Baby

Having just been disappointed by the Nigel Kneale-scripted THE WOMAN IN BLACK (1989), I was glad to get to this vintage TV series which finds him treading more familiar territory – at least, judging by this first episode; even so, some eerie touches here – such as a cradle and, later, a chair rocking of their own accord – wouldn't be out-of-place in a traditional ghost story!

As in QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (a 1958 TV series that was eventually successfully adapted for the cinema nine years later), which remains Kneale's best offering, it all begins with the discovery (during excavation work in a country-house) of the body of a mysterious animal; as it happens, the proprietor is a young vet (Simon MacCorkindale) and, naturally, he would like to analyze it – with the help of a conceited and patronizing elder colleague (T.P. McKenna). However, his pregnant wife (Jane Wymark) has apprehensions about the thing – which seems to have been buried, and preserved all these years, in an unborn state – especially after the workers mention a strange case of animal sterility in the region!

Though a bit talky – particularly with the introduction of McKenna's eccentric wife (Shelagh Fraser) – and the low-budget shows in some obviously faked cat meowing(!), as with most of Kneale's writing, it's both intelligent and gripping, managing a subtle aura of unease throughout. Most notable in this respect are the shot of the forest suddenly getting overcast (recalling the conjured storm in NIGHT OF THE DEMON [1957]) and, of course, the weird subliminal look of the creature itself (I was actually reminded here of the similarly bizarre yet subtle monster-in-the-bedroom scene towards the end of THE SHINING [1980]).

Nothing really new here in this however interesting plot. I repeat, you find in this episodes many, many elements already seen before i many anthology series episodes or movies, horror atmospheric films taking place in the countryside; especially British. It is well made, rewarding your expectations. The second best of the series so far. The mummy of an animal in a cottage is rather new though. Yes, a good story though not exceptional. Excellent routine horror thriller, but more psychological than anything else. Do not expect bloodsheds. And those main characters could be any of us. This is the main reason why most audiences could feel concerned in this however unlikely plot.

I've wanted to watch more of the 70's anthology style horror shows for a while, but a tweet by Jeremy Dyson inspired me to Youtube, to find this specific example, as a start point for looking, if nothing else. I found this episode to be a wonderfully atmospheric thrlller, though if I'm honest was a little let down by the effect at the end.

A young couple, Jo (Jane Wymark) and her husband Peter (Simon MacCorkindale) move to the country so Peter can take his veterinary skills to the next level. They are doing up an aging farm that they purchased and one night, whilst knocking down a wall, they discover a sealed pot, bricked up, within the wall. The pot contains some unidentifiable animal remains, which Peter intends to take away for a post mortem. The move, and the grim discovery, take a toll on the heavily pregnant Jo who longs to return to the city and away from the oppressive nature of the farm. Then she hears a noise downstairs. . .

There's a lot going on thematically with the show. The idea of failed pregnancies is set up in the first scene and continues throughout. In the finale, where you're left to assume that Jo miscarries on her kitchen floor (It's not particularly graphic, but it has to be what's happening) there could be a debate about whether the demon/witch/curse genuinely causes the miscarriage, or whether the curse is her mind processing it, as its taking place. Either way, it's a very human nightmare away from the other worldly aspects. You also have the fact that it's not a happy marriage - Peter is at the very least a brash jerk, gaslighting and lying to his wife but it's not hard to see in his moment of anger that he might previously have previously hit her. It's a stretch perhaps, on my part, but we also discover that the couple have lost an unborn child once before and perhaps with was the reason. Either way, for the most part the show remains atmospheric and unsettling, the first little scare of the ending (the movement in the shadows) is really effective too.

Then there's the full final reveal. I'm willing to accept that seeing this in 1976 would have been a decent and memorable scare, but forty years later the effectiveness of it is rather undone by the shoddiness of the costume. It's looked not unlike a pile of binbags on the rocking chair.

I like this as a starting point for me though, and I'm going to try and dig out the rest of the series and watch them all.

Jo and Peter have moved to the country to allow Peter to pursue a career as a rural vet. Jo is pregnant, and is having to contend with ongoing construction in the house and a cat that has been spooked by their new home. However, when something nasty is discovered inside a wall in the kitchen, things take a ghoulish turn for the worse.

Fairly unimaginative take on themes of birth, death and centuries old curses is rendered practically unwatchable by pedestrian direction and awful acting. The entire production is shot like a bad stage play, with the actors telegraphing everything to the back row, even when in close up. Wymark is best of the bunch as the unsettled mum-to-be, struggling with increasing unease, insensitive builders, wayward cat and unsympathetic husband-from-hell, although it's astounding Jo doesn't just crack Peter over the head with the mystery pot they find bricked up in the wall. McKenna is a little OTT as Peter's boss, booming his lack of subtlety all over the set without a thought for the poor viewer, but what makes this so awful is MacCorkindale. His Peter begins as cross and deeply unsympathetic and has nowhere to go but angrier, shoutier, more uncaring and more patronizing as things progress. Nelson mustn't have heard of 'less is more', sadly, and by the end of the piece it's MacCorkindale you'd like to see shoved in a pot and walled up in the kitchen! Fraser offers a wee bit of light relief as McKenna's 'stuff and nonsense' wife, barking advice and retorts to poor Jo, but it's nowhere near enough.

Watch this for one of the worst TV performances of 1976, but otherwise avoid!

Despite a dubious performance from Simon MacCorkindale and some low-budget effects work at the climax, this works beautifully.

The plot in outline: a long-dead creature unearthed from a tomb in a wall exerts a malign influence on the household of a young vet and his pregnant wife. The idea contains echoes of the third Quatermass story, which helped establish Nigel Kneale as a uniquely original and imaginative writer.

In the best tradition of ghost stories, the atmosphere of this episode is all created by suggestion, helped by some excellent sound effects and a generally good cast. Shelagh Fraser is particularly effective as the wife of the "sitting" vet, her bluff but insensitive manner cleverly increasing the tension. The idea is intriguing at the start and the pace is fairly slow, with the suspense and fear developed beautifully to the climax. Part of the BEASTS TV series from 1976, the episode defies description - you really should see it!