The Stone Tape

A remarkably creepy and subtle evocation of dread, from a typically nuanced Nigel Kneale script. What if ghosts are simply phenomena that have simply been poorly described? That's just what a team of computer specialists, on the trail of a new recording medium, attempt to do when they discover that the old mansion in which they are conducting their work is haunted by the ghost of a victorian maid. Unfortunately, they discover too late that a rational explanation does not mean an end to the terror... TV drama as it should be done – sadly, we'll probably never see its ilk on British TV again. Still, at least those nice chaps at BFI have released it on DVD.

Intriguing idea, but would have been better compacted into a one hour format.

As it is, a significant amount of screen time is taken up by conversations involving the main male protagonists patronizing and condescending to the main female protagonist by virtue of a painfully sexist dimension to the plot. Additional screen time is taken up with another minor but still pointless and sexist subplot involving the main male protagonist's philandering.

These distractions detract from the suspense and the atmosphere, which are sometimes quite good. Furthermore, the movie suffers considerably from the kind of melodramatic overacting peculiar to some British television of the 50s through the 70s.

However, the intriguing main plot line, plus a conclusion that packs a punch, make this movie worth watching for fans of ghost stories, particularly made-for-tv horror.

"The Stone Tape" is a real oddity - how can a sci-fi/fantasy drama of this high standard go unnoticed for so long.

Transmitted at Christmas in 1972 and repeated the following year, nothing has been seen of this classic piece of TV until earlier this year when the BFI released it on both video and DVD.

Written by Quatermass scribe Nigel Kneale and directed by TV/film veteran Peter Sasdy, "The Stone Tape" is an example of all the elements working together to produce a masterpiece.

In brief, the story concerns a group of scientists staying in a converted manor house to carry out research into a new recording medium to replace magnetic tape. One of the analysts, Jill Greely, has visions of a ghost in the one room of the house the workmen refused to renovate. The rest of the team then set about surveying this ghost and come to the conclusion that it is the stone of the room which has captured the image of the woman and the presence of certain receptive people, namely Jill, has triggered its playback, hence stone tape.

This is a well written and well directed piece of fantasy drama mixing the right amount of moody lighting and music with Peter Bryant and Jane Asher's kitchen sink romance to create something instantly believable as well as disturbing.

TV favourites such as Iain Cuthbertson and Tom Chadbon are present to make up the numbers in the impressive supporting cast.

A spooky masterpiece - go and buy the video or if your budget will allow, the DVD for Nigel Kneale's interesting and revealing commentary.

Please, for the love of God, please quit screaming. Please!

This would easily be a genre specific 9. But for the god damned yelling. 15 middle aged seventies British men in a small room screaming as loud as they can most of the time. For fun. Bro style. Not scared. Just yelling.

Ok. This is is a classic. The story is great. It's all great. Yadda yadda yadda.

If you can stand being yelled at for ninety minutes and want to know more about seventies British horror then this is a must watch.

Nigel Kneale of QUATERMASS fame wrote this intriguing tale of an electronics crew striving to create an alternative recording medium to magnetic tape and inadvertently discovering that a haunted room might provide the solution to their quest. Capably directed by Hammer Films veteran Peter Sasdy, though fairly slow through the first half of the feature and a bit heavy on exposition (and thick British accents). The chilling climax makes up for any initial shortcomings. A must-see for fans of intelligent ghost stories...