A Ghost Story for Christmas
An updated version of my earlier essay on Stigma (1977) can now be found at Horrified Magazine.
A late entry in the BBC's long-running series of annual horror stories, many of which were directed by the talented Lawrence Gordon Clark, Stigma isn't the best of the collection, paling as it does in comparison to personal favorites like Lost Hearts (1973), The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974) and the director's masterpiece, The Signalman (1976). However, the film nonetheless remains an interesting and disturbing work of occultist folk horror, which is well worth a look. You can read my essay here.
Stigma [Lawrence Gordon Clark, 1977]:
Stigma at Horrified Magazine, November 2020:
Stigma at Horrified Magazine, November 2020:
N.B. I really love the choice of font and background image used to accompany this.
Recently, contributors to Horrified Magazine have produced an entire series of essays, reviews and considerations on content relating to A Ghost Story for Christmas, covering both the films and the history of the series itself. Perfect reading for these dark winter nights.
Further reading at Lights in the Dusk: Garth Marenghi's Darkplace [26 September 2020], A Warning... – Notes on a film and its prologue: A Warning to the Curious (1972) [05 May 2014], Stigma: A Ghost Story? [23 April 2014]
