After a couple of weeks off, I decided to go back on the M. R James trail with another seventies Christmas Horror, this time 1974's "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas". I think, more so than with the other's I've watched from this period, I struggled with the pace of this one - finding it really slow.
Having helped his protégé, Lord Dattering (Paul Lavers) expose a crooked séance that is exploiting his mother, Reverend Justin Somerton (Michael Bryant) returns to his research. He's focusing on Abbot Thomas, a crooked holy man some 400 years hence who, it is alleged, hid a cache of gold coins somewhere in the cathedral. Firmly believing that they are doing so for research, rather than financial reward, the pair follow a series of clues leading them towards the treasure, but also a warning, that the gold is protected.
Again, it's familiar M. R James territory for the plot. A lot of time spent in ecclesiastical libraries, looking at religious iconography. Each of the ones I've watched previously I recognised some of the actors but not with this, though Michael Bryant and Paul Lavers have a lot of credits between them. Again, it's more of a morality piece, than a straight horror story - as the haunting only really begins once Somerton has sacrificed his pursuit of knowledge for that of gold.
Generally, I've been OK with the slower pace to 70's drama, but I do feel that this was slower than I would have liked and that the investigation was lacking a bit. I also feel I missed a bit of the logic, in how they got from the hidden image on the photograph to the gargoyle. I'm also not the sort of person that needs to see the creature, or ghost in this case, in detail for it to be affective, a hint of movement can be enough - but I felt this time that the images used as the scare were more confusing than anything else.
It wasn't awful, but I have to say that I enjoyed "The Stalls of Barchester" and especially "A Warning to the Curious" a lot more.
Having helped his protégé, Lord Dattering (Paul Lavers) expose a crooked séance that is exploiting his mother, Reverend Justin Somerton (Michael Bryant) returns to his research. He's focusing on Abbot Thomas, a crooked holy man some 400 years hence who, it is alleged, hid a cache of gold coins somewhere in the cathedral. Firmly believing that they are doing so for research, rather than financial reward, the pair follow a series of clues leading them towards the treasure, but also a warning, that the gold is protected.
Again, it's familiar M. R James territory for the plot. A lot of time spent in ecclesiastical libraries, looking at religious iconography. Each of the ones I've watched previously I recognised some of the actors but not with this, though Michael Bryant and Paul Lavers have a lot of credits between them. Again, it's more of a morality piece, than a straight horror story - as the haunting only really begins once Somerton has sacrificed his pursuit of knowledge for that of gold.
Generally, I've been OK with the slower pace to 70's drama, but I do feel that this was slower than I would have liked and that the investigation was lacking a bit. I also feel I missed a bit of the logic, in how they got from the hidden image on the photograph to the gargoyle. I'm also not the sort of person that needs to see the creature, or ghost in this case, in detail for it to be affective, a hint of movement can be enough - but I felt this time that the images used as the scare were more confusing than anything else.
It wasn't awful, but I have to say that I enjoyed "The Stalls of Barchester" and especially "A Warning to the Curious" a lot more.