mike_film09 Having seen the 1970's TV adaptations of M R James (goodish then; less so now) I was interested to see a couple of the more recent ones. Alas, they managed not only to be as staid as the worst moments of the 1970s ones but so relentlessly unimaginative they do James's ghost stories a real disservice. In 'A View from A Hill', one of James's most chilling stories, the central character explores a haunted hill, site of ancient hangings. In this TV film the director attempts to evoke its morbid atmosphere with serial killer-style subjective camera shots (cf. Black Christmas and a hundred other slashers) and quick-cut half-seen movement - the latter ok for one shot but quickly irritating, rather than frightening. What should have been a creepy sequence is entirely too crude, too literal, and simply doesn't work. I won't belabour the point further - but nothing in the film rises above this level. For those who want to experience a cinema version of M R James's truly creepy slow-burn atmospherics, which no-one has really managed so far, I'd recommend the Italian 'Across the River'. True, it can't supply James's distinctive Englishness, but its central character - a naturalist in search of night-time creatures, using fixed cameras - is a pretty good equivalent to James's peripatetic antiquaries in search of ancient texts. And like in James, the mysterious creatures which haunt abandoned village turn out to be immensely vengeful and vicious.[Note: these remarks exclude Night of the Demon, which although based on a James story, does not reflect the world of his stories - however good it is.]

Caps Fan In the 1960s and 1970s, the BBC used to include a ghost story, usually by Dickens or M.R. James, in their Christmas schedules. They rather got out of the habit later on, but since about 2000 have, thankfully, begun doing it again. This is one of the better examples.It tells the story of Dr Fanshawe (Mark Letheren) a specialist who comes down to the moribund country estate of Squire Richards (Pip Torrens) to evaluate some archaeological material. When he breaks his own binoculars, he is given an old pair that somehow enable him to see the local abbey, though it has been a ruin since the time of Henry VIII. He ends up in trouble in a most unexpected way, an experience that, as we see at the end, leaves a lasting impression on him.It's a fairly simple story and the film is only 40 minutes long, but it is surprisingly substantial and gives a rewarding television experience. Good acting helps – Letheren and Torrens are both well cast, and ably supported by David Burke as the Squire's pleasingly dour manservant. The music is good too and there's a kind of dream sequence in the abbey that really carries you along.If this one is anything to go by, the BBC would be well advised to keep up their Christmas ghost story habit. Rating: 8/10

begob An archaeologist visits a decaying country estate to survey its artefacts, but the artefacts lead him into a dark history.Another slice of MR James alienation, where intellectual curiosity attracts the attention of distant, menacing figures and ends in nothing good.The opening sequence is a little irritating with its slow focuses, but the rapid editing later on in the woods creates good tension. Music keeps the mood bubbling. Actors all excellent, and in the end nothing is explained.Overall - not the spookiest, but confident enough not to deliver pat answers.

halal_capone This adaptation of M.R. James's short story 'A View From A Hill' was first shown on British television in 2005, on the little watched digital channel BBC 4. I saw that it was being repeated again on BBC 4, and decided to give it a go, remembering the BBC's successful 1970's adaptations of other M.R. James stories including 'Whistle And I'll Come To You My Lad' and 'The Signalman'. Though not in the same class as these masterpieces, 'A View From A Hill' is nonetheless an enjoyable and at times suspenseful drama.A historian arrives in a small rural village to look over the collection of a recently deceased collector of antique artifacts. Whilst out in the countryside, he sees an abbey that has been in ruins for hundreds of years. But what does this have in connection with an old pair of binoculars and a gruesome legend about the ominously named Gallows Hill? And what do the brusque country squire and his servant know about the situation? Whilst not scary in any way, I enjoyed this little production, and had the running time been longer than 40 minutes it could have become a truly great adaptation. As it is, it all feels a little rushed and a bit more exposition to set the mood would have been welcome.I give it 7 out of 10.