ITV's Shadows - Scary Stuff for Young & Old

[Johnlprobert]

I've been posting these reviews elsewhere but I figured some vault members might enjoy a wallow in a bit of TV nostalgia:

Back in the 1970s whoever was in charge of the ITV children's dept obviously thought that what 7 year olds needed when they came home from school was to have the shit scared out of them. And quite right too - after all I was one of those 7 year olds and it never did me any harm ;->

And so finally, after 33 years, I get to see some episode of 'Shadows' again. Does anyone else remember it? It must have run to several series as the episodes I have obtained have different title sequences, but the first few are from 1975, starting with:

The Waiting Room

What's better than mid-70s British TV horror? Mid-70s British TV horror starring Jenny Agutter that's what! This is a neat little ghost story set in a rotting Victorian railway station waiting room. The action never leaves this single set and there are only four actors. I'm probably getting old but I enjoyed this a lot, and the static camerawork and stagey approach only added to the sense of realism (today's shakeycam only tends to remind me that I'm watching something). Recommended, and quite possibly enjoyed more by the older JLP than his younger self. I can't wait to watch the others now.

Next up is:

The Witch's Bottle

Matthew Hopkins forces the teenaged daughter of Agnes Bewley to watch as her mother is tortured and drowned. Understandably the young girl curses the villagers for letting mum die and so they drag her out of her cottage and burn her. In 1975 her spirit is still trapped at the old country cottage that's the setting for this episode that feels like Hammer House of Horror for kids (& I mean that in a good way). It also has another good spooky ending (as did The Waiting Room) that I won't give away. And this was a genuine blast of nostalgia as while The Waiting Room had always been a favourite I'd completely forgotten I'd seen this one.

An Optical Illusion

My God they don't make them like this anymore. Slipping effortlessly from what feels almost like a kids' sitcom into straight gothic horror about halfway through, this tale of three cockney kids larkin' about a heritage trust property and then getting lost and finding some 17th century clothes to dress up in works beautifully as a little 22 minute nugget of ghostly entertainment.

That's it for my series one episodes, but I remember the plots of the others having looked up the titles on IMDB and they were:

The Future Ghost - The one about the Victorian chambermaid who finds herself in 1975. The house she works in has become a hotel and a girl in one of the rooms is dying. I remember the maid takes a 50p piece back with her to prove she was there.

After School - Boys in detention in a Welsh school find the skeleton of a boy who got trapped underground many years ago.

The Other Window - This scared me silly. There's a window in a house that looks out onto a garden but when the garden is viewed through a particular pane it shows events from the past. Horrible ones, of course.

Ah nostalgia!

And to tie it however tenuously into the Vault's main remit I do believe there was a tie-in paperback.

[Johnlprobert]

OK on to the second series and a distinct move from the Jamesian and gothic atmosphere of the first series to more contemporary urban tales as reflected in the almost Gilliamesque title sequence:

The Eye

I almost dismissed this as a load of old rubbish until the single Dad of the two Welsh children came into their cramped flat in his motorcycle leathers and blacked out helmet possessed by the spirit of the blind Greek 'cloud watcher' Stratus, searching for new eyes. The bit where he peels off his black gloves to reveal rotting mummified hands must have sent a few kids to bed with nightmares, even if the rest of the plot is a bit garbled.

And Now for My Next Trick

PJ Hammond's tale of Clive Swift's impoverished magician whose act gets vastly improved by the appearance of three magical eggs. But there's a price to pay for each of his new tricks. The fade-out on the horrified children at the end is sheer class.

The Dark Streets of Kimball's Green

Kimball's Green is an urban development built on an ancient British settlement. While her foster mother goes off to bingo little orphan Emmeline prefers to spend her time in the library where she befriends old Mr Campbell who helps her discover the history of the place. When her stepbrother sets off with his gang to kill her cat Emmeline gets revenge with some very ancient allies. Written by Joan Aiken both this and 'The Eye' are probably the closest TV will ever get to doing 'Ramsey Campbell for Kids'.

[carolinec]

This sounds superb, but I don't remember them at all. I must be a little older than you John (well, OK, quite a bit older than you as I was definitely a long way past 7 years of age in 1975! ). Are they available on DVD/video? How do I get my hands on copies? I must see these!

[dem bones]

the demonik flashpen stores many wonders! don't have a copy meself, but here's what you're looking for although infuriatingly there's nothing from series one.

The Best Of Shadows (Carousel 1979)

Les Matthews

Lurking among the SHADOWS are mysteries such as the ancient omen of a skull-headed Horn Dance; the ghostly echoes of a death caught in the webs of time; the sad curse of a crippled dancer...

Joan Aiken - The Dark Streets of Kimball's Green
Josephine Poole - The Inheritance
Ewart Alexander - Eleven O'Clock
Peter Eldin - And For My Next Trick
Joan Aiken - The Rose of Puddle Fratrum
Ewart Alexander - The Eye
Peter Eldin - The Man Who Hated Children

The series and the book both sound a bit great. Browsing down the listing on the the delightful Supernatural TV site makes you realise there's just no modern equivalent to any of the spooky stuff that proliferated on the box in the 'seventies and 'eighties? You have to feel sorry for today's little ones that they're not being terrified out of their wits from an early age. I worry for the future. Where are tomorrows suicidal goths gonna come from?

[The Lurker In The Shadows]

There were 3 series of "Shadows", which began as purely scary stuff for kids before becoming more fantasy based.

One episode of "Shadows" has had an official release, on the "Ace of Wands" DVD set from Network DVD. The ep, "Dutch Schlitz's Shoes" features AoW villain Mr Stabs, hence its inclusion (And also the inclusion of the "Dramarama" episode "Mr Stabs", though David Jason replaces original Stabs actor, Russell Hunter, in the title role).

"Dutch Schlitz's Shoes" is more horror than comedy, with dimension travelling villain, Mr Stabs, stealing a pair of shoes belonging to a long-dead gangster as they are imbued with some power or other. But when Stabs dons the shoes, he becomes possessed by the gangster's spirit. Good fun (and makes me wish the AoW Stabs episodes hadn't been junked), with a nice opening featuring Valentine Dyall's spooky tones telling a ghost story on a radio set.

I'm a big fan of "And Now For My Next Trick", with 70s TV horror fave, Clive Swift, Servalan from "Blake's 7", a gloomy 70s rooming house vibe, and a character being described as a "first class bitch", which wouldn't get near a kids TV show nowadays. Written by P.j. hammond, who went on to create "Sapphire and Steel".

"The Waiting Room" is fab, full of atmosphere, and Jenny Agutter... Eek!

Like JLP, I almost gave up on "The Eye" as pretentious old guff, but the bike-helmeted Dad was horrific, and even the repeated close-ups of a bubbling pot on the cooker began to take on nightmarish qualities. In fact, the whole muddledness of the episode has the feel of a nightmare.

I haven't seen "The Other Window", but I think I'm right in saying it was written by J.B. Priestley and Jacquetta Hawkes.

The series also led to at least one spin-off, "The Boy Merlin".

The only one I actually remember from childhood was "the Man Who Hated Children", with the miserable old git's face emerging from the bark of the tree at the end - the cover of the tie-in book does it no justice.

I'm really, really, really hoping Network will release this one in the not too distant future.

[colin1975]

Is it true that Network are planning to release this series in full sometime this summer? And if so, having never seen a single episode of it ever, is it worth getting? I'm reading the book 'The Best of Shadows' at the moment and although its a pleasurable read and rather entertaining, I have wondered if their televisual adaptations are just as good.

[The Lurker In The Shadows]

It's true, Network mentioned a mid-summer release on their Facebook page. Hopefully it's all three series, not separate series releases. Mind you, the first series is the most 'horror' themed, with the others edging closer to fantasy as they went on.

I'd say it's worth getting. There are some straightforward spooky episodes like "The Waiting Room", some utterly weird ones like "The Eye" (which has the quality of a nightmare to it, with a boiling pan on a hob becoming weirdly menacing), some where mythology meets present day like "Peronik", some more comedic like "Dutch Schlitz's Shoes". A good mixture of stuff. I'm really looking forward to it.

[colin1975]

Yes a complete set does sound preferrable, even if there is a shift from horror to fantasy as you say. 'The Eye' was a strange story to read, but an enjoyable one at that; weird, ambiguous, somehow otherworldly and yet told in a setting as ordinary and domesticated as one could well imagine. Hopefully the television version will compliment my own mental interpretation of it. This being a product of the seventies when the art of televisual horror telling was still very much a well-honed art, I certainly think it will.

[Johnlprobert]

I'll be getting this, if nothing else other than to see how it compares with my memory of the programmes.

[stevemagin]

Hey guys - thanks for this thread I've been trying to recall this show for ages! I remember a scene from After School with the kids in detention - man that episode really made me jump. I so shaken that I was too scared to stay back at school -LOL

Anyways great to hear it might be rerun - can anyone point me to a URL for the announcement about it? I tried looking for Network's Facebook page but no dice. Any help greatly appreciated.

S

[Johnlprobert]

Hi Steve

It was on their facebook page that it was announced so who knows? Maybe they've cancelled their plans now

[stevemagin]

Thanks for the reply John. Do you mean ITV's facebook page?

I really hope they don't scrap it... I was kind of looking forward to comparing my reaction today to how I was as a kid.

Kind regards

S

[Johnlprobert]

Jun 26, 2010 14:55:08 GMT stevemagin said:

Thanks for the reply John. Do you mean ITV's facebook page?

I really hope they don't scrap it... I was kind of looking forward to comparing my reaction today to how I was as a kid.

Kind regards

S

No - Network's. And you're right - I can't find it there now

[stevemagin]

Oh well, fingers crossed anyway.

I did find two episodes on Youtube. Witches' Bottle and Waiting Room


Kind regards

S

[marillionboy]

Good news everyone!

www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=1270