A genuinely creepy ghost story, which respectfully adapts the source material, while adding an extra well-conceived twist.
Rory Kinnear plays Edward Williams, an antiques expert with a stiff upper lip that just can't stop twitching. After receiving an engraving of a country house, one he initially dismisses as "indifferent", he soon realizes there's more here than meets the eye. The picture's appearance changes from one observation to the next. A moon shows up in one corner, a figure in the other, then the figure appears on all fours, creeping towards the house. The central conceit is cleverly employed, ratcheting up the tension to a moustache-biting climax.
The picture doesn't tell the whole story. It's delivered in pieces by Edward's academic colleagues, as well as village know-it-all Mrs. Ambigrail, played with just the right amount of gusto by Frances Barber. The performances complement the tone of the piece, ironically winking at conventions while delivering honest-to-good scares.
For those familiar with the original, this adaptation may surprise you still. There's an unwritten feeling from the short story that I hoped Gatiss would capture. And he manages this with a bit of clever plotting, tying together seemingly disparate threads to form a surprisingly spooky finish.
8/10.
Rory Kinnear plays Edward Williams, an antiques expert with a stiff upper lip that just can't stop twitching. After receiving an engraving of a country house, one he initially dismisses as "indifferent", he soon realizes there's more here than meets the eye. The picture's appearance changes from one observation to the next. A moon shows up in one corner, a figure in the other, then the figure appears on all fours, creeping towards the house. The central conceit is cleverly employed, ratcheting up the tension to a moustache-biting climax.
The picture doesn't tell the whole story. It's delivered in pieces by Edward's academic colleagues, as well as village know-it-all Mrs. Ambigrail, played with just the right amount of gusto by Frances Barber. The performances complement the tone of the piece, ironically winking at conventions while delivering honest-to-good scares.
For those familiar with the original, this adaptation may surprise you still. There's an unwritten feeling from the short story that I hoped Gatiss would capture. And he manages this with a bit of clever plotting, tying together seemingly disparate threads to form a surprisingly spooky finish.
8/10.
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