with The Stones. It would be nice if Weeks’ film sees light of day on DVD, so I can retire my dvdr which I guess was taken from a tape of a BBC broadcast.
Comment by steve Langton — November 19, 2007 @ 1:42 pm
I appear to be the only one here who hasn’t seen this but I’d like to. Despite the general agreement that the direction is lackluster and the film doesn’t hold up well I am very forgiving with ghost stories in general as I love them so much. Besides, it would be a treat to see Marianne Faithfull in this, as she is immensely likable. Maybe it will pop up on tv at some point.
Comment by Jonathan Lapper — November 19, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
Since the film seems to have a decent fanbase it’s a shame that it’s not available on DVD. It seems like a lot of British horror films are overlooked by DVD companies and I hope that changes in the future.
I hope you get the chance to see it sometime Jonathan! As a ghost story, it’s rather interesting.
Comment by cinebeats — November 20, 2007 @ 10:15 am