84
Metascore
46 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonDavid Lowery’s beautifully conceived riff on the haunted-house movie emits an extra glow thanks to challenging but resonant performances from Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara.
- 100The Film StageJordan RaupThe Film StageJordan RaupThe psychological weight of our certain death and the fact that life will go on long after we are departed is difficult to visually convey, but A Ghost Story is one of the most poignant films to ever grapple with this existential question.
- 91The PlaylistNoel MurrayThe PlaylistNoel MurrayA Ghost Story has the structure and rhythm of a musical suite, with Lowry working variations on the same themes, the same characters, and the same location. The result can be lyrical and poetic, or more naturalistic and minimalist. In both cases, A Ghost Story is absolutely mesmerizing, with an anything-goes quality that’s endlessly fascinating.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe sense of time passing is hypnotic, and the image of the ghost, wounded and watching, unable to communicate or offer comfort, becomes more eerie and beautiful the longer we observe it.
- 90ScreenCrushMatt SingerScreenCrushMatt SingerThis film disturbed me way more than most conventional horror movies, because Lowery understands that the really frightening part of any haunted house tale isn’t the ghost or the demon or the everyday objects moving of their own accord. It’s the reminder that death is coming for us all, whether we’re ready for it or not.
- 85TheWrapSteve PondTheWrapSteve PondIt’s a strange, sad, fragile little thing that should make us snicker, but instead it fills the screen with grace and beauty.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeWhile Lowery’s actual method of delivery may not be scary, it’s sure to haunt those who open themselves up to the experience.
- 80The GuardianJordan HoffmanThe GuardianJordan HoffmanNot all is explained in A Ghost Story, but enough is there for vibrant discussion to break out the minute the credits rolled.
- 80Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfLowery is committing to nothing less than the scope of eternity; frankly, sometimes it feels as much. But by doing so, he does more to explore supernatural sadness than any thriller I can think of. He’s crafted something strange and wonderful, with a romantic metaphysics all its own.