Runtime: 90 minutes
Directed by: Peter Sasdy
Starring: Michael Bryant, Jane Asher, Iain Cuthbertson, Michael Bates, Reginald Marsh
From: BBC
An interesting BBC horror/sci-fi movie, this was.
After a weekend where I was out & about (including attending an Orlando SC soccer match Saturday night; I’ll give details on that at the end for anyone interested) I felt like using my Shudder account; an old BBC production I’ve known of for ages was selected. This was one of their spooky programs the channel always showed on Christmas night. The film was so effective-at least at the time-that the supernatural phenomenon depicted here is now known by paranormal investigators as the Stone Tape Theory.
The premise is unique: an electronics company rents an old Victorian home for usage as a research lab… so they can create a new recording medium “to put the boots to old Nippon,” i.e. “Create something to beat the Japanese in the electronics field.” From Wiki, I understand that the BBC used to own a mansion that was used by its R&D team. A woman (yeah, some attitudes of its time was present; there’s also some unfortunate bigotry against the Japanese straight out of World War II propaganda) spots a ghost in a room formerly boarded up.
To echo what others have stated, a nice change to the formula is that the story isn’t “no one else believes that this person saw a ghost or another form of apparition.” Rather, by the end of the first act, it’s accepted and the team now uses its awesome early 70’s tech to try and capture it. However, there are complications; when only some can feel or see the ghost & its presence… I won’t reveal more or why the film is entitled “The Stone Tape.”
As I’ve said for some other 70’s productions, its methodical pacing isn’t for all modern tastes. However, the combination of period fashion, period tech, different premise, occasional electronic score, and lo-fi special effects won me over. The cast was fine in general; I’ll spotlight Jane Asher as Jill. She-a great computer programmer-is the lone woman present not doing menial work; she both receives sexist treatment and is gaslit by her dumb male coworkers. Thus, the movie’s spotlighted around her and Ms. Asher did a swell job.
For many, hopefully you’ll at least like this analog production; the echoes of Prince of Darkness I understand were deliberate on Carpenter’s part. As for the Orlando SC match I saw on Saturday night, they played to a 1-1 draw against CF Montreal, a bad team they should have beat. No matter, it was still a fun time and my return to Orlando’s great stadium should have happened years ago. Like in the association football (or futbol or whatever name you call the sport) of elsewhere, there are supporters who chant, bang the drum all day, and wave their banners about. Don’t worry, there aren’t any hooligans about who start riots or throw lit flares on the pitch!
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