‘Eli Roth’s History of Horror’ Recap: ‘Ghost Stories’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

While mankind has unlocked a great many secrets about our universe and life on earth, there are still plenty of mysteries out there to intrigue us. Such as the age-old question, what happens to us after we die? Because we simply don’t know what will occur moments after we take our final breath and that particular query has led us to believe all sorts of things about what awaits us in the void, since the possibilities are truly endless in regard to this notion. But there is a consensus that our spirit lives on after our bodies expire, and our belief in that has only grown stronger. And of course, horror movies are happy to seize upon this concept and explore it to the fullest. Since it not only plays into our fears and concerns about the unknown, but it also allows for them to dive into our outright fear of death. Which has helped for some powerful, ghost-themed horror stories to come to fruition, the kind that Eli Roth’s History of Horror took the time to examine in its season one finale. 

For ‘Ghost Stories’ offered up a wonderfully deep dive into these tried and true tales and what made this finale stand out, is the sheer fact that it opened our eyes to some supremely unique aspects of ghostly storytelling. Such as the fact that these stories tend to represent our fears of losing a loved one. Take Poltergeist and Insidious instance. For these two films, feature two different families that are eager to cast spirits out of their respective homes, because the ghosts in question are desperate to the claim the lives of a child. And that truly does represent the fear of having some unknown force akin to a car crash or a natural disaster or a pandemic, just rob of us of someone we love and what the parents do in these movies, speaks volumes to how far we would go to keep our loved ones safe. If anything, it really was quite fascinating to learn that ghost stories feature this kind of depth. Since so many of them offer up something far more traditional; such as raw terror.

Something that this episode was eager to explore as well, because it would be disrespectful to the genre to not discuss two of the finest ghost stories out there, The Haunting (1963) and The Shining (1980). Because both of those films did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of what makes ghost stories scary. Since both of them feature isolated locations that rob the viewer and the characters of any sense of safety. And they also offer up vengeful and hungry ghosts, the kind that are eager to terrorize and claim their victims in order to draw strength from them and it also doesn’t hurt that they both feature damn fine scripts. Because The Haunting really does offer up a compelling adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s source material, and of course, everything that Stanley Kubrick brought to the table in The Shining hooks the viewer in every way imaginable, and that’s why these films will likely remain the gold standard for years to come.

But what truly made this final entry in season one so worth our while, is the fascinating examination that it offered up about ghost stories that explore a fear, we don't discuss enough. Specifically, that we all worry about coming to the end of our lives with unfinished business on the table. Because there is a belief that ghosts are apart of this world, for that very reason and that the thought that we could be trapped here because of that, is a chilling one indeed. Which is why this particular type of ghost story exists. Because it can provide us with a fascinating exploration of what kind of outright torture a soul could experience by choosing to lead a life without substance. Which is something that really does remind us to live life to fullest, every single day that we are still breathing, and that makes these types of stories oddly motivational in nature, Despite the fact a lot of them focus on murder and untimely deaths. 

In the end however, this really was the perfect way to end season one of this fascinating series. Because ghosts are something that truly fascinate us, and the discussion surrounding them and whether or not there is an afterlife, and the general safety of said afterlife… will continue on until we somehow get concrete proof of what awaits us in death. But all of that aside, we do need to make note of the fact that tackling a topic that keeps us talking, is the perfect way to leave one hungry for more from a documentary about horror films. Because the fascinating points posed here, stay with you for some time and are the kind you share with others as you wait for History of Horror to return to the airwaves and thankfully, that long wait is over. For tonight bring us the premiere of season two of this magnificent and engrossing series and after you’ve watched it on AMC this evening, join us here tomorrow for our recap of the season two premiere! Until next time.  

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