BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas
From 1971 to 1978, the BBC produced the informally linked A Ghost Story for Christmas series, with one episode airing each year around Christmas time. This year, in keeping with the season, I am issuing a two-part review of this exemplary series, which is worth a watch for any British horror fan.
The Stalls of Barchester
This first episode, premiering Christmas time of 1971, is adapted from a short story by M.R. James and concerns a cleric of Barchester Cathedral who, after growing tired of waiting for the current Archdeacon to retire or pass of old age, resorts to murder. After he apparently rigs a stairwell to cause the old man a fatal accident, he succeeds in becoming Archdeacon, but in the process also becomes haunted. It begins with him hearing voices in his house when alone at night. Then a large black cat begins stalking him. Eventually creepy hooded figures deliver the deacon to his just rewards.
I've seen people complain that this (as well as other episodes of the series) is too slow and talky, but, to me that's part of the appeal. There's a great deal of atmosphere to be found in this episode; the shots of the cathedral and surrounding areas are beautiful, and there are some legitimately spooky moments if you're patient. A particular scene in which the Archdeacon is sitting in his room waiting for his servant to arrive when he hears a voice ask, "May I come in?" is particularly unsettling. Needless to say, when he answers in the affirmative, the door opens for him to find no one there. (It was definitely a good deal more frightening than the cat, but then I'm so fond of animals, I could probably be being mauled by a tiger and still find it endearing. I would be delighted if I discovered a cat following me everywhere, no matter how sinister its behavior).
A Warning to the Curious
The second episode, from 1972, comes from one of M. R. James's most famous stories. It opens with a legend of three crowns being buried in the woods of England. The legend says that as long as they remain buried, the crowns will protect England from invasion. Two crowns are apparently long gone, and the opening sees a man digging for the third attacked and apparently killed, before the story moves forward several years to the Great Depression. Another desperate man (Peter Vaughan, Game of Thrones) begins searching for the final crown. Once he discovers it, he finds himself being followed by a sinister man all in black. This is when things get really good.
This episode is actually legitimately creepy, particularly towards the end, and boasts more than a few spine chilling moments. I don't want to say anymore, because the fun is really in discovering it for yourself.
This episode also boasts one of the series few legitimately comedic moments when, toward the beginning of the episode, our main character visits an antique shop looking for maps of the area. Here he meets the strange proprietor of the shop and his doll, "Susan." It's a very odd, slightly humorous bit, that while not particularly relevant to the rest of the story, is still a highlight of the episode.
Lost Hearts
The third episode, from 1973, was (again) adapted from a story by M.R. James. This episode is considerably shorter than the first two and is the first not to feature Clive Swift (Keeping Up Appearances) as Dr. Black, the secondary protagonist of the first two segments.
Lost Hearts revolves around an orphaned young boy, Stephen, who comes to live with his elderly cousin, Mr. Abney, at his estate. At first Mr. Abney seems kindly, if a bit batty, but the audience quickly discovers that he is the worst kind of predator, one who preys on young children. In Mr. Abney's case it is in order to further his quest for immortality, and Stephen is not the first child to fall into his clutches. We see the spirits of Abney's two previous victims, who come across less as ghosts and more as mischievous nosferatu, with their long nails and pointed teeth. This episode is the most gruesome of the episodes so far, as the audience is privy to a brief shot of the dead girl's gaping chest cavity, which shows that she is literally missing her heart.
Although there is really never much doubt that our child protagonist will survive and that Mr. Abney will fail in his quest for immortality, the episode is still a lot of fun, and while we know that the dead children are not the real villains, they are pretty creepy looking. However, the fact that the seemingly harmless Abney is the real monster is probably the most frightening part of this episode, particularly since, in the real world, wolves really do often appear in sheep's clothing.
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas
The 1974 Ghost Story for Christmas is the least frightening of the episodes so far, although it's still an interesting tale, concerning the hunt for a long-dead alchemist's hidden gold. The supernatural aspect here doesn't really come into play until the last few minutes, which may disappoint some viewers. However, the locations - churches, cemeteries, old manor houses - are as beautiful as is usual for the series, and it's fun to puzzle out the clues to the treasure along with our protagonists.
While the ending may seem a bit abrupt, I still felt it to be effective. I do think, however, there seemed to be a message about greed that could have been fleshed out a bit better. I feel that with a little bit more running time, a moral could have been expanded on in an interesting way, but I also appreciate not being hit over the head with it either. Overall, not my favorite episode, but still a more than adequate entry in a fascinating series.
All is not well at the estate, however, as Sir Richard becomes puzzled after repeated sightings of dead animals and references by the locals to a mysterious "pestilence." He also begins having visions of Sir Matthew and a woman, Anne Mothersole, whom Sir Matthew sent to the gallows after testifying she was a witch. It is in one of these flashbacks that we get some surprising, and somewhat uncomfortable, nudity, as Sir Matthew justifies his actions to a naked and restrained Mothersole, who has clearly just received a beating at the hands of the witch hunters. It is interesting to note, that although Sir Matthew is married, there seems to be a thwarted attraction between him and Mothersole, or at least an affinity for each other, that makes his actions against her, as well as her retaliation, all the more tragic.
The Stalls of Barchester
This first episode, premiering Christmas time of 1971, is adapted from a short story by M.R. James and concerns a cleric of Barchester Cathedral who, after growing tired of waiting for the current Archdeacon to retire or pass of old age, resorts to murder. After he apparently rigs a stairwell to cause the old man a fatal accident, he succeeds in becoming Archdeacon, but in the process also becomes haunted. It begins with him hearing voices in his house when alone at night. Then a large black cat begins stalking him. Eventually creepy hooded figures deliver the deacon to his just rewards.
I've seen people complain that this (as well as other episodes of the series) is too slow and talky, but, to me that's part of the appeal. There's a great deal of atmosphere to be found in this episode; the shots of the cathedral and surrounding areas are beautiful, and there are some legitimately spooky moments if you're patient. A particular scene in which the Archdeacon is sitting in his room waiting for his servant to arrive when he hears a voice ask, "May I come in?" is particularly unsettling. Needless to say, when he answers in the affirmative, the door opens for him to find no one there. (It was definitely a good deal more frightening than the cat, but then I'm so fond of animals, I could probably be being mauled by a tiger and still find it endearing. I would be delighted if I discovered a cat following me everywhere, no matter how sinister its behavior).
A Warning to the CuriousThe second episode, from 1972, comes from one of M. R. James's most famous stories. It opens with a legend of three crowns being buried in the woods of England. The legend says that as long as they remain buried, the crowns will protect England from invasion. Two crowns are apparently long gone, and the opening sees a man digging for the third attacked and apparently killed, before the story moves forward several years to the Great Depression. Another desperate man (Peter Vaughan, Game of Thrones) begins searching for the final crown. Once he discovers it, he finds himself being followed by a sinister man all in black. This is when things get really good.
This episode is actually legitimately creepy, particularly towards the end, and boasts more than a few spine chilling moments. I don't want to say anymore, because the fun is really in discovering it for yourself.
This episode also boasts one of the series few legitimately comedic moments when, toward the beginning of the episode, our main character visits an antique shop looking for maps of the area. Here he meets the strange proprietor of the shop and his doll, "Susan." It's a very odd, slightly humorous bit, that while not particularly relevant to the rest of the story, is still a highlight of the episode.
Lost Hearts
The third episode, from 1973, was (again) adapted from a story by M.R. James. This episode is considerably shorter than the first two and is the first not to feature Clive Swift (Keeping Up Appearances) as Dr. Black, the secondary protagonist of the first two segments.
Lost Hearts revolves around an orphaned young boy, Stephen, who comes to live with his elderly cousin, Mr. Abney, at his estate. At first Mr. Abney seems kindly, if a bit batty, but the audience quickly discovers that he is the worst kind of predator, one who preys on young children. In Mr. Abney's case it is in order to further his quest for immortality, and Stephen is not the first child to fall into his clutches. We see the spirits of Abney's two previous victims, who come across less as ghosts and more as mischievous nosferatu, with their long nails and pointed teeth. This episode is the most gruesome of the episodes so far, as the audience is privy to a brief shot of the dead girl's gaping chest cavity, which shows that she is literally missing her heart.Although there is really never much doubt that our child protagonist will survive and that Mr. Abney will fail in his quest for immortality, the episode is still a lot of fun, and while we know that the dead children are not the real villains, they are pretty creepy looking. However, the fact that the seemingly harmless Abney is the real monster is probably the most frightening part of this episode, particularly since, in the real world, wolves really do often appear in sheep's clothing.
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas
The 1974 Ghost Story for Christmas is the least frightening of the episodes so far, although it's still an interesting tale, concerning the hunt for a long-dead alchemist's hidden gold. The supernatural aspect here doesn't really come into play until the last few minutes, which may disappoint some viewers. However, the locations - churches, cemeteries, old manor houses - are as beautiful as is usual for the series, and it's fun to puzzle out the clues to the treasure along with our protagonists.
While the ending may seem a bit abrupt, I still felt it to be effective. I do think, however, there seemed to be a message about greed that could have been fleshed out a bit better. I feel that with a little bit more running time, a moral could have been expanded on in an interesting way, but I also appreciate not being hit over the head with it either. Overall, not my favorite episode, but still a more than adequate entry in a fascinating series.
The Ash Tree
The last of the M.R. James stories to be adapted by A Ghost Story for Christmas was in 1975, with The Ash Tree. The story begins with a new squire, Sir Richard, inheriting his title and land from his late uncle. The housekeeper tells him about his uncle's uncle, Sir Matthew, who had preceded him. Apparently, no children have been born to the squires of the land in two generations. Sir Richard hopes to change all that, as he is engaged to a pretty young woman, Lady Augusta, and the two plan on having plenty of children.
All is not well at the estate, however, as Sir Richard becomes puzzled after repeated sightings of dead animals and references by the locals to a mysterious "pestilence." He also begins having visions of Sir Matthew and a woman, Anne Mothersole, whom Sir Matthew sent to the gallows after testifying she was a witch. It is in one of these flashbacks that we get some surprising, and somewhat uncomfortable, nudity, as Sir Matthew justifies his actions to a naked and restrained Mothersole, who has clearly just received a beating at the hands of the witch hunters. It is interesting to note, that although Sir Matthew is married, there seems to be a thwarted attraction between him and Mothersole, or at least an affinity for each other, that makes his actions against her, as well as her retaliation, all the more tragic.
These visions begin to wear on Sir Richard, who becomes distracted and neglects his fiancée and household responsibilities. When, upon going to move Mothersole's grave to make way for an addition to the church, it is discovered that her body is missing, the stage is a set for a chilling climax, with some low budget, but effectively creepy creatures, and a gruesome surprise in the titular ash tree outside Sir Richard's bedroom window.
Check back tomorrow for BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas Part 2 where I'll cover the last 3 years of the series, featuring an adaptation of Charles Dickens's The Signalman and two original stories.
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