BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas II
The Signalman
The 1976 episode of A Ghost Story for Christmas was the first episode not to be based on the work of M.R. James. Instead, The Signalman is based on Charles Dickens's most famous ghost story outside of A Christmas Carol.
The episode stars Bernard Lloyd (who would appear as Marley's Ghost in the 1999 A Christmas Carol adaptation with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge) as a traveler who befriends a railway signalman, played by beloved character actor Denholm Elliott (Marcus Brody from the Indiana Jones movies). The signalman tells Lloyd's character (simply billed as "The Traveler" in the credits) about a recurring apparition that appears every time a tragedy is about to occur on the railway. The first time he saw the apparition, a nasty wreck occurred in the nearby tunnel, costing many people their lives. The second time, a woman soon leapt to her death from the train right in front of him. The signalman is concerned because the apparition has recently begun appearing to him again, and he doesn't know how he is supposed to avert the impending disaster.
The ghostly omen is chilling in appearance, and there are some other truly disturbing moments in this episode, particularly the doomed bride. Lloyd and Elliott are wonderful and successfully carry a story that mostly rests on their shoulders. The ending is perhaps foreseeable, but no less tragic because of it. Along with A Warning to the Curious, this is one of the best episodes of the series.
This, to me, is the weakest entry in the series so far. The performances aren't the best here, and some of the gothic nostalgic vibe that I loved about other episodes is lost in the modern update. As far as the plot itself is concerned, the story starts off slowly, and though it is initially somewhat intriguing, the ending feels somewhat rushed and forced. It's still an interesting slice of folk horror, and there are some good ideas here; it just seems like the chance to fully explore the story was missed. It possibly would have made a better feature film or book.
Much of the cast turn in exceptional performances, particularly Burridge and Romilly as the odd siblings who's speech is overly formal but attitude seemingly care-free. Romilly is also gorgeous to look at, possibly the most beautiful actress to grace this series, and it is easy to see how a guest could be charmed by her into overlooking a lot of her more odd behaviors and turns of phrase.
The 1976 episode of A Ghost Story for Christmas was the first episode not to be based on the work of M.R. James. Instead, The Signalman is based on Charles Dickens's most famous ghost story outside of A Christmas Carol.
The episode stars Bernard Lloyd (who would appear as Marley's Ghost in the 1999 A Christmas Carol adaptation with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge) as a traveler who befriends a railway signalman, played by beloved character actor Denholm Elliott (Marcus Brody from the Indiana Jones movies). The signalman tells Lloyd's character (simply billed as "The Traveler" in the credits) about a recurring apparition that appears every time a tragedy is about to occur on the railway. The first time he saw the apparition, a nasty wreck occurred in the nearby tunnel, costing many people their lives. The second time, a woman soon leapt to her death from the train right in front of him. The signalman is concerned because the apparition has recently begun appearing to him again, and he doesn't know how he is supposed to avert the impending disaster.The ghostly omen is chilling in appearance, and there are some other truly disturbing moments in this episode, particularly the doomed bride. Lloyd and Elliott are wonderful and successfully carry a story that mostly rests on their shoulders. The ending is perhaps foreseeable, but no less tragic because of it. Along with A Warning to the Curious, this is one of the best episodes of the series.
Stigma
Stigma, 1977's episode, was the first to be based on an original script, as well as the first to take place in a modern setting. The story involves a family who discover a massive stone in their garden. It is clearly connected to the Stonehenge-ish structures located behind their property, but for some reason they decide they want it removed anyway. I feel like maybe, evil spirits aside, this is a poor decision for cultural/historical reasons, but the family is resolute, even though their workmen initially can't get the stone to budge more than a little bit from it's original spot.
When the stone is finally disrupted, it also creates a localized wind storm and seems to have an ill effect on the family's mother, both mentally and physically. She goes into a temporary trance-like state, and after coming out of it, is alarmed to find blood pooling up out of her her skin, with no discernible wound or source to explain it. Once the stone's secret is discovered, it is, of course, too late.
This, to me, is the weakest entry in the series so far. The performances aren't the best here, and some of the gothic nostalgic vibe that I loved about other episodes is lost in the modern update. As far as the plot itself is concerned, the story starts off slowly, and though it is initially somewhat intriguing, the ending feels somewhat rushed and forced. It's still an interesting slice of folk horror, and there are some good ideas here; it just seems like the chance to fully explore the story was missed. It possibly would have made a better feature film or book.
The Ice House
The final episode of A Ghost Story for Christmas's initial run, The Ice House (1978), is not really a ghost story at all, more of a sci-fi/fantasy-horror hybrid. The story concerns a strange brother and sister pair (Geoffrey Burridge and Elisabeth Romilly) who run a health spa where employees and long-term guests begin complaining of "the cools," suffering bouts of shiver-inducing cold.
Much of the cast turn in exceptional performances, particularly Burridge and Romilly as the odd siblings who's speech is overly formal but attitude seemingly care-free. Romilly is also gorgeous to look at, possibly the most beautiful actress to grace this series, and it is easy to see how a guest could be charmed by her into overlooking a lot of her more odd behaviors and turns of phrase.
However, The Ice House's story is much lighter on the gothic atmosphere of its predecessors, and the horror is of an ambiguous and mysterious nature. Like the series other original entry in '77, it's still worth a watch; it's just not on par with the previous period pieces. Ultimately, while it's well made and certainly interesting, including this piece as part of the Ghost Story for Christmas series was perhaps not the right choice. It's possible it could be better appreciated as a stand alone special or part of a more modern anthology.
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