HALLOWEEN AT YULETIDE: A GHOST STORY FOR CHRISTMAS (1971-1978)

Halloween Month rolls along with this look at a very old British series of telefilms that presented some classic horror tales during Christmas Season. The tales themselves were NOT set around Christmas, so they make for nice Halloween Season viewing, too. 

A GHOST STORY FOR CHRISTMAS – I’m only covering the original 1971-1978 run of these horror stories. The series was revived decades later but – especially for American viewers – the original run of (at the longest) 50-minute installments truly counts as Forgotten Television.

THE STALLS OF BARCHESTER (Dec 24th, 1971) – Dr. Black (Clive Swift), a scholar cataloguing the book collection at Barchester Cathedral, comes across the diary of a former Archdeacon who murdered his predecessor so he could rise to the position. The killer was then haunted by ghostly figures in the form of the carvings on the cathedral’s choir stalls. Also starring Robert Hardy, Thelma Barlow and Will Leighton.

A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS (Dec 24th, 1972) – The one and only Peter Vaughn stars as Mr. Paxton, an amateur archeologist. He is investigating an ancient legend about three crowns which keep England safe from invasion with two being lost but one remaining somewhere in the eastern counties. In Seaburgh the locals warn him that the last man to search for the crown turned up dead, but he is not dissuaded. Paxton unearths the crown, but also its unearthly protector.   

LOST HEARTS (Dec 25th, 1973) – When young Stephen (Simon Gipps-Kent) is orphaned, he is sent to live with his much, much older cousin Abney (Joseph O’Conor), a strange man obsessed with the secrets of immortality. The ghosts of a pair of children begin haunting Stephen for unknown reasons. Also starring Susan Richards, Christopher Davis and Michelle Foster. 

THE TREASURE OF ABBOTT THOMAS (Dec 23rd, 1974) – Reverend Justin Somerton (Michael Bryant) exposes a pair of phony spiritual mediums conning the mother of his former pupil Lord Peter Dattering (Paul Lavers). That leads to the duo investigating old writings and stained-glass windows for clues regarding where a dead Abbott buried his alleged treasure. Sheila Dunn, Anne Blake and Virginia Balfour are among the cast. 

THE ASH TREE (Dec 23rd, 1975) – A wealthy Englishman (Edward Petherbridge) inherits his late uncle’s country estate. He travels there to settle all of the property’s affairs but is plagued by sounds from an old ash tree, sounds regarding witch trials of the past. Ghosts and witchcraft are at the core of this tale which also stars Preston Lockwood, Barbara Ewing, Lalla “Romana II” Ward and Lucy Griffiths.

THE SIGNALMAN (Dec 22nd, 1976) – Rather than the usual story by M.R. James, this episode of A Ghost Story for Christmas dramatizes the Charles Dickens story The Signalman. Denholm Elliott stars as the title character, a railroad worker at a lonely post who repeatedly encounters a strange, mysterious man who speaks of an old tragedy. Bernard Lloyd, Reginald Jessup and Carina Wyeth also star.

STIGMA (Dec 28th, 1977) – A young couple (Peter Bowles and Kate Binchy) move into their new home, which is located near a megalithic stone circle. A missing stone from the circle is found in their garden but when it is moved, the skeleton of a crushed, long-ago victim is found underneath it. This unleashes a curse which finds the wife bleeding though free of wounds, plus other travails for the couple. Guest stars Maxine Gordon, John Laurimore and Christopher Blake. 

THE ICE HOUSE (Dec 25th, 1978) – Final installment of the original series. A newly divorced man (John Stride) goes to stay at a spa run by a sinister brother and sister. He becomes victimized by supernatural events like feeling intense cold for no reason. A mysterious flower which manages to grow inside an old ice house seems tied to the strange phenomena. Also starring Elizabeth Romilly and Geoffrey Burridge.   

*** And that wrapped up the initial run of episodes. The series was revived beginning in 2005.

FOR ALL MY HALLOWEEN SEASON BLOG POSTS OF THE PAST CLICK HERE.