Your Christmas Movies! Whatcha' Watchin' this Christmas season?

[Inspector Abberline]

A Warning to the Curious (1972)
Probably one of the scariest of the bunch,Mr Paxton played by Peter Vaughan as unemployed bank clerk who is also an amateur archaeologist is on the search of ancient legend of the three crowns of Anglia that is said to protect the coast of Norfolk from rampaging Vikings. Only one crown now remains as the other two are now gone, one lost to the sea the other plundered by robbers. The last crown is said to have a guardian, something which an Archaeologist finds out at the start of the film when he's bludgeoned to death . Filmed in Norfolk as opposed to book which was set Suffolk, Lawrence Gordon Clark manages to capture the coast line as wide expanse of land that is never ending and solitary, it has a kind of end of the world feel to it, almost as if you would fall of the edge of the landscape. Peter Vaughan is marvellous as Paxton although I will forever know him as 'Genial' Harry Grout, or 'Grouty' the Godfather of Slade Prison in Porridge.Clive Swift as Dr. Black makes another appearance, obviously Lawrence Gordon Clark liked this character and decided to include him again after The Stalls of Barchester. I think its fair to say that A Warning to the Curious is a pretty straight forward chiller, as soon as Paxton takes the last crown he immediately has the feeling he is being followed, and panic son sets in. What Clark does very well here is the sense of isolation Paxton feels surrounded by open fields or long stretches of coast he almost seems to be the last man on earth. Well apart from Ager his tormentor. Genuinely creepy in tone and especially in atmosphere as Paxton soon realises he needs to replace the crown back to its original burial ground for him to get any peace. An Outstanding film with some great sound effects and music score to match.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

A Warning to the Curious (1972)
An Outstanding film .

Agreed!

[Susan Foreman]

Mr. Abberline - have you timed it so that you watch the last film in the 'Ghost Stories For Christmas' box set on Christmas Eve?

[Inspector Abberline]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

Mr. Abberline - have you timed it so that you watch the last film in the 'Ghost Stories For Christmas' box set on Christmas Eve?

no as Ive been dipping in and out of this box set since October.

[Inspector Abberline]

A View from a Hill (2005)

Directed by Luke Watson, A View From a Hill tells the story of Dr Fanshawe (Mark Letheren ) an historian who goes to value a rare collection of ancient artifacts at Squire Richards' house. Fed up of waiting for Squire Richards (Pip Torrens) at the railway station, Fanshawe decides to go on a head to the Squire's house.While un-packing he soon realizes his binoculars are broken,so Squire Richards finds him another pair. While walking through the countryside Fanshawe uses the binoculars and See's an old monastery in the distance that and the infamous Gallows Hill's a place where many people were hanged in the past. A View from a Hill is definitely one of the more interesting M.R.James stories as it has a great twist in the use of the binoculars and its past owner , Baxter (Simon Linel ) who had them made especially to see the old abbey and dig up the remains of the dead hanged men.Fanshawe goes into the woods alone at night but is soon spooked as he has the feeling that he's being watched and followed.Taking allot of the things that made A waring To the Curious so good,buried treasure of sorts,mysterious ghostly guardians and the comeuppance of the main character as ghostly revenged is soon dished out to the protagonist. Luke Watson the director gives us a rather interesting and complex tale that really dishes out the goose bumps, especially when Fanshawe starts using the binoculars and has a rather lucid nightmare about Baxter and the grim artifacts he has uncovered. With the now usual BBC production values we have come to know and love these later M.R. James stories are exceptionally well made and im so glad they used other MR James stories as opposed to doing a remake,which they did with Whistle and I'll Come to You. If you have only watched the original stories and have been put of by the newer titles in the series,your missing some real gems,but why wasn't Mark Gatiss "The Tractate Middoth" (2013) included from the set?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

t why wasn't Mark Gatiss "The Tractate Middoth" (2013) included from the set?

I really don't know. Surely they could release it as a stand alone feature. Get Gatiss to do a commentary and some interviews etc. I'd buy it.

Nice review Inspector. A View from a Hill is a real gem.

[MuckyFunster]

"Men claim every 80s action movie is a Christmas movie"

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/a...20151219104873

[Prince_Vajda]

Not a "film", but a very nice Christmas-related advert.

[Inspector Abberline]

Don't Open Till Christmas (1984)
Edmund Purdom as Chief Inspector Ian Harris is on the case of psycho murdering any poor sod wearing a santa clause suit.When you got a film Produced by Dick Randall and directed by Purdom and have Alan Lake (Diana Dors third husband, its know wonder Lake always looked tired),your either gonna get trash or rubbish.Luckily we get trash,yes it is garbage but watchable garbage. In fact this the best british slasher film set at Christmas, since I can't think of any others then Don't Open wins that gong.The plot is like a very overlong episode of the tv show The Bill, but with worse acting and direction. As usual with allot Christmas films you can tell that some scenes were filmed nowhere near xmas (this is just pure guess work on my part) ,with the occasional location shots of London in all its drab 80's glory with a few trimmings hanging limpy across the street, otherwise its interior shots of people's house like Inspector Ian Harris festooned with as much tinsel they could afford from the local wholesaler at the time. And other scenes look like they gave up on the whole xmas theme altogether. The trouble with allot of 80's British horror movies is they look so drab and un inspiring to the viewer, imagine Friday the 13th set on a scout camp or My Bloody Valentine transported to a welsh colliery. Or Hallowen in Halesowen instead of Haddonfield, I just don't think they'd be the smash hits they were and are today.Now Do'nty Open does have some nice juicy gore scenes to keep the jaded viewer awake every so often as long as you get the right dvd,so far the only decent release is the Mondo Macabro dvd,the others seemed to be 2nd rate public domain rip offs so avoid like a Santa with an erection. If you want a sleazy tits and occasional gore fest for your boxing day viewing then give it a try, otherwise stick to the Great Escape.Oh there is a plot but it isn't worth repeating. Caroline Munro has a brief cameo as the leader singer of 80's band at a concert.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Where Eagles Dare (1968)

Any who say this isn't a Christmas movie, well i disagree. What do we have in this splendid boys own, Alistair MaClean war time adventure?

Well, we have a lovely Bavarian village, Ingrid Pitt serving Schnapps and mulled wine, alpine trees, twinkling Christmas lights in the form of a myriad of explosions and snow. Lots of snow, meaning there's a one in four chance it's set in December anyway.

As for the film...it's fantastic. A holiday treat, endlessly watchable. Clint Eastwood at his coolest, Richard Burton who actually out cools Clint, a plot that twists and turns and at some points really does make you ask 'What the f**k?' and a final hour of all out action. Shit really blows up in this film!

Where Eagles Dare - The ultimate Christmas movie.