The Woman In Black

Susan Hill's The Woman in Black which was written back in 1983 and I've re-read it over the years and it never fails to hit the spot when you need a decent ghost story fix - one of the chapters is entitled 'Whistle and I'll Come to You' as a tip of the hat to M.R. James, master of the art form. The BBC in its wisdom used to screen, on New Year's eve, a ghost story introduced by the delightful Christopher Lee, dressed in M. R. James period scholarly garb in a darkened room by a open fire reading to eager pupils who sat listening attentively at the unfolding woeful tale. Note the annoying printed 'sticker' which publishers whack on their covers these days; poor designers working up book jackets only to have marketing stick these ruinous objects on them. The film is out shortly on February 10th in the UK.