But suffice to say it is a taut, well-written story, which manages to do something new and different with the traditional ghost story.

FORBES: This Might Take A Little While

The constantly evolving Japanese ghost story reflects the changes in the country's social and cultural values.

ECONOMIST: There is more than you think to the haunting of Japan

Thompson spent time after finishing at the Royal Court filming BBC ghost story Whistle and I'll Come to You alongside John Hurt, broadcast over Christmas.

BBC: Sophie Thompson on Clybourne Park's squirm factor

And "Beloved, " starring Oprah Winfrey and based on Toni Morrison's novel of the same name, is the story of a former slave visited by the ghost of the daughter that she killed.

CNN: Tears flowing at theaters this fall

In the village of Barnstable, close to where the Pilgrim Fathers arrived from England in the Mayflower in 1620, the Beechwood Inn has a more inviting ghost story to tell.

BBC: The haunted land of New England

But for a certain type of Brit she is as good as a ghost story to send shivers up the spine, a spookily attractive perfect fright night.

BBC: Playtime is over

Literalized in the movie, the material is closer to a high-toned ghost story.

NEWYORKER: The Lovely Bones