The Stalls of Barchester 1971

6.333 / 10   12 vote(s)
TV Movie Horror

Scholar Dr. Black's seemingly mundane assignment of sorting through the assets of the Barchester Cathedral library takes an eerie turn when he comes across the papers of the late Archdeacon, who plotted to gain his position through murder. However, he soon comes to discover something truly horrific about the wooden choir stalls in the church, which are tied to a famous local tree and a sinister local legend.

Release Date 1971-12-24
Runtime 45m
Directors Lawrence Gordon Clark, John McGlashan
Producer Lawrence Gordon Clark
Writers Lawrence Gordon Clark, M.R. James

This is the second short film I have seen that is based on a ghost story by M R James. It was okay, perhaps a bit slow moving and lacking in real tension and drama. Like the previous film, there are no attempts at real special effects. Perhaps there should have been. It needed something more. Then again, perhaps that would have offended the fans of the original source stories.

So nothing memorable, but good enough for fans of the genre and M R James.

Peter McGinn