Escape Into Night

This was a superb series and scared the hell out of me when I watched it 31 years ago. Based on the novel Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr it was far superior to the film Paperhouse which was also based on it.

The somewhat fusty memories of this programme still gives me the jitters, it scared me silly, I had quite a vivid imagination as a child and everything was thrown into turmoil when i watched this chilling masterpiece, ( I didn't want to look out of my window at night), What scared me so much about Escape into night? ... THE STONES... they were seriously evil, and you can guess that many nightmares followed, A classic 'KIDS' TV programme from when they had to rely on the story and not the effects to keep the audience glued to the box. If you thought doctor who was scary, (and it was), this was 100% more creepy... having said that ... I wish it was on DVD so i could watch it again, I have recently purchased children of the stones on DVD and that was fairly creepy too. come on independent television, Cash in on an old favourite while you can. p.s. The ORIGINAL book is still available MARIANNE DREAMS by CATHERINE STORR, published by FABER & FABER, ISBN 978-0-571-20212-6

I'd even forgotten the title in my search for details about this series, was it really 31 years ago?! I remember rushing home from school to see it even though it frightened this seven year old to bits. I was thrilled when Paperhouse was released but it all seemed so different, a bit more "grown-up", different illness (I think Marrianne had a broken leg in the series and not glandular fever)and missing the stones with one eye if I remember rightly. The ever-encircling stones gave me nightmares but still I watched and Marrianne was given an indelible pen at one point so she couldn't erase her drawings! I must track down the original book by Storr to see which dramatization is more faithful, I so wish the UK series was brought back as I would dearly love to see it again (I'd probably be still hiding behind a cushion)!

My wife and I were talking about what made things scary for kids, and how we had both been particularly disturbed (insert joke here) by movies where there seemed to be no rules and anything could happen. That led me inevitably to this movie, which I must have seen on TV when I was about seven while living in New Zealand and which has stuck in my mind for 30+ years since. It's an interesting contrast to what people usually think of as scary movies but often forget within weeks or months. There's no gore, really very little action of any kind, but it puts those subtle hints in the back of your mind that ultimately leave you looking over your shoulder or come back to you in dreams for a long time. If you can imagine the idea of a psychological thriller for kids, this is it.

I remember a show like this from my childhood, but thought it was earlier than 1972 (somewhere between 1968 and 1971). It featured a girl and boy walking through a dark, scary dream world in their pyjamas/gowns where the scenery was all theatre-like painted backdrops. ESCAPE INTO NIGHT sounds so like this show but the timing isn't quite right and the atmospheric painted scenery isn't featured. Does anyone else remember a television show around 6 or 7pm at night with 2D drawn/painted scenery, for example the trees in the forest, in the late 60's early 70's?

I remember the girl had long dark hair.

I think it may have also featured a house, but I particularly remember the flat 2d painted trees in the dream woods.

Anything anyone can tell us about this show would be much appreciated.

Was there another dramatized version of Marianne Dreams around the end of the 1960s?