A Ghost Story For Christmas (BBC M.R. James adaptations)

[Noodle Lizard]

It's the spooky season: I've just been revisiting these BBC short TV film adaptations of early twentieth century ghosts stories that were made in the late 60s and 70s, and my fuck, some of them are really good.

In case you haven't seen them, they're mostly M.R. James stories and as such have that really great, archetypical English ghost story feel to them which I've never seen recreated so well anywhere else with the possible exceptions of 'The Innocents' and 'The Woman In Black' (the stage and TV version).  For a long while they were tricky to watch as they hadn't found a home on video and were rarely played on the telly, but now I believe the BFI has put them all out on DVD and they're also available on YouTube (in sometimes questionable quality).

For my money, the best ones are Jonathan Miller's adaptation of M.R. James's 'Whistle And I'll Come To You'[nb]which actually preceded the series but, some have said, inspired it - and was also recently remade with atrocious results[/nb], 'Lost Hearts' and Charles Dickens' 'The Signalman'.  Now, I really don't scare easily when it comes to films or TV, but there are moments in the aforementioned films where I've either had to sit further back from the screen, turn on a light somewhere or even pause it for a second or two.  I kid thee not.  I'm not sure if it's just something about this style of ghost story that weakens me, but they are most certainly doing something right.

If you have seen them (and I'm sure many of you have), discuss them, you swine!  Some of you must be old enough to remember seeing them on the actual telly, so y'know, say a word or two about that.  If you haven't seen any of them, I urge you to do so - preferably alone and at night, why not?  This playlist has (I think) all of them in full:  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL22399B295436CDAC

[Jemble Fred]

they're mostly M.R. James stories and as such have that really great, archetypical English ghost story feel to them which I've never seen recreated so well anywhere else

Well there's no need to be quite such a bitch about it, y'know...

http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=29211.0

http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=32980.0

(I was going to link to our previous 5 MR James spoofs, but old HS Art threads seem inaccessible.)

As it happens, I semi-worship MR James, and adore all the adaptations – I'm pretty certain I've seen all of the above – but the only one which causes the slightest frisson of actual fear in me is Lost Hearts – even then it's not a subtle fear, just the full-on spectacle of them crazy kids which can linger in the mind's eye in the small hours.

[Noodle Lizard]

As it happens, I semi-worship MR James, and adore all the adaptations – I'm pretty certain I've seen all of the above – but the only one which causes the slightest frisson of actual fear in me is Lost Hearts – even then it's not a subtle fear, just the full-on spectacle of them crazy kids which can linger in the mind's eye in the small hours.

Actually, that was the very one I had in mind when I described my reactions, as I did have to pause that for a few seconds just to recover from one particular spook.  But they've all given me a case of the creepy-gotchas at some point or another - and that's no easy feat.

[SteveDave]

For my money, the best ones are Jonathan Miller's adaptation of M.R. James's 'Whistle And I'll Come To You'[nb]which actually preceded the series but, some have said, inspired it

I watched this on youtube the last time it was mentioned on here & failed to get anything but bored eyeless from it.

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Michael Horden dicking about eating several breakfasts & then being frightened of a sheet blowing

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does not scare me in any way. Maybe I missed something but no.

I didn't like Jonathan Miller's version of Alice In Wonderland either. How a film containing that cast can be so dreadfully dull only means it's him who sucks the life out of all he touches. Bar Beyond The Fringe.

[Jerzy Bondov]

I done my Masters dissertation on M. R. James (and other ghost dudes but he's the best one) so I know what I'm talking about and you're well wrong mate. That

Spoiler alert

sheet coming up the beach and the noise it makes

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is scary as fuck.

The idea of an

Spoiler alert

empty bed that appears to have been slept in the next day

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is an absolutely textbook horror conceit, as is (from Casting the Runes)

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putting your hand under your pillow and feeling a hairy fucking face

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. James was great at coming up with those.

[The Roofdog]

M. R. James (and other ghost dudes but he's the best one)

I really hope this was the title of the dissertation.

[Jerzy Bondov]

It was 'Seized by phantoms - the construction of fear in ghost stories', which isn't a very good title, but is a reference to Nightmare-Touch, an interesting sort of ghost story/essay by Lafcadio Hearn. Incidentally if you fancy getting away from Western ghosties then his Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things has some great Japanese ghost stories. I should confess I've only read a little bit of it though, as my dissertation wasn't that good.

[Noodle Lizard]

It was 'Seized by phantoms - the construction of fear in ghost stories', which isn't a very good title, but is a reference to Nightmare-Touch, an interesting sort of ghost story/essay by Lafcadio Hearn. Incidentally if you fancy getting away from Western ghosties then his Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things has some great Japanese ghost stories. I should confess I've only read a little bit of it though, as my dissertation wasn't that good.

The film 'Kwaidan' is one of my favourites of all time.

[Melody Lee]

I recommend 'Ghost Stories for Christmas with Christopher Lee' (M.R. James adaptations, naturally). I absolutely adored settling down to watch them of an evening when they were originally broadcast. Hard to find now, I believe there's an overseas DVD set floating about.

Anyway, the first two episodes are on YouTube...

Episode 1 - 'A Warning to the Curious'.

Episode 2 - 'Number 13'.

[Stone Cold Jane Austen]

On a similar note, Nigel Kneale's fantastic The Stone Tape is on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wixCpfngyG4

[Phil Colons]

There's a box set soon to be available through the BFI Website.

http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_24480.html

[bomb_dog]

On a similar note, Nigel Kneale's fantastic The Stone Tape is on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wixCpfngyG4

I watched this last night, really enjoyed it - thanks for the recommendation. It's great watching something where the camera doesn't really move much, and when it does there is a point to it moving. You can actually concentrate on what's going on - lots of scenes with pretty static shots of people where people move around, not the camera. I miss that. Too much insistence on moving these days (let alone shaking everywhere) - even South Park took the piss in the last episode every time they cut to the 'In Security' call-centre people and had the camera gliding sideways while people on-screen sat still.

I've noticed that Virgin Media have 'Ghostwatch' available now, though I would have thought that the current post-Most haunted audience, watching this on its own, would think it's shit without the context and hoo-ha surrounding it.