The flawed but atmospheric The Stalls of Barchester started off A Ghost Story for Christmas in promising fashion; the following year's A Warning to the Curious would deliver on that promise in spades. Once again adapted from an M. R. James story and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, it sees him scrap the framing narrative of The Stalls of Barchester (but retaining his original character of Dr Black) in favour of a more straightforward story format, and the result remains utterly chilling decades after it was first broadcast in 1972.
Clark's screenplay updates the setting of James' story to the nineteen thirties (the protagonist, amateur archaeologist Paxton, has lost his job due to the Depression and briefly thinks his luck has changed when he finds a buried Anglo-Saxon crown), which allows him to establish continuity with The Stalls of Barchester by including Clive Swift's academic Dr Black; whilst he doesn't function as a literal narrator on this occasion, his inclusion gives Paxton somebody to converse with, aiding exposition. But for the most part, the adaptation is true to the original story, with Paxton discovering an ancient lost treasure on the Norfolk coast, only to find out that it has a terrifying supernatural guardian.
The screenplay is effective, but it is Clark's direction that really makes A Warning to the Curious so unforgettably atmospheric. Once again shooting in 16 mm film, he imbues the whole thing with menacing imagery right from the brutal murder in the first scene, and the bleak location filming - which will become a recurring feature of his A Ghost Story for Christmas episodes - enhances the story's unsettlingly cold atmosphere. John McGlashan's cinematography is a key contributing factor to the look of the episode, but isn't the only one: the scene of Paxton digging up bones - and the crown - is incredibly creepy as the camerawork is combined with a soundtrack by Dick Manton that leads the audience to expect something to happen to him, even though at this point in the story, nothing does. Clark's mise-en-scéne includes an antique shop containing with human skulls, a sinister stuffed fox head, and a weird proprietor; we get dark woods, exposed beaches, and an overgrown graveyard.
The episode stars Peter Vaughan, who gives an excellent naturalistic performance as the doomed Paxton; he's impressively convincing as Paxton becomes increasingly nervy and sweaty when he realises that Ager is haunting him. He gets strong support from Clive Swift, who gets far more to do as Black than he did in The Stalls of Barchester and pays the price: with Clark no longer writing the scripts for A Ghost Story for Christmas after A Warning to the Curious, the character is dropped: the final scene implies that the narrative reason for this is that Ager turns his malevolent attentions towards the good doctor. Clark's casting of John Kearney as William Ager is inspired: he gives a terrifying performance and although after his appearance in the opening scene the ghost is only ever seen in long-shot, often running towards the camera, it makes for profoundly creepy image. Meanwhile, David Cargill's weird Arnold Boots adds to the folk horror vibe of an isolated village whose inhabitants guard its secrets.
Fans of A Ghost Story for Christmas often cite the later Charles Dickens adaptation The Signalman as the highpoint of the original nineteen seventies series and they make a good case. But A Warning to the Curious provides that episode with stiff competition. It remains the best M. R. James adaptation of either the original series or the twenty-first century revival and remains a near-perfect example of how to make a genuinely scary ghost story for television.
Clark's screenplay updates the setting of James' story to the nineteen thirties (the protagonist, amateur archaeologist Paxton, has lost his job due to the Depression and briefly thinks his luck has changed when he finds a buried Anglo-Saxon crown), which allows him to establish continuity with The Stalls of Barchester by including Clive Swift's academic Dr Black; whilst he doesn't function as a literal narrator on this occasion, his inclusion gives Paxton somebody to converse with, aiding exposition. But for the most part, the adaptation is true to the original story, with Paxton discovering an ancient lost treasure on the Norfolk coast, only to find out that it has a terrifying supernatural guardian.
The screenplay is effective, but it is Clark's direction that really makes A Warning to the Curious so unforgettably atmospheric. Once again shooting in 16 mm film, he imbues the whole thing with menacing imagery right from the brutal murder in the first scene, and the bleak location filming - which will become a recurring feature of his A Ghost Story for Christmas episodes - enhances the story's unsettlingly cold atmosphere. John McGlashan's cinematography is a key contributing factor to the look of the episode, but isn't the only one: the scene of Paxton digging up bones - and the crown - is incredibly creepy as the camerawork is combined with a soundtrack by Dick Manton that leads the audience to expect something to happen to him, even though at this point in the story, nothing does. Clark's mise-en-scéne includes an antique shop containing with human skulls, a sinister stuffed fox head, and a weird proprietor; we get dark woods, exposed beaches, and an overgrown graveyard.
The episode stars Peter Vaughan, who gives an excellent naturalistic performance as the doomed Paxton; he's impressively convincing as Paxton becomes increasingly nervy and sweaty when he realises that Ager is haunting him. He gets strong support from Clive Swift, who gets far more to do as Black than he did in The Stalls of Barchester and pays the price: with Clark no longer writing the scripts for A Ghost Story for Christmas after A Warning to the Curious, the character is dropped: the final scene implies that the narrative reason for this is that Ager turns his malevolent attentions towards the good doctor. Clark's casting of John Kearney as William Ager is inspired: he gives a terrifying performance and although after his appearance in the opening scene the ghost is only ever seen in long-shot, often running towards the camera, it makes for profoundly creepy image. Meanwhile, David Cargill's weird Arnold Boots adds to the folk horror vibe of an isolated village whose inhabitants guard its secrets.
Fans of A Ghost Story for Christmas often cite the later Charles Dickens adaptation The Signalman as the highpoint of the original nineteen seventies series and they make a good case. But A Warning to the Curious provides that episode with stiff competition. It remains the best M. R. James adaptation of either the original series or the twenty-first century revival and remains a near-perfect example of how to make a genuinely scary ghost story for television.