(1971)
Dir - Lawrence Gordon Clark
Overall: GOOD
A Ghost Story form Christmas was an annual BBC One strand of short films that all aired during the week of Christmas, representing a sort of cinematic version of the tradition of telling such supernatural tales around the holidays. The first official entry to belong to the series, (though other similar works had been done before, most notably 1968's, M.R. James' Whistle and I'll Come for You as part of the Omnibus series), was The Stalls of Barchester, likewise an adaptation of one of M.R. James literary works. All but one Ghost Story were expertly directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and Barchester is no exception in quality. Though it perhaps spends a little too leisurely of a time fleshing itself out, (unlike others in the series which were pretty compact), it delivers superbly with hair-raising chills that both spring up in a sudden fashion and other times emerge rather tranquilly. Some of the other James stories that were later adapted for the program were a bit more engaging, (the main protagonist here is somewhat underwritten, making it difficult to perhaps sympathize with him if we are even supposed to), but there is still a satisfying level of ambiguity where far more is alluded to than not.
(1972)
Dir - Lawrence Gordon Clark
Overall: GREAT
The second M.R. James reworking done officially for the annual A Ghost Story for Christmas program on BBC One was A Warning to the Curious, which still might be the series' most celebrated along with The Signalman from four years later. Bringing back The Stalls of Barchester character Dr. Black to perhaps link the two, (though all future entries were presented more as stand-alones), this one also stars Peter Vaughan, (Fanatic, Brazil, Game of Thrones), as the main protagonist Mr. Paxton who was substantially changed from the source material version where he was a much younger man that accidentally stumbles upon what Vaughan's character deliberately seeks out. Director Lawrence Gordon Clark once again creates a fantastically slow, spooky mood. The supernatural elements are calmly suggested for most of the running time so that when they do become more blatant, they are positively chilling, nearly making you jump without resembling any moronic "boo scares" tactics in the slightest. The story may not be equipped with any twists, but it is handled so expertly that the predictability of it is hardly a problem. This stands as one of the most successfully atmospheric horror films ever made for television.
(1973)
Dir - Lawrence Gordon Clark
Overall: GREAT
Still consistently excellent and questionably the most macabre and actually scary entry in the A Ghost Story for Christmas series was the third of them, Lost Hearts. It may be because it revolves around a soon-to-be twelve-year old boy cooped up in a weird castle with his exponentially weird, far older cousin who seems to be gleefully obsessed with alchemy, astrology, and Satan knows what else. Because after all, children getting spooked out of their wits generally seems to resonate most with many a viewer. On that note, Lost Hearts uses the "creepy kids" horror gimmick better than most and there are a number of wonderful moments here that are borderline terrifying even if they still follow the same kind of ghost story logic of specters doing things that are certainly unnerving yet illogical at the same time. Irish-born actor and playwright Joseph O'Conor is marvelous as the eccentric Mr. Abney and his childlike buoyancy makes the later plot reveal that much more ghoulish. Throw in some positively creepy hurdy-gurdy music and long fingernails as well and you really cannot lose.
(1974)
Dir - Lawrence Gordon Clark
Overall: GREAT
Another very solid M.R. James adaptation, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas changes around a number of characters from the source material, removing some and adding others as well as switching the location from Germany to England and substantially tweaking the ending. The latter detail is for the better as the last several minutes here are the strongest and director Lawrence Gordon Clark does marvelous work keeping it perplexingly creepy long after it is all over. A number of later horror films such as The Church, The Borderlands, and As Above, So Below to name a few bare similarities to the premise here as people unlock ancient messages in search of some sort of hidden reward in or around a church or burial area. As one of the shorter entries in the A Ghost Story for Christmas series, some may find that Treasure feels a bit rushed while others could argue that it refreshingly trims all of the fat and therefor delivers a more chilling result due to how quickly it is wrapped up. The latter sentiment is one that is quite difficult to argue with.
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