The ghost was a bore -
934648
Frankly, I am surprised at all the rave reviews.  I found it rather unreadable.  The ghost came in so many times, I didn't care if he was a ghost.  Basically, not my cup of tea, and I love Stephen King.
898639
Coulda been a lot scarier. Seriously, not that many movies have a ghost like this one.
If they had played up her gruesome appearance more, it might have produced some
good scares.

Shoulda been more dramatic. The matriarch's dark secret is truly heinous, and
would've given the movie a more powerful jolt of drama. Instead, it takes a backseat
to the (sic) ghost story.

Woulda been a better movie, had it decided what it
wanted to be: drama, horror or suspense.
821652
I like to think I'm a reasonably intelligent human being, but I could not make sense of this movie. It's like someone put three or four unfinished zero budget ghost movies in a blender and then threw it in your face. The movie is just a series of unrelated scenes. Maybe it's some kind of art film disguised as a horror movie. We just don't know!
3413408
I thought this book was a snooze fest up until the very end. Yes there was action but in between, the detail was boring as hell. And of course, ridiculous.
4415911
A lot of very talented people wasting their time on a pathetically inane and pointless (and not particularly chilling) "chiller" about inmates consigned to a very mysterious asylum in Victorian times.  Me, I'd vote for the old Val Lewton/Mark Robson creaker "Bedlam," with Boris Karloff -- an antique, yes, but with lots more impact and excitement.
934059
A single mother can see and talk to ghosts and it so happens that her job sends her and her 5 yr old to an island that's inhabited by the spirits of an early 1900 shipwreck.  It offered all the promises of a fantastic story and it could have been.  BUT ... It never came to fruition.

There were so many things going on and they all tied into one plot but it was so vague. The woman was the psychic, she worried about her son and if he had her abilities.  She talked to a few spirits & she became friends with the owners of the B&B and a few other people in town.  Fringes of a love interest and a little about her job were included but what was it actually about?  The actual plot:  Wind turbines being built off the scenic shores of the island and the political aspects surrounding it. AND that was so lightly sprinkled in the pages that it could be easily lost.

I felt as though I were treated as a child.  Neither the characters, nor the plot, were strong.  The character's interactions were jotted down to a 'you said, she said, he said' details.  At times, the converstations actually consisted of 'really?, yeah, you said, yeah', etc. etc....no kidding!  This book actually left me shaking my head and being thankful that I didn't spend money for the item.  Take a pass people, it really is a mess.
754119
The meandering plot make this an incredibly boring horror movie. Because "blockbuster" movies are almost a thing of the past I watch just about every horror movie that comes to redbox as even bad horror tends to at least be watchable. Cabin Fever has a fun "flesh eating virus" premise and good production quality for a direct to DVD horror movie but it moves so slowly that it just can't hold your attention. This would've been a fun 30 minute TV show but the 97 minute run time makes it feel like a 3 hour movie.
2316156
This is probably the first Stephen King novel I've read that bored me senseless. It was too slow-paced, the characters weren't particularly engaging, and it was too much like a blend of "Christine" and "Mile 81" (a lot closer to "Mile 81").  The spooky car-from-outer-space has been done, and by the same author. He's got way too much imagination to write something as dull as this book. There were a few moments of unmistakably King-style shock/horror, but the rest of the book seemed as if it was written by someone else. That's how far off the mark it was for me. Not to be entirely negative, I immediately bought 2 more of his novels because I still think he's the master storyteller in his genre.
4895092
I was expecting a thrilling ghost story.  This was not a thrilling ghost story.  It was a sweet romance story but when one is looking for a good ghost story, don't pick this one
1448491
I didn't care too much for "Whats a Ghoul To Do".  I liked the idea of M.J. the ghostbusting heroine sending ghosts to heaven or the otherworld.  I was annoyed by the character of Dr. Steven Sable and his messed up dialect on every other page.  The mystery didn't hold my attention very well either.  I chalked this up to a fun idea gone badly.  So its taken nearly a year for me to pick up the next book "Demons Are A Ghoul's Best Friend".  I'm still not sure why I did.  Imagine my pleasure to discover this a keeper.  Here M.J., Gilley, and (oh no!) their new partner Dr Steven are investigating an ax wielding ghost attached to a boarding school.  There is (as other reviewers have suggested) much less of Dr. Steven, and when he is involved, he wasn't quite as annoying as before.  He is still a character I think Laurie would do well to ditch.  As a team of two Gilley and M.J. were a hoot.  This mystery was far superior to the first one, and the ghost scenes (always the best) were plentiful.  This is a fun, page turner and to anyone on the fence after the first one, I can only suggest you give the second one a try.
4531103
The book had a good plot about an unsolved mystery in a small Western town. However, I found all of the ghost appearances distracting. That just did not appeal to me. Also, the two main characters in the story kept on going over and over the facts of the case.  I didn't find it a good read at all and will not buy any more books by this author.
408266
If you like video games (with the main characters weaved into the story), this book is for you. Also has ghosts and paranormal stuff. I couldn't wait to finish so skipped through this book. It bored me. I love books by Ms. Ortolon but this one, not so much.
479283
Scared to Death was rather dull and you knew what was going to happen.  Didn't keep my interest very well.
318007
I couldn't make it past the 14 minute mark.  I was sick of watching that guy wander through the woods being spied on by what I guess is a Bigfoot & some random girl.  He was boring, the girl was boring, the grunts of the Bigfoot were boring....the streak of fur (I guess that was the running Bigfoot) was also boring.  I dozed off....YAWN!!!!
818267
It was ok if you have nothing better to read. The climax was blah and the scenes very repetitive. The book should have been shorter and it would be much better. Characters are a bit lame , given that everyone was so ghost friendly no idea what the heroine was so paranoid about her bf learning of her mind reading skills.
2028071
There is nothing wrong with this book.  It has a reasonable story and plot but I found it boring.  I know this is a prolific writer but it lacks something in the overall style that hampers appeal.  It is not slow, and it is not the editing that is the problem.  The characters lack depth and passion and there is not a connection at any stage. I wanted to try a ghostly genre but this was not the one.
1366369
I still remember the first time I read Shirley Jackson's amazing "The Haunting of Hill House" - it's one of those stories that echoes in your mind for years.  While the author attempts to acknowledge Jackson's work in his opening sentences, 'The Haunted' sadly cannot be considered worthy to stand even in the shadow of the truly great horror tales.

Collings' writing, in and of itself, isn't bad - I do believe he has the potential to write solidly entertaining books, and maybe even scary ones.  But as someone who's loved good horror stories throughout my life, this one seemed forced and trite.  I think 'overkill' is a fair term to use...it's as though the author tried to summon up every type of ghost, telekinetic event, 'scary' noise, and haunting image you may have seen/read in other stories, and crammed them all together in this short book.

The entire burden of the threadbare plot is carried by a couple whose characters are so obscured by the avalanche of apparitions inflicted upon them that they cease to be even mildly interesting or compelling.  I just stopped caring about what was happening to them...I was too busy giggling as I wondered what type of ghost would come next in the endless procession.

I regret being a negative reviewer, as  I believe this author has significant potential.  But even as a super-inexpensive Kindle 'special', this one wasn't worth it.