Crooked House

Having just finished the full works of M R James i couldnt take this "spooky" trilogy seriously at all. It conveys none of the dread or sheer terror of other wordly experiences. I find Mark Gatiss ridiculously overated & an insult to M R James to compare the two. This offering was so poorly scripted (and acted), that i was shaking my head in disbelief rather than shaking in fear. They bored rather than chilled. Would NOT reccomend. If you want top class chills for a blustery winters night go to the master and read some M R James. He can't be beaten and certainly not by the likes of BBC lovey, Mark Gatiss. Just awful!

Crooked House was an enjoyable and engaging horror film with a great twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Not to give too much away, the film concerns a young man who is told a couple of stories about a house by a museum curator. To say much more would be to give too much away.

Watch it and pay close attention. This is a great movie for British horror film for horror film buffs.

Not to be confused with recent Agatha Christie film of the same name. A rather hammy, randomly plotted gothic horror with tedious pace and predictable ending.

This is a very good ghost story. If you're looking for gore, you're in the wrong place. I enjoyed it very much. A newer film is out with this title, but this one is from 2008.

CROOKED HOUSE is a fun ghost trilogy from writer/actor and horror aficionado Mark Gatiss and made as a modern BBC Ghost Story for Christmas. In actual fact, the inspiration is more clearly the genre of portmanteau horrors made by Amicus during the '60s and '70s of which TALES FROM THE CRYPT is a good example.

This three parter is based around a Tudor mansion with a haunted reputation, told by a museum curator in the present day played by Gatiss himself. While the cheapness of the TV production is sometimes apparent, Gatiss' love and respect for genre makes this an anthology impossible to dislike.

The first story is my favourite. Set in the 18th century, The Wainscoting is a traditional haunted house piece with clever details and a suitably frightening spirit manifestation. Philip Jackson gives an excellent performance as the gruff stock trader heading towards a cruel fate and the vibe I got from this was spot on. The second episode, Something Old, is less successful, it's a story of a family curse that features too little horror and too much exposition. The last story, which I think is just called The Knocker, is on firmer ground and delivers a mildly spooky modern-day haunting.

This is all topped off with a pleasing twist ending which will be familiar to those who have seen and enjoyed the likes of DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS.