Between 1971 and 1978 the BBC used to dramatise a ghost story every year under the title "A Ghost Story for Christmas". The first five entries in the series were all based upon tales by that great master of the genre, M. R. James, the sixth was an adaptation of Charles Dickens's "The Signalman", and the seventh and eighth were original stories. "Stigma", first broadcast in 1977, was the first of these. The first six Ghost Stories for Christmas all had a period setting; "The Ash Tree" was set in the mid eighteenth century, "A Warning to the Curious" in the 1930s and the other four in the Victorian era. "Stigma" was the first to have a modern setting, but it nevertheless preserves the Jamesian theme of an ancient artifact which releases dark forces when disturbed.
The Delgado family- father Peter, mother Katherine and teenage daughter Verity- move into a cottage in the countryside. There is just one problem with their new home cottage. An ancient megalithic stone circle is situated in the adjacent field, and one of the stones is actually lying in their garden, right in the middle of the lawn. They call in some workmen to have it moved. Bad idea. In the first place, tampering with an ancient monument without the consent of the Secretary of State is a crime under British law. The Delgados, however, find that they have unleashed powers more ancient and more dangerous than any Secretary of State. Later that evening, Katherine begins to bleed uncontrollably, even though she has no visible wound. No definite explanation is given, but when the stone is eventually moved a skeleton is found beneath it, suggesting that the family may have fallen victim to an ancient curse.
I must say that I was somewhat apprehensive when I saw in the opening credits the words "Written by Clive Exton", as Exton was previously best known to me as the scriptwriter for the so-bad-it's-funny "Red Sonja", one of the worst films of the eighties, and as the author of the so-bad-it's-incomprehensible "The Rainbirds", one of the BBC's weakest "Plays for Today". "Stigma", however, is considerably better than either of those two disasters. It is not the best of the Ghost Stories for Christmas, lacking the depth of "A Warning to the Curious" or "Lost Hearts" and does not have any acting performances to compare with those from Peter Vaughan in "A Warning...", Robert Hardy in "The Stalls of Barchester" or Joseph O'Connor in "Lost Hearts". It is, however, a well-made, well-paced supernatural thriller which retains its power to shock. 7/10.
The Delgado family- father Peter, mother Katherine and teenage daughter Verity- move into a cottage in the countryside. There is just one problem with their new home cottage. An ancient megalithic stone circle is situated in the adjacent field, and one of the stones is actually lying in their garden, right in the middle of the lawn. They call in some workmen to have it moved. Bad idea. In the first place, tampering with an ancient monument without the consent of the Secretary of State is a crime under British law. The Delgados, however, find that they have unleashed powers more ancient and more dangerous than any Secretary of State. Later that evening, Katherine begins to bleed uncontrollably, even though she has no visible wound. No definite explanation is given, but when the stone is eventually moved a skeleton is found beneath it, suggesting that the family may have fallen victim to an ancient curse.
I must say that I was somewhat apprehensive when I saw in the opening credits the words "Written by Clive Exton", as Exton was previously best known to me as the scriptwriter for the so-bad-it's-funny "Red Sonja", one of the worst films of the eighties, and as the author of the so-bad-it's-incomprehensible "The Rainbirds", one of the BBC's weakest "Plays for Today". "Stigma", however, is considerably better than either of those two disasters. It is not the best of the Ghost Stories for Christmas, lacking the depth of "A Warning to the Curious" or "Lost Hearts" and does not have any acting performances to compare with those from Peter Vaughan in "A Warning...", Robert Hardy in "The Stalls of Barchester" or Joseph O'Connor in "Lost Hearts". It is, however, a well-made, well-paced supernatural thriller which retains its power to shock. 7/10.