In between household chores during my Easter break I'm slowly going through Quatermass films and series, which I've commented on already. More to come on that.
The other stuff I'm catching up on are the supposedly scariest TV programs ever shown on British television. There are various online lists and many include modern shows. I'm not bothering with those but sticking to the Golden age of telly.
My current list is the British Film Institute's 10 Classics of British TV Horror. You can check it yourself here. I'm limited to what I can find in full on the net, so one of the programs, Robin Redbreast, is inaccessible without shelling out, which I'm not keen on doing!
So far I have watched The Woman in Black, the 1989 version, courtesy of reader Evil Ed's DVD a few years back. As a film cum play it's simply stunning and terrifying in equal measure. One particular bedroom scene will give me the willies for a while yet! Even in the late Eighties they were capable of Seventies quality.
I have also watched The Stone Tape, which I have blogged about at length before and it's perhaps the creepiest TV play ever in my opinion. I love its obsession with acoustics and sound recorders. Nigel Kneale wrote this gem.
During Barty's Party, part of the Beasts series again penned by Nigel Kneale, was, after appearing on the BFI list, a disappointment I'm afraid. I think it may have been the lack of ghosts. Rodents, even huge unseen ones, just can't compete. Despite this it was very well acted and a great example of the rich seam of TV drama created during the Seventies.
Lost Hearts is another matter. One of the classic BBC Christmas ghost stories, which I am gradually managing to see in toto, it revolves around an alchemist with a mad desire for immortality. The ghosts are genuinely creepy and reminded me of the Glick brothers flying round the set of David Soul's Salem's Lot. It was excellent.
This leaves Roald Dahl's Royal Jelly, which I saw the year in was shown on TV and the Mystery and Imagination version of Dracula starring Denholm Elliott. Dead of Night The Exorcism is also mentioned and so it's also on my list.
As I said, I'm not bothered about modern fare like Ghostwatch, Being Human and the Fades. They just don't do it for me.
What else do you recommend readers?
I remember seeing The Signalman many years ago. A spooky 1976 BBC television film and one of the Ghosts for Christmas adaptations with Denholm Elliot as the title character. Unfortunately I couldn't find this version of the Dickens story on youtube, but I could easily have overlooked it. Hopefully a good atmospheric 70s chiller to watch Woodsy, if you can track it down :)
ReplyDeleteYes I may have seen that Tony. Very atmospheric in his small signalman's box. It's on my list for a re-match next week. By the way, "Its in the Trees" is a quote from the classic horror film Night of the Demon. Kate Bush borrowed it. She must be a monster nut too!
DeleteOne that I saw as a kid, and stuck with me till I recently tracked it down again, was an Episode of Thriller titled 'Someone At The Top Of The Stairs'. A bit clunky but the core idea is fairly creepy.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look for Lost Hearts, that sounds like a good one.
I'm kind of surprised that Ghostwatch doesn't work for you.
Yes, KG, Thriller was just wonderful. I may have that episode on VHS. I will have to check. If not I'll try You Tube although there weren't many Thriller episodes on there last time I looked. Yes, Lost Hearts, although short, may quicken your pulse! As for Ghostwatch, I'm an old git basically. Apart from the X-Files, I just don't bother with 'modern' stuff! Perhaps though, as you seem surprised, maybe I should at least give Ghostwatch a watch!
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