The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James (A View from a Hill / a Warning to the Curious / the Ash Tree / Christopher Lee's Ghost Stories for Christmas / Lost Heart)

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Australia released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Box Set, Interactive Menu, Multi-DVD Set, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: A View From A Hill (2005) When Mr Fanshawe borrows his host's binoculars, he sees an unsettling sight on aptly-named Gallows Hill - or does he? Director: Luke Watson A Warning to the Curious (1972) A man goes in search of an ancient crown, unaware that anyone who moves it will be cursed. Director: Lawrence Gordon Clark Ash Tree (1975) Sir Richard inherits the family estate and finds himself overwhelmed with visions of his great uncle's role in the hanging of a woman suspected of witchcraft. Director: Lawerence Gordon Clark Christopher Lee's Ghost Stories for Christmas (2000) Christopher Lee hosts and narrates a series of ghost stories written by M.R. James. Director: Eleanor Yule Lost Hearts (1973) A powerful drama about Mr Abney, an elderly and excitable black magician, who preys sinisterly upon children. Director: Lawrence Gordon Clark Number 13 (2006) Greg Wise stars in this unsettling tale in which a traveller finds that the hotel he's booked into conceals a supernatural secret. Director: Pier Wilkie The Stalls of Barchester (1971) Robert Hardy stars as an ambitious cleric who decides to advance his career by murdering his archdeacon. Director: Lawrence Gordon Clark The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974) Michael Bryant stars as a historian who finds the clue to hidden treasure in an old stained-glass window. Director: Lawrence Gordon Clark Whistle and I'll Come To You (1968) Jonathan Miller's chilling adaptation of the evocative Ed...The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James - 5-DVD Box Set ( A View from a Hill / A Warning to the Curious / The Ash Tree / Christopher Lee's Ghost Stories for Christmas / Lost Heart

The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James (A View from a Hill / a Warning to the Curious / the Ash Tree / Christopher Lee's Ghost Stories for Christmas / Lost Heart) Review

I am an ardent fan of BBC's Ghost Stories for Christmas which was originally released in the 1970s right around Christmastime and later revived in the 2000s. I own another version called The Definitive Edition while my friend owns this Australian boxed set which is not exactly complete as it is missing The Signalman (1976), Stigma (1977), and also Ice House (1978).

This DVD boxed set contains the following stories (on 5 DVDs, PAL Region O, total running time: 461 minutes):
A View From a Hill
"A View from a Hill" (2005) has a young historian, Dr. Fanshawe (Mark Letheren) on a visit to Squire Richards' house where he is to do some cataloguing. Whilst at the Squire's house, Fanshawe wishes to see the sights around the countryside and when his binoculars break, he borrows a pair from the Squire (Pip Torrens) which turns out to have belonged to the historian that was there before him. Little does he realize that the binoculars have been bewitched and he will see things that no mortal should see. Fanshawe's exploration of the countryside brings him to an open field and when he looks through the binoculars, he sees an abbey that should no longer be there - all that is left of it are ruins. Next to this abbey is Gallows Hill, a notorious local landmark known for being a place of execution. Squire Richards' butler, Patten senses the young man's fascination for the ruins and knows the dark secret behind the binoculars having to do with the previous historian who was also similarly obsessed with the abbey and Gallows Hill. As times passes, Fanshawe gets more obsessed with the ruins, not realizing that he has stirred up the old spirits that inhabit the ruins and Gallows Hill, spirits that are now bent on claiming him for their own. This adaptation is quite well-done and credibly cast. There's a palpable sense of menace that stays with the viewer after the last scene.

A Warning to the Curious (1972)
The story focuses on Paxton, who has lost his job and is on vacation in Seaburgh. While he tries to act nonchalant, Paxton accidentally trips over one of the lost crowns of Anglia and the crown's guardian comes after Paxton, much to his horror.

The Ash Tree
"The Ash Tree" is one of my favorites of all of James' stories. I remember getting nightmares after I first read it and even until today, I feel uneasy reading this story. A young gentleman inherits an ancestral manor and from the time he takes possession of the manor, he begins having strange visions having to do with the past. His ancestor had condemned a suspected witch to death and this event comes back to plague the descendant. The young man is particularly troubled by an old ash tree outside his bedroom window and the finale is one that is utterly horrifying. Even though the effects seem dated by today's standards, there is still a menacing and chilling air throughout the story and watching the climax gave me the shudders!

Christopher Lee's Ghost Stories for Christmas - Mr. Lee hosts and narrates three stories, i.e. A Warning to the Curious, Number 13, and The Stalls of Barchester.

Lost Hearts
"Lost Hearts" was adapted for the BBC by Robin Chapman in 1973, and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. It tells the story of a young boy, Stephen (Simon Gipps-Kent) who is sent to live with his reclusive uncle in the country. His uncle (Joseph O'Connor) is obsessed with the idea of immortality, and young Stephen is haunted by two entities, gypsy children with their hearts missing.

Number 13
"Number 13" (2006) stars Greg Wise as an academic who puts up at an old inn during a visit where he is to authenticate some old papers dating back to the Reformation period in England. He is assigned to Room 12 and notices that there is no room 13, and that the next room is 14. One night though, he discovers to his surprise and eventual horror that room 13 has mysteriously materialized. He investigates and soon finds the dark secrets behind room 13, a secret that could very well place his very soul in peril.

The Stalls of Barchester
A scholar named Dr. Black (Clive Swift) is tasked with cataloguing the library of Barchester Cathedral and finds a 50-year-old diary which proves helpful in shedding light on the mysterious death of Dr. Haynes (Robert Hardy) who was a former Archdeacon at the cathedral. As Dr. Black delves deeper, he uncovers the true story of what happened to Haynes' predecessor, and how a centuries' old carving on the cathedral stalls and a black cat play important roles in the story. This was a genuinely creepy story that also focused on the greed within the clergy, and its devastating consequences.

The Treasure of Abbot Thomas
"The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" made its TV debut in 1974 and the story focuses on the tale of a scholar, Reverend Somerton ( played by Michael Bryant), who finds the hidden treasure of a sinister abbot. In the feature adaptation, Somerton has a prot g , Lord Peter Dattering (Paul Lavers) who assists him in his efforts. This addition of a prot�g� is an artistic liberty taken by the producers as it is not found in the source work. This is a highly atmospheric tale and the score is positively creepy.

Whistle and I'll Come to You - both the 1968 and 2010 adaptations
The 1968 adaptation to me appears to be more faithful to the original than the 2010 adaptation. In the 1968 adaptation, the focus is on a reclusive academic who holidays on the East Anglian coast. Ever the rational academic and cynic of all matters supernatural, the academic, Professor Parkin (a brilliant portrayal by Michael Hordern) stumbles across an old whistle with a cryptic inscription. He blows on it, and unknowingly unleashes a supernatural force that not only makes him doubt his own opinion of the supernatural but terrifies him to his very core. In the 2010 version, John Hurt plays a man who goes on holiday somewhere along England's coast to catch a break from the constant attention he has been lavishing on his wife of many years who is suffering from Alzheimer's and who is currently in care. Whilst on vacation, the man accidentally unleashes something supernatural which plagues him everywhere he goes.

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