The Stone Tape, 1972.
Directed by Peter Sasdy.
Starring Michael Bryant, Jane Asher, Iain Cuthbertson, Michael Bates, James Cosmo, Neil Wilson, and Reginald Marsh.
SYNOPSIS:
An electronics research team discover a psychic imprint in the walls of a Victorian house they are using for their work.
It is coming round to that time of years when everyone likes a good scare on the TV. No, not Halloween but Christmas, which – in the UK at least – has had a tradition of broadcasting ghost stories on the TV and radio during the festive season.
And where better to get a ghost story from than the 1970s, a decade that arguably brought more spooks to the Christmas holidays than any since Victorian times, and more specifically, 1972, which is when The Stone Tape was first broadcast on British television. Written by the legendary Nigel Neale, the TV movie stars Michael Bryant as Peter Brock, the leader of a team of researchers who have moved into a Victorian house with the objective of trying to find a new way to record.
However, they get more than they bargained for when computer whizz Jill Greeley (Jane Asher) encounters an apparition, and after an investigation Peter comes to the conclusion that they have encountered a ‘stone tape’, a phenomenon where it is believed that inanimate objects or materials absorb the energies of those around them and these energies can be felt by others, such as stones in a wall absorbing somebody’s spirit and then that energy being ‘replayed’ decades later. Given Peter’s job, the possibilities are incredible if all of this could be proved, but with Jill being Peter’s ex, the team working in cramped conditions and any number of outside influences at play, there is a chance none of this is real. But…
Cleverly mixing sci-fi, horror and drama, The Stone Tape has quite a lot going on. For starters, the 1970s BBC production values will be very familiar to audiences of a certain age and evokes the likes of classic Doctor Who and those creaky sci-fi TV shows of the era, which immediately offers up a feeling of nostalgic comfort.
Along with the lo-fi production values comes the equally low-budget special effects, which really means crash-zooming the camera as green lights flash and an ADR scream echoes out of the speakers, but for the story it works well enough. The then-state-of-the-art computers that Peter, Jill and their crew use are also hilariously bad, hunks of metal with motherboards screwed to the front panels, but how were the filmmakers to know what the future would hold for such equipment?
But you must overcome the technological shortcomings and look beyond the dodgy effects to get the most out of The Stone Tape. Being 1972, the depiction of the workplace and the gender politics involved are vastly different to today, as Jill – who is really the most important cog in the machine of what the team are doing – is just treated as a secretary, there to perform tasks at the whim of Peter, who likes to display his arrogance in various power plays with Jill and his other colleagues. Also at play is the contrast of technology and old-fashioned methods of contacting the various forces and energies that always surround us, as Peter brings in the latest equipment to decipher the vibrations that are in the building as well as seeking the advice of the clergy. Before you get excited, though, remember that this is a BBC production from the early 1970s, so don’t go expecting any Exorcist-style shenanigans as all the science-versus-religion themes are said and not really shown.
Which is really what The Stone Tape comes down to, a lot of people milling about and speaking a lot of theories and dialogue that might sound dated now, but to a 1972 audience sat around the TV at Christmas it was probably quite exciting. It isn’t particularly scary but the central idea is solid, so much so that the story was resurrected for a radio play just a few short years ago, and coming backed with some tasty extras in the form of a short documentary about the legacy of the film, plus a feature on Nigel Neale himself, it all adds context to something that may not have aged very well but it still has its charms. Given what the television schedules look like this Christmas, The Stone Tape – as a package – will provide at least a bit of entertainment if you fancy sitting down to watch something the whole family can enjoy, albeit on various levels.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
