The Signalman

The Signalman

1976 ""
The Signalman
The Signalman

The Signalman

7.6 | en | Horror

A traveller comes across a signalman stationed by the exit of a railway tunnel in a deep cutting. The traveller becomes familiar with the signalman, and finds that he is troubled by an apparition which appears by the tunnel.

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7.6 | en | Horror , TV Movie | More Info
Released: December. 22,1976 | Released Producted By: BBC , Country: United Kingdom Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

A traveller comes across a signalman stationed by the exit of a railway tunnel in a deep cutting. The traveller becomes familiar with the signalman, and finds that he is troubled by an apparition which appears by the tunnel.

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Cast

Denholm Elliott , Bernard Lloyd

Director

Don Taylor

Producted By

BBC ,

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Reviews

Prismark10 The Signalman is an adaptation of a Charles Dickens short story. I watched this several times over the years, the first time I was still a kid.It has an eerie haunting presence mainly because the way it was shot and lit. It is enveloped with atmosphere and great acting from both its stars, Denholm Elliot and Bernard Lloyd.Set presumably in the 19th century, Elliott plays a signalman haunted by a spectre which seems to warn him of some impending doom. The traveller (Lloyd) staying in a nearby inn tries to give him a rational explanation to it but unsure whether the signalman was one step away from insanity.It is a simple ghost story that spooks you out because it was wonderfully directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark.
Prof-Hieronymos-Grost A traveller (Bernard Lloyd) on a walking holiday stumbles on a remote signal box situated low down between two steep hillsides and close to the mouth of a tunnel. Its a dark and shadowy place even in daylight, He decides to take a closer look, The Signalman (Denholm Elliot) is at first very wary of the Traveller, but then invites him in out of the cold. They chat for hours on the dull minutiae of daily life in such a tiresome yet stress filled job, The Traveller questions The Signalman about his initial curious attitude towards him, slowly he apologizes and reveals to him that he had mistaken him for a dark ghostly figure that had called out to him on a few occasions, his presence always heralding a terrible event. The traveller is a learned man and tries to assist his new companion by trying to look at his stories with a modern rational eye, giving him solace from his fears, The Signalman listens intently but his fear remains.Another in the "Ghost Story for Christmas" series and the first not to have M R James as the inspiration, this is based on a Charles Dickens short story. Dickens himself was a regular traveller by train and was at one point involved in a train crash, his knowledge of the railway shines through in this work. Clark again helms this moody and claustrophobic adaptation and yet again it's a very spooky thought provoking film. Like other films in the series, its slow to get going, but this is a good point as we are treated to plenty of character development that creates a sense of impending doom, as does the eerily delightful location. Andrew Davies script is very faithful to the original story and succeeds in retaining much of its terrifying premises. Denholm Elliot is superb as the nervous and fidgety signalman, whose fear seems very real and we the viewer are left guessing as to his sanity until the very end. Lloyd is also excellent and is the viewers "in" to the story, he poses the questions we want to hear with a quizzical glee. The final reveal of the film may not be surprising but its delightfully done. This series stands as a benchmark in how to make great ghost stories in a visual medium and still retain the atmosphere fear and apprehension of a reader of these works.
Professor_Thompson I'm 14 an we watched this for English class. its scary as hell. just so scary. s c a r y watch with like 200 people. and don't let children under 15 watch alone please thank u. me and my friend Claire were hiding behind our books and people laughed but they laughed with fear. even jess was scared and she never is scared. this film should be banned, you can't have people running around saying hello down there. if you like films here are some happy ones: lion king, high school musical, moulin rouge, Bambi, thirteen, hunchback of notre dame, actually all Disney films. here are some happy words: love, smile, joy, yellow, campbell.
sonofajoiner One of the best in the Ghost Stories for Christmas adaptations (that should be revived!). Its best to watch this more than once as some of its subtlety can otherwise be missed. I wouldnt say it was the most terrifying thing Ive ever seen but it has its moments (didnt i close that door?) and there is a great sense of unease and dread from the outset.