Ghost Stories is a 2017 British horror film written and directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, based on their 2010 stage play of the same name. The series of short films, A Ghost Story For Christmas, became a Yuletide staple on BBC One in the 1970s. The Ringcroft Poltergeist, Scotland’s Most Extreme Haunting, Cold Christmas, Hertfordshire’s saddest haunted church, Gloucestershire: 13 Haunted Places to Visit, Avebury Stone Circles and their ancient mysteries. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite fit and we’re left with something that doesn’t actually make a great deal of sense. Generally adaptations of M.R. ADAM SCOVELL reviews BBC Ghost Stories: The Stalls of Barchester/A Warning to the Curious released by the BFI This review contains spoilers. This is another common theme of both the stories and a typical Jamesian trope where objects result in haunting and the summoning of ghosts and demons. James wasn’t big on redemption but you never come away from one of his stories with a sense of misery. The major problem is the fact that it veers significantly from the original story. However, Jonathan Miller’s 1968 adaptation of Whistle and I Will Come to You (made for the BBC‘s Omnibus series) was both the catalyst as well as the blueprint for the series that followed so its inclusion is both expected and welcome. The ghosts are as subtle as the humour which seems natural and unforced, especially when it appears that Haynes’ senior is living far longer than perhaps expected. This version has lost the chilling sense of fear and the strange underlying sexuality of the Deborah Kerr version. > DVD Review: ‘Ghost Stories from the BBC’ During the 1970s, no Christmas television was complete without the BBC’s famous series A Ghost Story for Christmas . The Turn of the Screw (2009) BBC Review . Remember Me, BBC One, review: 'a non-scary ghost story' This ghost story is rather too settled to be scary and has too little Michael Palin, says Terry Ramsey (CONTAINS SPOILERS) Unluckily for Haynes though, the carvings on the stalls of his church have been cursed to avenge anyone who touches them with blood on their hands. It soon becomes clear that the crown is protected by the ghost of the William Ager who was in charge of looking after it and is the initial murderer we see. The mixture of tension and scares is just about perfect and ultimately this is about as good a Christmas ghost story as you’re going to get. ADAM SCOVELL reviews BBC Ghost Stories: The Stalls of Barchester/A Warning to the Curious released by the BFI. But that brings up another problem with this version. A group of ghosts prepare to … This is actually a great shame as Cross’ story of the guilt-ridden protagonist haunted in a desolate seaside hotel would have almost certainly been compelling had it been left at that. **, Martin Mere in Lancashire is steeped in forklore, including tales of mermaids, says guest writer DEBORAH CONTESSA. Also, Alex Lawther should be praised for a performance that knocks it out of the park. You might also remember more costume dramas than you can wave a BAFTA at, or Tom Baker wearing a scarf in some popular children’s sci-fi programme or another. One deviation from the source material is that the supernatural elements of the story are shown rather than suggested. If you’re wondering quite how these open spaces might be frightening then think of the hotel in The Shining (1980) and remember the BBC pulled the trick off first. Adam Scovell is a writer and filmmaker currently studying for a PhD in Music at the University of Liverpool. Despite the success of his original stories, many of James’s most ardent admirers will have first become aware of his unique style through the BBC’s A Ghost Story … The only fault however is that Gordon Clark shows perhaps a little too much of the physicality of Ager’s ghost. Still, if that’s your kind of thing and you can work your way around the self-inflicted problems of the plot, there is much to enjoy here. Whether it’s a punch-up between cousins who are after the same girl or ... A Glitch in the Matrix explores the theory that we are living in a simulation, built around the writing of Philip K. Dick and the theorie... © STARBURST Magazine - all rights reserved, Please note delivery times may be affected by the current global situation. It’s well known that the BBC have a strong history of period dramas and Barchester is the perfect set up for costume and atmosphere. Black is no doubt a product of James’ own psyche; a fellow of academia surrounded by logical pomposity and a desire for knowledge above all else. But nostalgia and history should never be confused. Though both of the stories are again M.R James adaptations the connecting factor here, apart from being chronologically accurate, is the inclusion in each story of a certain Dr Black played with a natural and antiquarian snootiness by Clive Swift. With little in the way of visual trickery it would be tempting to describe this black and white production as spooky rather than scary but actually that wouldn’t do it justice. And is the Japanese-horror influence of the climax also a bit too sharp for a Christmas tale? However, it does seem a little more out of place. The stories feature demons and ghosts, skeletons and spirits, but the original tales are all imaginatively up-ended by Aoko, and told from a contemporary, female perspective. 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