Ghost Stories For Christmas Vol 1 — Ghost Stories For Christmas Vol 1(Blu Ray)

Here from the BFI is a triple Blu-Ray set bringing together three 1970s BBC adaptations of chilling & uneasy M.R James stories. Each film manages to conjure up a true atmosphere of creepy dread, with some great acting and directing to boot. The set also adds in a good selection of new and archive extras- with commentary tracks for each film.

Opening up the set on disc one we have 1968’s Whistle and I'll Come to You- this was based on M.R James 1904 short story Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad. It was first aired on the BBC in May of 68 and has become one of the keystones of low-key horror and smouldering terror. It was adapted for the screen and directed by London-born Jonathan Miller. He had twenty-three directors credits to his name, which were largely TV based- they went from off-beat and experimental Alice In Wonderland (1966), brit sex comedy Take A Girl Like You ((1970), and musical drama Cosi Fan Tutte (1986)

The black and white film runs forty-one minutes, and focuses on highly pernickety and pompous Cambridge academic Prof Parkin- played wonderfully by Michael Hordern-who will be known to Brits of a certain age as the narrator of 70’s children’s series Paddington Bear. The film follows the Prof's stay in an upper-class & off-Season hotel on the English east coast. The few other well-to-do guests play golf, read or walk in the hotel's garden- but the prof prefers his own company spending his days walking the ragged grass dunes and deserted beach near the hotel. One day while walking in an overgrown graveyard on the cliffside- he comes across a grave that has half fallen into the sea, and he pulls a thin object out, which turns out to be an ancient whistle- on his way back to the hotel a figure in shadow is seemingly following him. Back in his room he cleans the whistle, makes a rubbing of the instrument's body, and blows it. From here on something seems to following him, with some great moments of jarring and bone-chilling terror. You never really see anything wholly specific, but after the discovery, there really is such a tangible feeling of unease and on-the-edge-of-your-seat dread.
 Hordern is excellent as the film's lead- moving from being fussy and opinionated, to fearful and on edge academic. The small supporting cast, made up of hotel serving staff and guests is all good- with the black and white stock being perfect for the story/film's tone.
 
 
The second film here is the 2010 version of Whistle and I'll Come to You- which is mainly based on James's story, with the new elements being penned by Neil Cross- who is a British novelist/ scriptwriter who created the TV thriller/ dramas Luther and Hard Sun.

In the films lead role is John Hurt, as retired astronomer James Parkin. It opens with Parkin taking his wife of many years into a home, after she is hit by the advanced stages of dementia. To try and come to terms with his wife’s decline, he decides to go on a road trip and revisits places from the couple's past- the first of these is an isolated hotel on the East Anglian coast. It’s out of season- so there are only a few other people in the hotel, though the only person we see aside from Parkin is Carol (Sophie Thompson) a middle-aged receptionist. At first, he understandably feels a little lost, but as time goes on he walks the beach- when he sits down to rest after some hours he finds a ring in the sand, and from here on he starts seeing strange figures just out of sight, there are strange scratching in his hotel room and a feeling of unease, and someone seemingly trying to get into him late at night.

Hurt as one would expect is wonderful in his role- going from in-mourning but still agile- retired astronomer, to a scared old man. The film has a general morose and grey feel to its unfolding- as the film goes on this is broken by moments of unease, jarring terror, and even some arty-but-grim visuals. It’s certainly an interesting, well-produced, and largely worthy retake on the original story- though I’ll have to say I enjoy the original more- due to when it was made and the more general feeling of dread & unease.
 
 
 
 

Over on the second disc we have two films The Stalls of Barchester and A Warning to the Curious. So, the first of these is The Stalls of Barchester which is once again based on a James story from 1910. This forty-five-minute TV film was first shown on the 24th of December 1971- and was filmed in Norwich Cathedral and the surrounding cathedral close.

It opens in the year 1932, where one winter's day neatly moustached scholar Dr Black(Clive Swift) is looking through the church library archives of Cathedral Barchester. He’s directed towards a box which has remained locked for the last fifty years- it contains the diary and related paperwork of the former Archdeacon of the cathedral, who seemingly had some controversy surrounding his life and passing in Barchester. So, we flash back some fifty years or so to meet the very serious and focused Dr Haynes (Robert Hardy)- who has recently moved into Barchester with his sister Letitia (Thelma Barlow). The pair quickly get involved with the cathedral, and it becomes clear the rather arrogant Dr Haynes has his eyes on being the Archdeacon, but as the years tick by the present Archdeacon Pulteney (Harold Bennett) moves from his 80’s to his 90’s, and clearly doesn’t want to give up the post. Then one evening the old man trips and falls down his mansion staircase, dying at the bottom- as seemingly someone had loosened the carpet supports. 

Fairly soon the Dr and his sister are moving into the mansion with the Dr taking up the post of Archdeacon-as his days in the post tick by, and his sister moves out. He starts noticing strange voices and presences in the mansion, as well as seeing a Black cat- which apparently does not exist. Also, in his daily life, he is getting strange and macabre visions which seem to connect to wooden carvings in the cathedral, which seemingly came from a hanging tree in the nearby forest.

It's fair to say The Stalls of Barchester is very much of a slow and steady build- as we move back and forth between the two time periods, and find out more about what’s going on. But along the way, there are some seriously bone-chilling moments on display- taking in ghostly steps late at night, creepy voices and doors opening late at night, and a general feeling of building dread/ fear.

The cast is truly excellent and full of recognisable faces- Clive Swift as investigating Dr Black appeared in a lot of film and UK TV, but most notably played the long-suffering Richard in Keeping Up Appearances. Robert Hardy who played Dr Haynes, and once again he appeared in a lot of TV and film, with one of his notable/long-running role In All Creatures Great And Small. And his sister Thelma Barlow played Mavis in the long-running brit soap Coronation Street. The locations are filmed with wonderful eerier flare, and it’s wonderful how the initial mystery grows into something really very chilling. 

A Warning to the Curious appeared a year after The Stalls of Barchester on Christmas eve 1972. It was based on the 1925 M.R James story, and both story and film are based in/ around the coastal village of Seaburgh- which was based on Aldeburgh in Suffolk. The 1972 film was directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark-a producer/ director who was more known for UK TV credits like Dangerfield & Harrys Game.

The film opens with a voice-over detailing the legend of three lost crowns of East Anglia- as we see shots of the Suffolk coastline. The legend goes that one crown remains buried in the ground near Seaburgh, and as the film begins, we see a man digging in a mound in a by-the-coast-forest- suddenly above him is a second strange, gowned man, who insists he must stop. The rather pompous digger brushes the man a side- but fairly soon the man is at the digger with a hatchet, and we then jump forward ten or so years to the 1930s. We see a man arriving by train into Seaburgh- and in time we find out this is Mr Paxton(Peter Vaughan), a 50-something Clerk from London who has recently been let go from the job he’s working life. He’s carrying with his suitcase a spade- and he hopes to find the crown for himself.

As the film unfolds, he books into a seaside inn, goes to the local church & finds out more about the legend from the vicar, and in time he tracks down the supposable burial ground of the crown. The only other person staying at the inn is the lead character from The Stalls of Barchester Dr Black- once again played by the wonderful Clive Swift- who apparently holidays once a year to walk and paint the coastline in the coastal village.

From the off, there is a keen feeling of unease about A Warning to the Curious, with creepy-knows-more-than-he’s-saying inn landlord. As you’d probably guess Paxton finds his crown, after digging late into the night with husky chuckling going on around him. Something seemingly follows him back from the forest- and we get some really unsettling and eerier moments, with the good Dr Black brought into events later on. 

A Warning to the Curious is another very accomplished and damn creepy film, which features on-point acting throughout, great eerier shots of the Suffolk, and a most effectively unsettling discordant string & electronics-based score. 

 

On the final disc in the set, we have Lost Hearts- this first appeared in the year 1973, and I’d say this is the lesser five adaptation offed up here- in its length, impact, and scares. It’s taken from an earlier James story from 1895. The thirty-five-minute film was directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark- with the tone of the whole thing coming across as a children’s period drama, with some (largely) ineffective/ at points naff creepy elements blended in.

The film opens with young orphan Stephen (Simon Gipps-Kent) travelling by carriage- as he passes a field he sees two figures, who quickly disappear. Fairly soon he reaches his destination- a grand country house, and we find out he has been adopted by the jolly & grey side-boarded Mr. Abney (Joseph O'Conor)- who is a distant relation of the boy. At first, Abney is a seemingly friendly-if-quirky fellow, but as things unfold, we find out he has adopted two previous children, who have seemingly disappeared.

As Stephen nears his twelve birthday on the all-hallows eve, the boy starts seeing strange white-faced & long-nailed figures seemingly warning him of something. And seemingly the at first kindly Mr. Abney is not quite what he at first seems.

The acting of both Gipps-Kent and O'Conor is good, though at times the latter rather hams up his wacky professor persona. The supporting cast from Susan Richards as a housekeeper, and James Mellor are serviceable- though a little ’70s 
kids’ drama stock.

The whole thing unfolds in a fairly predictable manner- yes, we do have a few neat & unsettling scenes relating to the film's title, but largely the creepy side of things is done in a rather cheap/ frankly naff manner. If I’d seen this as a child, I guess I would have been entertained enough- maybe even a little creeped out, but as nearing his 50’s man I find the whole very twee and safe, having little or no depth/ impact to it- which is a real pity when you put it in context to the other films in the set.

 

Moving onto the extras side of things- and new wise on the discs themselves we have a commentary track for each of the main three films. So, for the 1968 version of Whistle and I'll Come to You we have TV historian Jon Dear doing the track. He starts off by talking about the foreshadowing of the maids making up the beds, and gives a brief bio of one of the actresses. He discusses Jonathan Miller's filmmaking career, and comments on locations and filming dates. He discusses M.R. James stories made onto the screen before this film- talking about in-depth more notable adaptations. Later on, he discusses the way Miller builds up atmosphere & tension. He talks briefly about the 2010 version of the story, and what themes/ elements were brought out more. We get to hear viewers' feedback from when it first aired.

Moving onto the second disc- and we get a commentary track for The Stalls of Barchester with genre experts/ writers Kim Newman and Sean Hogan. Newman starts by talking about how he saw the film when it was first aired, and what his initial impression was. The pair discuss the subtle elements of humour in James's stories, and how this is enhanced in this version of the tale. They talk about how Clive Swift appeared in a fair bit of spooky TV during the ’70s/’80s. And comment on certain cast members, giving bios. Later on, they discuss how the Cycle of M.R. James stories came to the BBC, and why it might have declined. How the director built a chilling atmosphere, and the addition the director made to the story. 

For A Warning to the Curious Jon Dear returns for a track. He begins by discussing the film's main location Wells- and how he himself holidayed there as a child. He talks about how the film uses landscape as a character, and its score/ the composer’s other work. He chats about what was going on in the world in 1972, and the comparisons to 2022. He gives bios of the film's actors, and how the legend of the crowns was James invention. Later on, he discusses how the Ghost Stories For Christmas died back, and how in recent years it’s been brought back by Mark Gatiss. We get more viewers' feedback.

Finally for Lost Hearts with Newman and Hogan returning. They begin by mentioning how this was the first Ghost Story For Christmas that played on the day itself, and talk about what was also on the schedule that day. We find out that James himself wasn’t a huge fan of the original story, and how much was added to this adaption of the film. They talk about locations, and how they were well selected. Later on, they talk about the slower/ stylized look of the ghosts, and the director's other work-in, particularly in the creepier side of things. All three of the tracks are well worth a play.

 

On the archive side, we get a good selection of things-  2012 Jonathan Miller and Christopher Frayling interview ( 3 mins). a 2001 reading of the original story by Neil Brand( 42 mins) a 2001 interview with Ramsey Campbell regarding MR James (16 mins).  Ramsey Campbell's 2001  reading of James story The Guide (27 mins). From 2012 Introductions by Lawrence Gordon Clark (33 mins total): the director of seven of the BBC’s classic A Ghost Story For Christmas episodes discusses his part in the first three instalments he directed. From 2000 Ghost Stories For Christmas With Christopher Lee ( 60 mins total): BBC Scotland’s ‘talking-head horror’ series starring the iconic actor as an M R James-like raconteur of fireside Christmas ghost stories. Included on this release are The Stalls of Barchester and A Warning to the Curious. The finished set is finished off with an illustrated booklet with essays by Reggie Oliver, Jon Dear, Jonathan Rigby, Adam Easterbrook and Ramsey Campbell; credits and notes on the special features.

 

It is wonderful to see these films getting a Blu-Ray premiere with this release- with nicely remastered prints for each film, and a good selection of extras old & new. So a must for anyone who enjoys well told & well made creepy tales….here’s looking forward to this time next year when the BFI have promised us Vol 2 of Ghost Stories For Christmas.