The Woman in Black (1989)A young solicitor handling the affairs of a deceased widow unravels a tragic story with terrifying consequences. If all you know is the recent adaptation, starring a Daniel Radcliffe who looked about five years older than his "son", please do not judge this classic chiller by that jump scare mess. Originally a brilliant, gothic horror novel by Susan Hill, it's also been adapted into a record-breaking play and this very atmospheric TV film.
How to watch: Available on Youtube!
Children of the Stones (1977)This six-episode series delights in pagan imagery and eerie horror. A truly charming evocation of childhood, it also tells a far deeper and very complex story of a village situated near stones with great supernatural power, affecting the way time flows. The kid actors are pretty adorable and authentic and Iain Cuthbertson is a very scary true believer villain.
How to watch: Available on Youtube!
Ghostwatch (1992)This is a total gem and time capsule of a show. It was presented as live television and caused a huge stir, drawing 30,000 calls to the BBC in one hour (the show has never been repeated). It purported to be a live report from a house with supposed strong poltergeist activity and was full of familiar faces. Talkshow veteran Michael Parkinson manned the studio and had a paranormal researcher as a guest, while TV personalities Sarah Greene and Craig Charles reported from the scene. Ghostwatch starts as slow, sceptical and cumbersome as you'd expect a real life poltergeist watch to do, making it truly unsettling when the shit eventually hits the fan.
How to watch: Streaming on Shudder if you've got a subscription, also available on DVD.
Whistle and I'll Come To You (1968)Many of M.R. James excellent ghost stories have been adapted for television. But this is widely acknowledged as the finest, and scariest. Whistle and I'll Come To You tells the story of a lonely scholar staying at a hotel. One day rambling on the beach he comes across an old bone flute, with a mysterious inscription in latin translating to "who is this who is coming?". Curious, the scholar blows it. Really shouldn't have done that.
This show may come across a little quaint today but OP first watched this alone in the dead of night while staying in the countryside and nearly died of fright. The more recent adaptation starring John Hurt isn't a patch on it.
Hammer House of Horror (1980)One of the greatest, most underrated horror anthology series. Unlike the Hammer Horror movie properties this dealt less in lusty vampirism and colourful monsters than far more naturalistic, unpredictable horror befalling ordinary people who stumble across the supernatural (watching the whole series some of the episodes do have quite happy endings, meaning you're never prepared for the ones where it all goes tits up).
How to watch: Streaming on Shudder and Amazon UK, also available on DVD. A couple of episodes are available on Youtube (presented by some youtuber Elvira, the show starts a few minutes in), including the very spooky Charlie Boy where an African souvenir wreaks havoc.
The Changes (1975)In this fascinating show, a tech bug causes a horrendous noise to emanate from all technology, making people destroy it all. In the ensuing chaos, schoolgirl Nicky gets separated from her parents. She has to navigate a Britain which reverts back to a pre-technology society to find them again. The show is very bingeable and also pretty diverse for its time (for a while, Nicky travels with a sensitively portrayed Sikh community).
How to watch: Looks like this one is only available on DVD. Trailer below.
The Stone Tape (1972)A wildly inventive TV play where technology and the supernatural intersect. A group of scientists enter a Victorian mansion rumoured to be haunted to try out new technology which can extract "recordings" or imprints from stone...
The Stone Tape is a truly original ghost story. It was recently remade as an audio play by Berberian Sound Studio director Peter Strickland, but the original film remains the best and scariest.
How to watch: Available on Youtube!
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What's the scariest thing you've ever seen on TV?
