Ghost Train story
The elderly "Opa" Clyde Globe disapproves of his son Fenton building a new country home on the site where he accidentally caused a train, the Highball Express, to derail 75 years ago. Opa believes that his destiny is to get on board the train when it comes back, telling his young grandson to be cautious as it will careen through the house. Directed by: Steven Spielberg. Story by: Steven Spielberg, Frank Deese.
11 total · 1 choice · 7 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| remorse | choice | Grandpa Clyde expressed a deeply held remorse for having, in his childhood long ago, fallen asleep on the train tracks of the Highball Express. This caused a catastrophic derailment in which, it was implied, people had died. |
| coping with senility | major | Grandpa Clyde's immediate family members worried that he was becoming dotty. |
| familial love | major | Brian, a young boy, dearly loved his grandpa. He became very sad when it became apparent his grandpa was not long for this world, but ultimately came to accept it. |
| father and son | major | Grandpa Clyde didn't like that his son, Fenton, had built a house just where Clyde had once long ago accidentally caused a train to derail. The grandson Brian interacted with Fenton. |
| grandfather and grandson | major | The story concerns Grandpa Clyde, and his grandson whom he doted upon. |
| human childhood | major | Brian, a young boy, frolicked about and lapped up his grandpa's seemingly tall tales. |
| the afterlife | major | The Highball Express was seemingly a metaphor-come-real for Grandpa Clyde dying and traveling into whatever afterlife there might be for him. |
| what if I told the truth and nobody would believe me | major | Grandpa Clyde knew for certain what would happen and was aghast that no one would take him seriously. |
| haunted vehicle | minor | One interpretation of the story is that because Grandpa Clyde had caused the derailment of the Highball Express, it returned from the afterlife to fetch him when it was his time to die. |
| medical occupation | minor | A country doctor surreptitiously injected Grandpa Clyde with something to make him sleep soundly through the night. |