A Ghost Story for Christmas The Stalls of Barchester

1971

Drama / Fantasy / Horror / Mystery / Thriller

9
IMDb Rating 6.7/10 10 1092 1.1K

Plot summary

Scholar Dr. Black's seemingly mundane assignment of sorting through the assets of the Barchester Cathedral library takes an eerie turn when he comes across the papers of the late Archdeacon, who plotted to gain his position through murder. However, he soon comes to discover something truly horrific about the wooden choir stalls in the church, which are tied to a famous local tree and a sinister local legend.

Director

Lawrence Gordon Clark Photo
Lawrence Gordon Clark

Top cast

Clive Swift Photo
Clive Swift as Dr. Black
Erik Chitty Photo
Erik Chitty as Priest
Robert Hardy Photo
Robert Hardy as Archdeacon Haynes
Martin Hoyle Photo
Martin Hoyle as Verger
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
415.64 MB
1280*960
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
25 fps
12 hr 45 min
Seeds 2
771.75 MB
1440*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
25 fps
12 hr 45 min
Seeds 8

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by ackstasis 6 / 10

"Who that touches me with his hand, if a bloody hand he bear, I counsel him beware"

'The Stalls of Barchester (1971)' was the first entry in BBC's wonderful "Ghost Story for Christmas" series, but unfortunately it fails to attain the dizzying heights of creepiness reached by 'A Warning to the Curious (1972)' and 'The Signalman (1976).' The short film was adapted from a tale by author M.R. James – who provided many of the "Ghost Stories for Christmas" – and was directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, who likewise helmed most of BBC's ghost-story adaptations. The story concerns Archdeacon Haynes (Robert Hardy), who inherits his title following the "accidental" death of his 92-year-old predecessor, whose demise Haynes had awaited rather impatiently. Though it's never explicitly spoken, we all know what evil the Archdeacon has orchestrated, and so punishment is gradual yet inevitable. The recording of the story that I watched (taped, I estimate, around 1999) had an interesting introduction from Christopher Lee, who briefly describes meeting M.R. James in 1935 at Eton College.If I had to name one reason why 'The Stalls of Barchester' isn't quite as scary as its successors, it would be the storytelling structure. Though telling the story through Dr. Black's (Clive Swift) library research was likely staying faithful to James' original story (I haven't read it myself, but he constructed many of his ghost-stories as third-person tellings), it also disrupted the rhythm of the narrative at regular intervals, and removed the immediacy of Archdeacon Haynes' otherworldly experiences. Hardy, in the main role, was oddly distant and unidentifiable as a character, and so we don't particularly hang onto his every breath as we might otherwise have done. For what it's worth, I associated mostly closely with Dr. Black, and it's unfortunate that his part in the tale was merely that of a curious and belated observer. The first half of the film, merely a set-up completely devoid of the supernatural, was something of a chore to sit through, though the eventual pay-off provided adequate compensation in the form of creepy night-time happenings.Perusing my previous review of 'A Warning to the Curious,' I was interested to recall that Clive Swift there reprised his role as Dr. Black, playing the holiday companion to Peter Vaughan's haunted treasure-hunter. The success of that M.R. James adaptation underlines my earlier point: by placing our narrator in the midst of the paranormal, and placing his own life on the line, there is a more immediate sense of threat that translates directly towards the viewer's insecurities. 'The Stalls of Barchester,' by its very structure, encourages detachment from its doomed subject, and Hardy's aloof portrayal only broadened this emotional gulf. Nevertheless, this Ghost Story for Christmas has enough creepy moments to warrant interest from fans of the series: a disembodied hand, gaunt and knotted, reaches for Haynes' shoulder; an unseen voice whisperingly requests permission to enter the bedroom; a shadow, swathed in darkness, retreats from the scene of a murder, a chilling hybrid of human and feline features. Sinners beware, for there are those who will always be able to recognise that blood on your hands.
Reviewed by Leofwine_draca 9 / 10

First of the classic BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas

The first in in the series of ghost stories that the BBC would run on Christmas Eves and which would quickly become a tradition is a subtle, quietly chilling adaptation of an M.R. James story. Personally I find this particular story (which was also read by Christopher Lee in the recent 2000 miniseries) slightly stuffy; however, this excellent adaptation turns this around completely to make a horror-filled and generally frightening little tale.Clive Swift (who would reprise his role of curious scholar Doctor Black in the next year's A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS) is the film's narrator, as it is he who uncovers the diary of the Archdeacon and he alone who believes the supernatural events it contains. Swift is excellent and convincing in his turn as the mild-mannered, friendly scholar who digs into things that maybe he shouldn't (it's often obvious that James' narrators are thinly-disguised versions of the author himself). Robert Hardy plays the foolhardy deacon, ruined by his ambition to become the Archdeacon. Hardy successfully convinces us that his character, Haynes, really is going out of his mind with worry and fear.The horror mainly comes from subtle things like noises on the landing (shades of THE HAUNTING here), a huge black cat that appears and disappears without notice, and the eerie, grinning faces of gargoyles in the churchyard. I did like the inclusion of a cloaked skeleton which appears occasionally to great spooky effect and pops up in the nerve-shattering ending. Although quite slow to begin with, the quality acting and characterisation slowly hooks you into the tale and forces you to watch until the ending, no matter how horrific it may become. There's also an epilogue which is magnificently creepy in its own subtle way. Although not as unrelentingly scary as A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS (my favourite of the series, incidentally), THE STALLS OF BARCHESTER still packs a number of chills and jumps into its running time and is worth seeking out for classic horror fans.
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