The third volume of the BFI’s collected BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas features the last three of the original strand’s MR James adaptations, again directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, but now produced under the auspices of the BBC’s drama division and written by an assortment of writers. This change seems to have had a clear impact on the series, as these three stories lack the weirdness and sense of atmosphere that marked out the earlier episodes like A Warning to the Curious. That’s not to say that these are bad, by any means. The three stories here are still superior chillers, at least in comparison to more modern efforts, but they are also decidedly more ‘normal’.

Lost Hearts, made in 1973, was one of James’ more overt horror tales, and that is reflected here. This is certainly one of the least subtle of the stories in the series, going for full-blooded horror more than ghostly chills as it tells the story of Stephen (Simon Gripps-Kent), a young orphan sent to live with his eccentric relative Mr Abney (Joseph O’Conor). As soon as he arrives, Stephen is haunted by the vampiric spirits of two children, both orphans like himself who had briefly lived at the house before mysteriously disappearing. As the story goes on, the truth behind their disappearance starts to emerge, leading to an act of vengeance that ultimately saves Stephen from the same fate.

With some surprisingly gruesome moments, Lost Hearts is an effective shocker, helped by O’Conor’s excellent performance as the seemingly harmless but ultimately malicious guardian, who’s evil is revealed slowly behind his omnipresent smile. The ghostly children, as grey as a Dawn of the Dead zombie, are genuinely creepy and the story moves at a fast pace unusual for the series. What it perhaps lacks is the ambiguity and moodiness of the earlier stories, replacing them with less subtle horror film moments.

1974’s The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, on the other hand, steps back from the horror and for much of its running time is more of a period mystery, with the Reverend Justin Somerton (Michael Bryant) and assistant Lord Peter Dattering (Paul Lavers) in search of the title treasure, belonging to a medieval cleric and alchemist. While claiming to only be interested in the treasure for historical reasons, Somerton is clearly arrogant (early on, we see he rather-too-smugly expose a fake medium) and greedy, both for wealth and glory. It’s no surprise then that he eventually meets his downfall, having stubbornly ignored the increasingly supernatural clues. Encountering a strange (ambiguously, creepily shot) apparition when he finally finds the treasure, the Reverend is reduced to a shell of a man by the ensuing haunting – something that, in true Jamesian style, is not assuaged by the return of the treasure.

More creepy than scary, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas is possibly the weakest of the three stories here, with no sympathetic characters and being rather too talky for its own good. Nevertheless, the final moments of horror (and the strange ghostly figure that guards the treasure) are impressive.

The final story on this disc is 1975 production The Ash Tree, and it’s probably the best of the three included here. This tale offers a combination of subtle growing fears and outright horror – with an army of mutant foetus-like creatures emerging from the titular tree at the rather action-packed climax. The story follows Sir Richard Fell (Edward Petherbridge), a nobleman who returns to his family home where an ancient ash tree towers over the house, and who is soon plagued with nightmares and memories of his ancestor Sir Matthew, who was responsible for the condemnation and killing of accused (and, as it turns out, actual) witch Anne Mothersole, who he had secret desires for. Her curse eventually explodes from the tree in the shape of some remarkably effective creatures (the effects are crude, but that somehow adds to the creepiness of these monsters).

The Ash Tree certainly doesn’t hold back on the horror – alongside the monsters, there is a scene of the half-naked witch being interrogated that wouldn’t seem out of place in Mark of the Devil – but it’s the creeping sense of inevitable retribution that makes the story work, along with a sense of sexual repression – the vengeance begins with the return of the less stuffy Sir Richard and his fiancée Lady Agatha, a small but notable role for Vampire Circus/Dr Who star Lalla Ward, who is so effortlessly sexy that it’s no surprise that the free spirit of Mistress Mothersole is revived.

While lacking the atmosphere of earlier episodes, the three stories included here are nevertheless more than worthy – Lost Hearts and The Ash Tree are first rate, full-blooded horror stories that in any other context would seem beyond reproach, and it’s hardly fair to criticise them for not being as good as those that came before. For all accounts and purposes, they are essential viewing for fans of the gothic, and this is every bit as worthy a purchase as the earlier volumes.

My only criticism - and it's hardly a fair one really - is that this volume lacks the impressive supplementary content of the first two – there are, of course, three stories rather than two included, alongside introductions to each story by Clark and the usual extensive booklet, and on most releases that would seem plenty. But having been spoiled by a brief taste of them on the second volume, I would’ve liked to see more of the later, narrated MR James stories by Christopher Lee, Robert Powell, Tom Baker and the like included here. Hopefully, these will get a release of their own at some point.

DAVID FLINT

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