Ghost stories at Christmas: a handful of recommendations

Free post

This post is off the beaten track for this page, but as a writer of ghost stories — and someone who also quite unabashedly accepts the existence of such phenomena, having lived as a boy in a “haunted” house and directly across the street from one of Maryland’s reputedly most haunted homes — I have no hesitation in bringing up the topic. I have done so before (see here and here).

I will begin by mentioning briefly my last ghostly encounter. This was, to be precise, an encounter with two ghosts. It happened in a hotel room in Sweden about a year and a half ago, where I stayed alone overnight before flying to the U.S. the next day. These were, I must say, the most tactile specters I had ever met — my few previous experiences had been more subtle and shadowy. I was so certain of their tangible reality that I immediately sprang out of bed to check whether or not my wallet was still where I had put it. Strange to say, I felt no fear, and they disappeared as soon as I started up; but what passed through my mind after an interval of only a few moments was that here was fodder for a future ghost story, should I write another one. I did wonder afterward whether the experience might have been a case of sleep paralysis or hypnagogia, but — after reading about such cases (not having experienced either before or since) — there were no clear characteristic signs to indicate that the occurrence had been somehow sleep-related. Anyway, seeing that Christmas is nearly upon us, recounting my rather recent ghostly encounter struck me as relevant. The Christmas custom of telling, reading, and viewing ghost stories is an old one. This is especially so in the British Isles (one can read about it here), but it’s a tradition that’s been rediscovered by Americans in recent years, as well.

(Marley’s ghost; Arthur Rackham)

So, in this tangential post, I shall recommend a few seasonally appropriate ghost-related items that you can view online or listen to or read.

(1) The first is, of course, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. If you have never read the original, you owe it to yourself to do that. And, since it’s Dickens, read it out loud. Read it dramatically. Declaim it to your family. The prose merits it. When you have done that, I recommend three — and only three (with no Muppets or dominating CGI effects) — film adaptations of the story.

The very best is the 1951 version, featuring Alastair Sim as Scrooge (Sim is an actor I will watch in anything — next to Scrooge, I suggest seeing him in The Belles of St. Trinian’s, The Green Man, and An Inspector Calls). This version, augmented with episodes that enhance the original rather than detract from it, may very well surpass Dickens’ book. Second to that selection is the version with George C. Scott, and in third place is the version with Patrick Stewart. All three are excellent films, and each captures aspects of the original that the other two do not. None of the others hold a candle to them.

(2) After Dickens, one should be a reader (again, preferably aloud) of M. R. James’ ghost stories — most of which were originally told and written as entertainment for his students on Christmas Eve. His prose is impeccable and not to be missed. (One can read about James here.) Oddly enough, given my taste in ghostly literature, I first encountered James through his translation of The New Testament Apocrypha. Only later did I discover that he was even more famous for his “spook tales” (as he called them). Of the three documentaries about James, the best, in my opinion, is this one:

Many of his stories have been rendered dramatically for television, and both Christopher Lee and Robert Powell (who portrayed the titular role in Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth) have read them aloud on film. Below, are some of the best examples of these versions, along with links to more:

See also: A Warning to the Curious, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, Mr. Humphreys and His Inheritance, and The Ash Tree.

Christopher Lee reads four of the tales here:

And likewise, Robert Powell reads five:

(3) On an entirely different note, I have been an avid listener for some years now to the BBC podcast, Uncanny, with the enthusiastic Danny Robins. The series examines winsomely firsthand accounts of hauntings. (Robins’ two companion series — The Witch Farm and The Battersea Poltergeist — are likewise enthralling.) At the moment, they’re between two special Christmas episodes, and you can catch the first here (along with all the other episodes).

(4) Lastly, my collection of eleven ghost stories — Patapsco Spirits — is two years old. I see it got Brad Jersak’s thumbs-up recently, and you can find the book at any book outlet. For your convenience, here are the publisher’s page and the Amazon link.

May you have a blessed Christmas this year. Remember, “at this time of the rolling year,” it’s polite to let a passing lonely ghost come inside to warm up. If you’re cold, they’re cold.