---
product_id: 75045258
title: "Ghost Stories from the BBC: The Signalman / Stigma / The Ice House (DVD)"
brand: "bfi"
price: "€ 56.95"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/75045258-ghost-stories-from-the-bbc-the-signalman-stigma-the-ice
store_origin: HR
region: Croatia
---

# Ghost Stories from the BBC: The Signalman / Stigma / The Ice House (DVD)

**Brand:** bfi
**Price:** € 56.95
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Ghost Stories from the BBC: The Signalman / Stigma / The Ice House (DVD) by bfi
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## Description

Ghost Stories from the BBC: The Signalman / Stigma / The Ice House Films by Lawrence Gordon Clark and Derek ListerAs a Christmas treat in the late 1960s and 70s, the BBC produced adaptations of ghost stories based on the works of MR James, the Cambridge academic and author of some of the most spine-tingling tales in the English language, which were broadcast to terrified viewers in the dead of winter. This was a tradition that was briefly revived by the BBC between 2007 and 2010.These adaptations, which have a subtlety and style all of their own, have been a major influence on many contemporary British horror filmmakers and have come to be some of the most sought after British TV titles by their legions of eager fans.THE SIGNALMAN (1976)When a traveller (Bernad LLoyd) stumbles upon a signalbox situated on a lonely stretch of country rail track, he is unable to believe the incredible story of its troubled occupant. Andrew Davies' (Pride and Prejudice, House of Cards) atmospheric adaptation from a short story by Charles Dickens features a remarkable performance by Denholm Elliott (A Room With a View, Bad Timing, Raiders of the Lost Ark) as the eponymous railway employee haunted by dreadful premonitions.STIGMA (1977)The pagan stone circles of Avebury are the backdrop for writer Clive Exton's modern-day horror. The attempted removal of an ancient menhir from a family's back garden unleashes a bloody curse on unsuspecting housewife Katharine, whose rising panic is captured brilliantly by Kate Binchy. The final offering in the BBC series to be directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, Stigma is available here for the first time on DVDTHE ICE HOUSE (1978)After his wife leaves him, Paul (John Stride) seeks solace at a sophisticated health spa run by a pair of sinister siblings (played by Geoffrey Burridge and Elizbeth Romilly). Strangely attracted by the scent of a vine that grows on the old ice house in the spa's grounds, Paul is drawn ever deeper into a horrifying mystery. Written by John Bowen (The Treasure of Abbot Thomas) The Ice House is available here on DVD for the first time.Special featuresIntroduction to The Signalman by Lawrence Gordon Clark (2012, 11 mins)Introduction to Stigma by Lawrence Gordon Clark (2012, 9 mins)Fully illustrated booklet featuring newly commissioned essays by broadcaster Matthew Sweet and Dr Helen Wheatly UK / colour / English language / Dobly Digital mono audio (320kbps)

## Images

![Ghost Stories from the BBC: The Signalman / Stigma / The Ice House (DVD) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61yMy0mznqL.jpg)
![Ghost Stories from the BBC: The Signalman / Stigma / The Ice House (DVD) - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Ni4jnggQL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Really fine
  

*by H***Y on Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2018*

Really fine stories and Denholm Elliott is superb as usual.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Atmospheric stories of the supernatural
  

*by Z***S on Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2013*

BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas ran between the years 1971 and 1978. This DVD contains three of those stories.The Signalman, is an adaptation of a short story by Charles Dickens and was telecast in 1976. It is an effectively creepy tale, with the seemingly innocuous words "Hello, below there!" that signals (no pun intended) the beginning of a strange and surreal tale. The phrase is uttered by a traveler (Bernard Lloyd) who is out on a walk when he calls down to a signalman whose gaze appears to be transfixed by something at the mouth of the railway tunnel. The traveler finds the signalman (Denholm Elliott in an understated yet thoroughly convincing performance) strangely afraid of him, but when the signalman discovers the traveler is not whom he thought he was, a friendship of sorts develops between the pair and the traveler joins the signalman at his signal box. Over a cup of tea, the traveler concludes that the signalman is a man of some learning but is obviously suffering some level of anxiety over an unnamed trouble.The story develops slowly but surely, and when the traveler does eventually discover the source of the signalman's anxiety, he tries to help his new friend by providing a rational explanation. Of course, in a ghost story, one knows that not all things can be explained in a rational manner. The performances by both characters are compelling, especially the credible portrayal of the besieged signalman by Elliott. I found the story to be highly atmospheric, and there's a palpable sense of looming danger that permeates the story and is made all the more real by the convincingly creepy soundtrack, especially in the sound of the warning bell.At around 40 minutes, this is a short dramatization, but the cast and story make this one of the best in the series. It left me with a deep sense of melancholy and yes, horror. Recommended for fans of supernatural stories in the classic tradition.The second story, "Stigma" was telecast in 1977 and was scripted by Clive Exton. Unlike the earlier ghost stories featured in this series, especially the first few which were based on the master M.R. James' short stories, I feel Stigma does not really conform to the atmospheric ghost story genre. It is quite straightforward and leaves little to the imagination (which is why I favor the earlier stories and also The Signalman). In this story, a family of three live in a house in the countryside. There is some construction work going on in a field nearby and the disruption of the ancient stone circles in the field unleashes a long dormant terror. The unsuspecting family is impacted, especially the mother who begins to notice bleeding but can't seem to find the source. It is only towards the end, when one of the ancient stones is lifted and a skeleton unearthed does the viewer begin to understand what precipitated these strange events. Though "Stigma" is a supernatural tale, it is not a ghost story and I felt that it was not as well-made as the earlier stories.Lastly, there's "The Ice House" which was telecast in 1978. This story is set at a health spa where mysterious events occur, having to do with a particular flower growing on the grounds. Though it has its creepy moments, I felt that this, in addition to Stigma, was a far cry from the antiquarian feel of the earlier episodes.I would still recommend this as a necessary watch for those who love supernatural themed dramas, and The Signalman is certainly the best of the trilogy featured here. I think there was an attempt to revive the series some years ago, with a return to adaptations of M.R. James' works, i.e. A View From a Hill in 2005, and Number 13 (starring Greg Wise) in 2006. Both were much better than Stigma and The Ice House, but I felt there was still a little something missing in terms of atmosphere.Here is a list of the episodes in the series:The Stalls of Barchester (1971) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesA Warning to the Curious (1972) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesLost Hearts (1973) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesThe Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesThe Ash Tree (1975) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesThe Signalman (1976) - adapted from a story by Charles DickensStigma (1977) - written by Clive ExtonThe Ice House (1978) - written by John BowenMore recent revivals:A View From a Hill (2005) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesNumber 13 (2006) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesFor those who are unable to find the DVDs of these shows, I would suggest looking for them on Youtube. The collected stories are also available as a DVD set on the UK Amazon website.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Entertaining and creepy tales of the supernatural
  

*by Z***S on Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2012*

BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas ran between the years 1971 and 1978. This DVD contains three of those stories.The Signalman, is an adaptation of a short story by Charles Dickens and was telecast in 1976. It is an effectively creepy tale, with the seemingly innocuous words "Hello, below there!" that signals (no pun intended) the beginning of a strange and surreal tale. The phrase is uttered by a traveler (Bernard Lloyd) who is out on a walk when he calls down to a signalman whose gaze appears to be transfixed by something at the mouth of the railway tunnel. The traveler finds the signalman (Denholm Elliott in an understated yet thoroughly convincing performance) strangely afraid of him, but when the signalman discovers the traveler is not whom he thought he was, a friendship of sorts develops between the pair and the traveler joins the signalman at his signal box. Over a cup of tea, the traveler concludes that the signalman is a man of some learning but is obviously suffering some level of anxiety over an unnamed trouble.The story develops slowly but surely, and when the traveler does eventually discover the source of the signalman's anxiety, he tries to help his new friend by providing a rational explanation. Of course, in a ghost story, one knows that not all things can be explained in a rational manner. The performances by both characters are compelling, especially the credible portrayal of the besieged signalman by Elliott. I found the story to be highly atmospheric, and there's a palpable sense of looming danger that permeates the story and is made all the more real by the convincingly creepy soundtrack, especially in the sound of the warning bell.At around 40 minutes, this is a short dramatization, but the cast and story make this one of the best in the series. It left me with a deep sense of melancholy and yes, horror. Recommended for fans of supernatural stories in the classic tradition.The second story, "Stigma" was telecast in 1977 and was scripted by Clive Exton. Unlike the earlier ghost stories featured in this series, especially the first few which were based on the master M.R. James' short stories, I feel Stigma does not really conform to the atmospheric ghost story genre. It is quite straightforward and leaves little to the imagination (which is why I favor the earlier stories and also The Signalman). In this story, a family of three live in a house in the countryside. There is some construction work going on in a field nearby and the disruption of the ancient stone circles in the field unleashes a long dormant terror. The unsuspecting family is impacted, especially the mother who begins to notice bleeding but can't seem to find the source. It is only towards the end, when one of the ancient stones is lifted and a skeleton unearthed does the viewer begin to understand what precipitated these strange events. Though "Stigma" is a supernatural tale, it is not a ghost story and I felt that it was not as well-made as the earlier stories.Lastly, there's "The Ice House" which was telecast in 1978. This story is set at a health spa where mysterious events occur, having to do with a particular flower growing on the grounds. Though it has its creepy moments, I felt that this, in addition to Stigma, was a far cry from the antiquarian feel of the earlier episodes.I would still recommend this as a necessary watch for those who love supernatural themed dramas, and The Signalman is certainly the best of the trilogy featured here. I think there was an attempt to revive the series some years ago, with a return to adaptations of M.R. James' works, i.e. A View From a Hill in 2005, and Number 13 (starring Greg Wise) in 2006. Both were much better than Stigma and The Ice House, but I felt there was still a little something missing in terms of atmosphere.Here is a list of the episodes in the series:The Stalls of Barchester (1971) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesA Warning to the Curious (1972) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesLost Hearts (1973) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesThe Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesThe Ash Tree (1975) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesThe Signalman (1976) - adapted from a story by Charles DickensStigma (1977) - written by Clive ExtonThe Ice House (1978) - written by John BowenMore recent revivals:A View From a Hill (2005) - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesNumber 13 - adapted from a short story by M.R. JamesFor those who are unable to find the DVDs of these shows, I would suggest looking for them on Youtube. The collected stories are also available as a DVD set on the UK Amazon website. I do hope they produce a Region One set very soon for those of us living in the United States as I would love to own a set of these remarkable atmospheric and chilling tales of the supernatural.

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