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West Country Tales & Other Folk Horror Gems

merricat

merricat

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I tried to locate an existing thread on which to share this yet couldn't find one that felt fitting. Please merge into another if that feels appropriate.

I love searching for old folk horror or uncanny fictions on youtube, and have amassed a nice little playlist over the past few years. I thought I might start with West Country Tales: a 1980's supernatural drama series 'based on real life experiences' which was the result of a BBC appeal. It seems that 13 stories were selected to be dramatised, yet only a few are still available to watch. My particular favourites are Miss Constantine and The Visitor. The image quality isn't perfect, but these little gems are most definitely still a delight to watch.

It would be great to hear of anything similar that I many not have seen, or whether anyone else has enjoyed these. I also hope they may be of interest to fans of older, slower paced, charmingly weird television.

Video link broken. Alternative that leads to more of the series:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
merricat said:
I tried to locate an existing thread on which to share this yet couldn't find one that felt fitting. Please merge into another if that feels appropriate.

I love searching for old folk horror or uncanny fictions on youtube, and have amassed a nice little playlist over the past few years. I thought I might start with West Country Tales: a 1980's supernatural drama series 'based on real life experiences' which was the result of a BBC appeal. It seems that 13 stories were selected to be dramatised, yet only a few are still available to watch. My particular favourites are Miss Constantine and The Visitor. The image quality isn't perfect, but these little gems are most definitely still a delight to watch.

It would be great to hear of anything similar that I many not have seen, or whether anyone else has enjoyed these. I also hope they may be of interest to fans of older, slower paced, charmingly weird television.

Click to expand...
Have you seen Robin Redbreast from 1970? Not sure if it’s on YouTube though.
 
Stillill said:
Have you seen Robin Redbreast from 1970? Not sure if it’s on YouTube though.
Click to expand...
One of my favourites! It was where I first discovered Anna Cropper (wonderful actress, sadly with us no longer) and Bernard Hepton. I was unable to locate a digital version so purchased the DVD a few yrs ago.

I would love to find a similar play/drama of that ilk, starring John Stride as a troubled married man who discovers a mysterious photograph ( I think it was called 'The Photograph'). Watched around 10 yrs ago on youtube but not available now. So many wonderful, lost works we might never see again :worry:

I have a huge list of old tv oddities, will share here when I can.

ETA: Have just remembered that the cook or maid in 'Robin Redbreast' starred in a few other tales of the weird around that time. An actress called Freda Bamford. Possibly 'Play for Today's'?
Yes, just confirmed, she appeared in 3 'Play for Today' epeisodes - Robin Redbreast, The Photograph (1977) and Hearts and Flowers (1970).
If anyone can locate these, I would be a very merry cat!
 
Last edited:
merricat said:
One of my favourites! It was where I first discovered Anna Cropper (wonderful actress, sadly with us no longer) and Bernard Hepton. I was unable to locate a digital version so purchased the DVD a few yrs ago.

I would love to find a similar play/drama of that ilk, starring John Stride as a troubled married man who discovers a mysterious photograph ( I think it was called 'The Photograph'). Watched around 10 yrs ago on youtube but not available now. So many wonderful, lost works we might never see again :worry:

I have a huge list of old tv oddities, will share here when I can.
Click to expand...
Yes The Photograph used to be on YouTube, I was searching for it recently but could no longer find it on there. It was only recently on there so not sure what happened.
I to have Robin Redbreast on dvd,it’s quite creepy.
 
Stillill said:
Yes The Photograph used to be on YouTube, I was searching for it recently but could no longer find it on there. It was only recently on there so not sure what happened.
I to have Robin Redbreast on dvd,it’s quite creepy.
Click to expand...
Seems a shame that the BBC are so quick to take them down, since they have no intention of releasing most of them or ever showing them again.
I grew up on a farm and some of our more traditional farmer-ish friends had a look of Mr Fisher; the crazy sideboards, the glasses and tweed. That silent stare. Yes, very creepy indeedy! That poor young man who only wanted to make off to the bright lights and chop wood with his wrists...
 
merricat said:
I tried to locate an existing thread on which to share this yet couldn't find one that felt fitting. Please merge into another if that feels appropriate.

I love searching for old folk horror or uncanny fictions on youtube, and have amassed a nice little playlist over the past few years. I thought I might start with West Country Tales: a 1980's supernatural drama series 'based on real life experiences' which was the result of a BBC appeal. It seems that 13 stories were selected to be dramatised, yet only a few are still available to watch. My particular favourites are Miss Constantine and The Visitor. The image quality isn't perfect, but these little gems are most definitely still a delight to watch.

It would be great to hear of anything similar that I many not have seen, or whether anyone else has enjoyed these. I also hope they may be of interest to fans of older, slower paced, charmingly weird television.

Click to expand...
Nice find, pretty sure there was also one about a strange 'thing' that was living in an old farm shed...?
 
merricat said:
I tried to locate an existing thread on which to share this yet couldn't find one that felt fitting. Please merge into another if that feels appropriate.

I love searching for old folk horror or uncanny fictions on youtube, and have amassed a nice little playlist over the past few years. I thought I might start with West Country Tales: a 1980's supernatural drama series 'based on real life experiences' which was the result of a BBC appeal. It seems that 13 stories were selected to be dramatised, yet only a few are still available to watch. My particular favourites are Miss Constantine and The Visitor. The image quality isn't perfect, but these little gems are most definitely still a delight to watch.

It would be great to hear of anything similar that I many not have seen, or whether anyone else has enjoyed these. I also hope they may be of interest to fans of older, slower paced, charmingly weird television.

Click to expand...
Thank you for these.Watched a few and I loved them
 
merricat said:
One of my favourites! It was where I first discovered Anna Cropper (wonderful actress, sadly with us no longer) and Bernard Hepton. I was unable to locate a digital version so purchased the DVD a few yrs ago.

I would love to find a similar play/drama of that ilk, starring John Stride as a troubled married man who discovers a mysterious photograph ( I think it was called 'The Photograph'). Watched around 10 yrs ago on youtube but not available now. So many wonderful, lost works we might never see again :worry:

I have a huge list of old tv oddities, will share here when I can.

ETA: Have just remembered that the cook or maid in 'Robin Redbreast' starred in a few other tales of the weird around that time. An actress called Freda Bamford. Possibly 'Play for Today's'?
Yes, just confirmed, she appeared in 3 'Play for Today' epeisodes - Robin Redbreast, The Photograph (1977) and Hearts and Flowers (1970).
If anyone can locate these, I would be a very merry cat!
Click to expand...
Try here maybe.
 
Want to add another old favourite of mine, this time a film by Louis Malle from 1975 titled 'Black Moon'.

Probably one of the oddest things that I have ever seen. A slightly uncomfortable opening sequence, but stick with it, a rather dark and twisted (and delightfully odd) fairytale unfolds. I used to have a small shetland pony that reminded me of the bad tempered, talking unicorn. Look out for Rex Harrison's daughter in the lead role, too.

"
 
Paul_Exeter said:
Here it is:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1791988/?ref_=ttep_ep6


Atmospheric production but probably a tramp
Click to expand...
Weird, I only watched this one last week! Hadn't got around to it so decided to give it a go. I'm sure the boy was Keith Baron's son (don't quote me).
Did laugh a bit at the end though, was rather expecting that poor husband to get his commupance for not intuiting the danger. And a pig slaughtering slab outside of your back door? Talk about Naked Bacon...
 
merricat said:
Weird, I only watched this one last week! Hadn't got around to it so decided to give it a go. I'm sure the boy was Keith Baron's son (don't quote me).
Did laugh a bit at the end though, was rather expecting that poor husband to get his commupance for not intuiting the danger. And a pig slaughtering slab outside of your back door? Talk about Naked Bacon...
Click to expand...
The railway line featured is the Looe Valley line in the early-80s, although as per usual with tv productions the train changes from blue all over to blue and grey during the journey, a journey which by the way commences on the approach to the terminus at Looe and then somehow travels backwards whilst travelling forwards to one of the intermediate stations (St Keyne I believe, you can see the old canal bridge adjacent to the railway bridge) I swear they do this to annoy train spotters :) Still, it is a beautiful line.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
The railway line featured is the Looe Valley line in the early-80s, although as per usual with tv productions the train changes from blue all over to blue and grey during the journey, a journey which by the way commences on the approach to the terminus at Looe and then somehow travels backwards whilst travelling forwards to one of the intermediate stations (St Keyne I believe, you can see the old canal bridge adjacent to the railway bridge) I swear they do this to annoy train spotters :) Still, it is a beautiful line.
Click to expand...
Ah, I didn't notice that, although not terribly familiar. It is very beautiful though.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
I just read in the comments that the farmhouse they used for filming was on Dartmoor but the garden scenes were filmed near Looe
Click to expand...
Sorry, only just had chance to get back to this - how did you work that out, that the garden scenes were filmed in Looe??
It is so good to find other's who are interested in this series, I wish that I had more knowledge of this part of the world..
And are you a train spotter!?
 
merricat said:
Sorry, only just had chance to get back to this - how did you work that out, that the garden scenes were filmed in Looe??
It is so good to find other's who are interested in this series, I wish that I had more knowledge of this part of the world..
And are you a train spotter!?
Click to expand...
From unverified information in the Youtube comments.

My uncle was a life-long railwayman and my father wrote extensively on transport design, but no, I don't stand on the end of platforms with my pen and notepad (well not since the age of nine...!). To be honest, the railway scene is pretty dull nowadays compared to my youth and the plethora of locomotives and never knowing what might turn up at Exeter St Davids next. However, I do enjoy travelling by train and once stayed in a b&b near a station on the Looe line.
 
Anyone seen the new folk horror film Enys Men? I absolutely loved this film, although it attracted some confused and disgruntled reviews. It is rather slow and back and forth, but then I do prefer that kind of thing.
Also recommend 'Superterranean', a fantastic film by Ian Gordon, available to view on Amazon.
Both are excellent, contemporary additions to the genre of weird.
 
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