The first in in the series of ghost stories that the BBC would run on Christmas Eves and which would quickly become a tradition is a subtle, quietly chilling adaptation of an M.R. James story. Personally I find this particular story (which was also read by Christopher Lee in the recent 2000 miniseries) slightly stuffy; however, this excellent adaptation turns this around completely to make a horror-filled and generally frightening little tale.

Clive Swift (who would reprise his role of curious scholar Doctor Black in the next year's A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS) is the film's narrator, as it is he who uncovers the diary of the Archdeacon and he alone who believes the supernatural events it contains. Swift is excellent and convincing in his turn as the mild-mannered, friendly scholar who digs into things that maybe he shouldn't (it's often obvious that James' narrators are thinly-disguised versions of the author himself). Robert Hardy plays the foolhardy deacon, ruined by his ambition to become the Archdeacon. Hardy successfully convinces us that his character, Haynes, really is going out of his mind with worry and fear.

The horror mainly comes from subtle things like noises on the landing (shades of THE HAUNTING here), a huge black cat that appears and disappears without notice, and the eerie, grinning faces of gargoyles in the churchyard. I did like the inclusion of a cloaked skeleton which appears occasionally to great spooky effect and pops up in the nerve-shattering ending. Although quite slow to begin with, the quality acting and characterisation slowly hooks you into the tale and forces you to watch until the ending, no matter how horrific it may become. There's also an epilogue which is magnificently creepy in its own subtle way. Although not as unrelentingly scary as A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS (my favourite of the series, incidentally), THE STALLS OF BARCHESTER still packs a number of chills and jumps into its running time and is worth seeking out for classic horror fans.