Ghost Stories From BBC Vol.4

I would have given this disc a solid five if it weren't for the other titles which I feel are definitely inferior to the brilliant 'Signalman'. Real fantastic acting by all concerned and very well adapted, it is also a story worthy of adapting as other than MR James' ghost stories the only other that can match up to the supernatural terror is this lesser known ghost story by Charles Dickens. The second feature 'Stigma' isn't too bad, it reminded me very much of the supernatural stories that the BBC experimented with (Stone Tape, The Omega Factor and Sapphire and Steel (you should be adding these to your rental list, you'll not regret it)) that didn't involve a straight up ghost story. The third story is dreck. I'm certain the story it was adapted from is a very good story but it definitely didn't translate well at all. It was sort of like a really, really, really bad episode of Tales of the Unexpected - of which there are hardly any. Same production values and acting you just cannot take seriously. So, Signalman is a Five, Stigma, 3 and a 1/2, last story pantaloons.

Can't help but feel that my fellow reviewer, hensonator, has missed the point not just with these stories but also with most weird fiction. The point of weird fiction is to unsettle, disturb and perhaps scare. It's effect would be somewhat diminished if there were nice rounded explanations such as: 'oh the ghost wanted to avenge its death etc etc' Because this series of BBC adaptations is well known in weird fiction fan circles most people who come to these films from that background will watch them and make allowances, not least for the sometimes poor effects (hey this was the 70s and it was the BBC). For those come afresh then be warned, 1970s TV may not be for you, HD/Blueray these are not, digital effects unheard of and budgets were tight; but as The Blair Witch Project showed a decade ago and Paranormal Activity more recently good scares can be had from low cost film making. The edition marks the end of M R James influence for the time being, instead we have two 'original' stories that are not great and one of the great ghost stories by possibly one of the greatest literary figures in history, Charles Dickens. 'The Signalman' is an excellent version of an excellent short story and worth the rental alone; take the other two stories as a bonus.

I remember watching this as a child, so rented it to bring back the old memories. Well, what a disappointment. The stories, picture quality and audio are all poor! I cant understand why it's held in such high regard. All of the stories start out interesting with strange things happening, but none of them have a resolution or proper ending, they just end. Anyone could write that! It's basically 'there's a supernatural presence, someone dies, the end' without any explanation as to why. The picture and audio kept skipping on all movies, I checked the disc and the player and they are fine, so I assume it must be on the master copy of the video as it's old film stock. The only good thing is the acting from the cast which is very good, particularly Denholm Elliott in the Signalman.

This is a brilliant dvd i had only seen the m r james stories and these keep up the same standards if u liked tales of the unexpected you will love these best to watch these at night for the best scare factor i recommend the other volumes also