The Stone Tape — The Stone Tape( Blu Ray Boxset)
From the early 1970s, The Stone Tape is an eerier British horror-drama penned by Nigel Kneale (Quatermass And The Pit). It regards a research team finding what they believe is a psychic impression/ aka a repeating ghost within the walls of an old house. The film mixes emotional drama, with a growing sense of unease, and moments of nerve-jangling fear- often taking a more thoughtful take on horror, which will stay with you long after the film has finished. Here from 101 Films is a deluxe reissue of the film, taking in a new HD print of the film, two complementary tracks & a few other extras, plus a two hundred page reproduction of the script, a separate inlay booklet, and postcards.
The Stone Tape is a TV film first shown on BBC on the 25th of December 1972. It was directed by Budapest-born Peter Sasdy. Between the early sixties and the early nineties, he has an impressive sixty-five credits to his name- which take in both TV work and features. Notable of these are Taste Of The Blood Of Dracula (1970), Doomwatch (1972), and The Growing Pains Of Adrian Mole(1987).
The film runs at just under and an hour a half, with the feeling of unease and growing dread slowly but surely edging out. So this is very much a classic example of a slow-burn 70’s film.
It focuses on a team of researchers from Ryan Electric Products, moving into an old mansion to try and find the next new recording medium- which could put them ahead of the competition in the worldwide home market. The team is headed up by ego-heavy, shouty, and whisky-slugging Peter Brock(Micheal Bryant)- who has been given a finite time to come up with a new world-changing / fortune-making recording format.
He is joined by Jill Greely (Jane Asher) a beige flared suit-wearing computer programmer. And tall, tweed-suited with a greasy comb-over estate manager Roy Collinson( Ian Cuthbertson)- along with a team of male boffins.
The film opens with Jill pulling into the drive of the mansion Taskerlands- and having somewhat of a panic attack/ moment, as two vans seem to be reversing towards her. She gets inside, and we gather soon enough she is having an affair with Peter, who has a wife and children at the end of the phone.
The renovation of the mansion is largely going to plan/ timing- except for one ground floor room which they want to use as a computer room- the builders say they won’t go into the room, let alone work in it. After recovering from her panic attack Jill and Peter go into said room, and she gets a sudden jarring shock as she hears the prolonged piercing scream of a woman. Initially, Peter and the rest of the team don’t hear it, but as things unfold they do, with this being added to by the occasional appearance of the ghostly female in period dress running up steps that lead to nowhere.
As the film unfolds we get a great sense of eeriness and growing dread- this edges the film's mainly drama-fed focus, but as we move into the last quarter the supernatural elements start to shift up a gear, moving towards a downbeat/ chilling resolve.
The cast is largely good/ well selected with a few faces you’ll recognise if you are familiar with British TV/ film like John Forgeham( The Italian Job, Footballers Wife’s) and James Cosmo( Take The High Road, Bavehart). We get a nicely creepy score courtesy of Desmond Briscoe at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop- which is built around layers of sinister/ angular synth drones.
All in all, I’d say The Stone Tape is an excellent example of thinking man’s/woman's horror drama. That is only slightly let down by the moments of cringe-inducing racial humour, and rather light sexist treatment of female kind.
Moving onto this new boxset- let's first talk about the Blu-Ray disc itself. It’s a Region B disc- taking in a nice well-defined print of the film, which polishes up the 70’s stock- without losing any of its moody qualities.
On new extras on the disc, we get a commentary track with filmmakers Jon Dear and Sean Hogan. They start out by talking about when they first saw the film- we find out it was unseen for many years, playing Christmas Day 1972, repeated in October of 73- then not reissued until 2001. We find out the film's key location is Horsley Hall in Surrey- whose original owner sponsored the man who made one of the world's first computers. They touch on how the film was influenced by Kneale’s visit to a BBC’s research and development studios. They discuss how the film is still rather timely for the state of the UK today. We find out the film was funded as part of the Dead Of Night anthology series, for his part in the production, Kneale was paid twelve hundred pounds. They talk about the original script being entitled The Break-Through, and discuss Kneale’s influences. Later on, they talk about how the haunted house genre has changed over the years, and how it was very much a trope in 70’s films men gaslighting women. They talk about why this is the greatest of Kneale’s work- it contains fear, great characterisation, a strong message, and believability. They discuss how the portrayal of what’s behind it all is perfect- leaving it very unknowable. All in all a worthy enough track.
Next on the new side, we have Children of The Stone Tape (42.00) this is a look at the influence of the film. Taking in interviews with the likes of lead actress Jane Asher, director/ writer Peter Strickland, actor/ writer Mark Gatiss, Andy Murray Kneale biographer, and a few others. And Out of Darkness: A Visionary Manxman(14.48) which brings together archive interviews with Kneale, and Andy Murray visiting key locations on the Isle of Man where Kneale lived.
On the archive side, we get a commentary track from Commentary with Nigel Kneale and film critic Kim Newman.
Moving onto the boxset it’s self- this takes in two books- around two hundred page reproduction of the film's original script, and a thirty-two-page colour booklet featuring two new write-ups about the film one from Andy Murray, and one from John Doran of The Quietus. There are three art cards, with the whole thing coming presented in a hardback slipcase.
All in all this new release from 101 Films is a lovely presentation of The Stone Tape- which is such a key and important work, both within the supernatural/ horror genre, and the TV film form. This is an Ltd edition boxset, which I can’t see it hanging around long- so act sooner rather than later, to avoid silly eBay prices!.