A GHOST STORY FOR CHRISTMAS (1968, 1973, 1976) – Episode 231 – Decades of Horror 1970s

“Ghosts? That’s a rather sticky one, isn’t it? I’m not quite certain what you mean, I mean, I’m never quite certain what we are invited to believe, I mean, when anybody asks me a question like that. I’m not even quite certain what I’m being invited to disbelieve.” Ah, yes. British ghost stories. And on Christmas. What could be better? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they create a makeshift anthology from the 1970s BBC series, A Ghost Story for Christmas!

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 231 – A Ghost Story for Christmas (1970s)

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A Ghost Story for Christmas

• “Whistle and I’ll Come to You,” Omnibus S1.E17 ( May 7, 1968) 
  • Synopsis: A skeptical professor on vacation in Norfolk finds a cursed whistle.
  • Directed by: Jonathan Miller
  • Writing Credits: M.R. James (story “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad,” ); Jonathan Miller (adaptation)
  • Selected Cast:
    • Michael Hordern as Professor Parkins
    • Ambrose Coghill as Colonel
    • George Woodbridge as Hotel Proprietor
    • Nora Gordon as Proprietress
    • Freda Dowie as Maid
• “Lost Hearts” (Dec 25, 1973)
  • Synopsis: A young orphan, Stephen, is sent to live with his strange, much older cousin at his remote country house. Once there, Stephen experiences terrible dreams in which he sees a young girl and boy.
  • Directed by: Lawrence Gordon Clark
  • Writing Credits: M.R. James (story); Robin Chapman (dramatization)
  • Selected Cast:
    • Simon Gipps-Kent as Stephen
    • Joseph O’Conor as Mr. Abney
    • James Mellor as Parkes
    • Susan Richards as Mrs. Bunch
    • Christopher Davis as Boy
    • Michelle Foster as Girl
    • Roger Milner as Vicar
    • Carina Wyeth as Girl – Flashback Scenes (uncredited)
• “The Signalman” (Dec 22, 1976)
  • Synopsis. A lonely Signalman is visited by a stranger.
  • Directed by: Lawrence Gordon Clark
  • Writing Credits: Charles Dickens (story); Andrew Davies (adaptation)
  • Selected Cast:
    • Denholm Elliott as The Signalman
    • Bernard Lloyd as The Traveller
    • Reginald Jessup as The Engine Driver
    • Carina Wyeth as The Bride

The Grue-Crew assembled their own anthology for this holiday episode and cheated a bit on the decade. They discuss three ghost stories from the United Kingdom. Two are based on stories by M.R. James and one by Charles Dickens; two tales are taken from the 1970s BBC series A Ghost Story for Christmas and the third is the 1968 inspiration for the series. The subjects of this episode are:

1. “Whistle and I’ll Come to You,” Omnibus S1.E17, M.R. James ( May 7, 1968)
2. “Lost Hearts,” A Ghost Story for Christmas, M.R. James (Dec 25, 1973)
3. “The Signalman” A Ghost Story for Christmas, Charles Dickens (Dec 22, 1976)

The 70s crew are divided on one of the shorts but unanimously enthusiastic on the other two. The Brits do ghost stories very well, don’t they?

At the time of this writing, all episodes of A Ghost Story for Christmas (1970s) are available to stream from Shudder. They are also available on physical media on six Blu-ray formatted discs contained in Ghost Stories for Christmas, Volumes 1 & 2, from BFI (may not play on most DVD/Blu-Ray players sold in the US due to region encoding incompatibility).  

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Chad, will be Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), with a script co-written by John Carpenter and starring Faye Dunaway, Tommy Lee Jones, Rene Auberjonois, Brad Dourif, and Raul Julia. Hmmm. What will they think?

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at [email protected].