Is it too early to watch Christmas films?
Probably, just, however i like to get the non Gothic Ghost Stories for Christmas watched prior to the decorations going up and that Christmassy vibe takes over.
The Ice House (1978)
A quietly creepy entry in the Ghost Stories for Christmas series that the BBC show intermittently.
Whilst barely a ghost story this is still a bit of a delight. The whole thing echoes the sense of dread that many of these dramas envelop themselves in, but rather than showcasing the Gothic trappings of MR James this is a modern day set drama in which it becomes obvious that the more times the immortal line "There is only ice in the ice house" is uttered that there's clearly something else as well as ice in the ice house.
The whole thing has an ambiguous approach and i'm still not convinced i understand the final scene but it's still rather enjoyable and creepy.
Stigma (1977)
Stigma is certainly the most disturbing of all the Ghost Stories For Christmas. Set in the present day, well present day 1977, it's the final film of the series from director Lawrence Gordon Clark.
Where this differs from the MR James adaptations is that the subtleties of Gothic horror are long gone, Stigma melds Folk horror with what can only be described as full on body horror. The story which involves stone circles and ritual execution disturbs me more than most horror films. Kate Binchy's performance in a difficult lead role as a regular woman and mother who becomes afflicted with the stigma of bleeding uncontrollably is superb and very unsettling because it's done all so matter of factly. There's no big build up, no hysterics, she simply attempts to deal with her body bleeding for no apparent reason as best she can.
Stigma ends up being very chilling, very grim and very good but not what i'd call a fun ride.
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