Ghost Story

Is a ghost story ever just a spooky tale about things that go bump in the night? Certainly not for Milburn, New York’s most exclusive club, The Chowder Society. For its select membership — all best friends in the twilight of their lives — congregations provide an avenue for conversing, camaraderie, and, of course, piquing one another’s interest with scary stories: some true and some perhaps fabrication. Though, revealing the truth is never a requirement or a foregone conclusion. But in the past year, the line between spooky tale and ghostly conjuring has drawn ever closer following the early demise of one its members, seemingly scared to death as if he had seen a ghost. And what’s more, it all went down at a party hosted by one of their own. Now, the remaining members’ dreams are haunted by an unknown specter that also appears to be manifesting in eviscerating ways throughout Milburn. Fearing for their lives, they decide to enlist someone who may just have an answer for their paranormal problem: their fallen friend’s nephew, Donald Wanderley. They have reason to believe his book, The Nightwatcher, was fueled by hardened research on the supernatural. And who better than a horror novelist to function as their demon-dream slayer or even, as Donald asserts, their Van Helsing? It’s only when Donald discloses his inspiration for the novel that a link between his story and that of The Chowder Society becomes apparent. There’s one common denominator: an enigmatic woman who bears a different name in each of their stories. Identifying and locating her may be the key to exorcising their demons, but enacting their plan also means revisiting an ancient past that has other intentions.