The BBC found a way to make Christmas terrifying, and it's just a man reading in a chair.
Five partially-dramatized readings of classic M.R. James ghost stories by actor Robert Powell. Including "The Mezzotint", "The Ash-Tree", "The Rose Garden", "Wailing Well" and "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad".
Acting
Powell's voice does what ten jump scares cannot.
Direction
Bell trusts silence more than any modern horror.
Production
Mezzotints and whistles become genuine nightmares.
Director
David Bell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
M.R. James invented the 'antiquarian ghost story' subgenre; these BBC readings are considered definitive adaptations.
Robert Powell recorded these in single takes, often with only his own expression visible to camera.
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