A Ghost Story For Christmas...

Fascinated as I am by Horror (true horror this is, not gore-filled Hollywood torture-porn), I look forward to Christmas for BBC Four's resurrection of the tradition of a ghost story, as much as I do any turkey, presents and inevitable bickering after too much sparkling wine.

Now the horror author par excellence is, in my eyes, the majestic Montague Rhodes James (simply known as M. R. James), whose willingness to escape the gothic trappings of his predecessors and bring ghost stories kicking and screaming into the early 20th century, mark him out as one of the most effective and influential writers of the genre. A renowned medieval scholar, James was educated at King's College Cambridge and indeed remained there, first as a don and later as provost. It was these themes of stuffy, arrogant academia and a penchant for monastic locations and religious connotations that create such a remarkable atmosphere of terror.

While James was also a serious scholar, publishing a prolific output of works (of which I have the excellent 'Abbeys' on my desk right now) and remains highly regarded among such circles to this day, it is however for his collections of ghost stories that I love him so dearly.

Right, so what does this have to do with BBC Four? I hear you ask. Well sit down, I'm just getting there, if you'd let me get a word in edgeways. Long before the days when TV was clogged up with specials of Gavin and Stacey and clipshows (in short, happier times), the BBC aired a Ghost Story For Christmas. Now these included The Signalman by Charles Dickens and the brilliant Schalcken the Painter by victorian horror master Joseph Sheridan LeFanu (of whom James was a champion), but most of all they were adaptations of the works of dear old Monty.

My absolute favourite is 'A Warning to the Curious' (now available on BFI DVD) in which Peter Vaughan stars as an antiquarian arriving in a quaint coastal town, in search of the legendary Seaburgh Crowns. Published in 'The Haunted Dolls' House and Other Ghost Stories', A Warning to the Curious does exactly what it says on the tin, but the storycraft is remarkable and the tension ratchets up to impossible levels, as we watch the antiquarian deal with the consequences of his 'discovery'. In short it is masterful, every person the protagonist encounters is distinctly unnerving, with the exception of fellow tourist Dr. Black (who also appears in The Stalls of Barchester, portrayed by Clive Swift). The hotellier is creepy, the priest is creepy, the shop owner is creepy and the form in which retribution hounds our unfortunate antiquarian is terrifying and relentless. As is often the case with the greatest horror stories, it's the things that aren't shown that generate the greatest amount of terror and that is precisely what happens with the remarkable ending.

I feel the need for a brief word about my other two favourite tales from the pen of M. R. James: The Treasure of Abbot Thomas and perhaps the scariest of them all, Lost Hearts. TTOAT focuses on Peter, a young academic and the obsession of his tutor, Justin. Namely unravelling the series of clues left by alchemist Abbot Thomas leading to his treasure. After what seems like a straightforward clue-solving plot as Peter and Justin exercise their latin, take images of stained-glass windows and discover a culvert that could well be the location of the treasure. All the while surrounded by hooded monks of the abbey, whose presence are rather unnerving. After my description of the style of Jamesian horror, it should come as no surprise that, when Justin attempts to retrieve the hoard, he faces considerably more than he bargained for and yet again it becomes clear that simply putting it back does not satiate the appetite of a terrifying guardian spirit. Once again the ending is a magnificent coup de grace.

Now, if you were thinking that every ghost story of James' was simply a case of 'curiosity killed the antiquarian', then you would be mistaken. Lost Hearts tells the story of young Stephen moving to live with his cousin, the curious and occult-obsessed Mr. Abney. After sighting some ghostly children, Stephen learns that there had been two other orphans at the house at various times: A gypsy girl and an Italian drifter, found carrying his hurdy gurdy on the banks of a river, both of whom disappeared under mysterious circumstances. I don't want to ruin it for you, needless to say, it is a gruesome and chilling story, available here.

Now I didn't just write this post to wax lyrical about M. R. James (though it was a major contributing factor), but to talk about the general tradition of the Ghost Story For Christmas, resurrected last year by the marvellous Mark Gatiss. Now I've enjoyed every project that Mark Gatiss has been involved in (the League of Gentlemen, Nebulous, Doctor Who, BBC7's The Man in Black) but it was last year's Crooked House that elevated him to the pantheon of great writers, in my eyes. Three chilling tales, woven around the constant of the mysterious Geap Manor. An 18th Century tale of spirits in the Wainscoting, a roaring twenties story of love and betrayal and a terrifying realisation made in the present day. If you hurry to the iPlayer now- go on, quickly - you can catch all three of these. They are remarkably good, if the tiniest of fractions short of the towering genius of James and certainly put most modern horror tales to shame (even if I did spy some Fabulous Bakin' Boys Cupcakes in the episode set in the '20s). The final episode is a real triumph and though each episode is self-contained, it really rewards you for watching all 3 with a number of clever revelations. It has restored my faith in modern horror and hope that there is more to come from the talented Mr. Gatiss.

So go now (yes you, the one reading this) buy some M. R. James books, watch some adaptations and watch Crooked House on the iPlayer, you owe it to yourself and it's what Christmas is all about.

Thanks for reading, don't have nightmares... and oh, before I forget, Merry Christmas.