THE SIGNALMAN is perhaps one of the most frightening of all the Ghost Stories for Christmas that the BBC made back in the 1970s, and it's my joint favourite alongside A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS. Ironically, it's also one of the stories actually not based on a story by ghost story expert M.R. James, but rather Charles Dickens himself.
This is a brief, simple, and effective tale about a world-weary signalman who finds himself haunted by an apparition at a tunnel entrance that warns of doom. There's little more to it than that, but this tale is layered with nuance and atmosphere, as well as a couple of absolutely fantastic performances both from Bernard Lloyd and in particular Denholm Elliot, who has never been better as the ordinary man driven out of his mind.
Perhaps the most important thing to say about THE SIGNALMAN is just how effective it is as a piece of horror. It's one of the finest ghost stories ever put on film, and it continues to deliver even to this day, never feeling dated or forced. The ghost scares are simple but hugely affecting, and the back story compliments the present day events very well. Add in a perfect twist ending and you have a piece of unrivalled brilliance.
This is a brief, simple, and effective tale about a world-weary signalman who finds himself haunted by an apparition at a tunnel entrance that warns of doom. There's little more to it than that, but this tale is layered with nuance and atmosphere, as well as a couple of absolutely fantastic performances both from Bernard Lloyd and in particular Denholm Elliot, who has never been better as the ordinary man driven out of his mind.
Perhaps the most important thing to say about THE SIGNALMAN is just how effective it is as a piece of horror. It's one of the finest ghost stories ever put on film, and it continues to deliver even to this day, never feeling dated or forced. The ghost scares are simple but hugely affecting, and the back story compliments the present day events very well. Add in a perfect twist ending and you have a piece of unrivalled brilliance.