- Actors: Michael Bryant, Jane Asher, Iain Cuthbertson, Michael Bates, Reginald Marsh
- Directors: Peter Sasdy
- Writers: Nigel Kneale
- Producers: Innes Lloyd
- Classification: PG
- Studio: Bfi
- VHS Release Date: 20 Aug 2001
- Run Time: 90 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00005N9FH
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 763 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
I remember when this was first broadcast in 1972.
At the age of 14 this classic ghost story had just the right mix of the supernatural and science fiction to make a lasting impression. The horror does not come in the form of blood and gore but from the basic plot element which identifies that the stone of a building records events when they occur under the correct set of emotinal circumstances, which to me seemed to offer a perfect solution to the question 'are there such things as ghosts ?'
At the age of 14 this classic ghost story had just the right mix of the supernatural and science fiction to make a lasting impression. The horror does not come in the form of blood and gore but from the basic plot element which identifies that the stone of a building records events when they occur under the correct set of emotinal circumstances, which to me seemed to offer a perfect solution to the question 'are there such things as ghosts ?'
The intensity of the plot has lost nothing in 30 years and although a little dated in some areas such as it's lack of exterior scenes, this seems to add to it's status as a classic, in the same way as Quatermass.
I watched it recently with my 68 year old father and my 13 year old nephew in the knowledge that they would both enjoy and suffer only a limited number of sleepless nights !!
43 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If this is representative of what the BFI can dust off and put out on DVD, let's hope they carry on raiding the archive. Billed as the BBC' s Christmas ghost story in 1972, it's an admittedly dated but brilliantly suspenseful thriller from the pen of Nigel "Quatermass" Kneale that works because of what it implies as much as what it actually shows. The story concerns a team of scientists, led by Michael Bryant, who relocate to a spacious Gothic mansion to research a breakthrough recording medium. The team's only woman, played by Jane Asher, triggers an apparition in the only room that has not been renovated, and the remainder of the thriller is occupied with their frenzied attempts to monitor and explain the phenomenon.
Full of enthusiastic acting that derives from the school of "Shout, shout and shout again" (stage star Bryant, great though he is, is perhaps most guilty of projecting to the gods), The Stone Tape has lost none of its power to chill, 30 years on.
Kneale expertly feeds the imagination, lights the blue touch-paper and retires. There's no wrap-up resolution and the grand climax (this was the era of Jon Pertwee's Doctor Who, remember) boasts a succession of effects that don't come with "special" on the box. But the atmosphere is the thing. The extremely noisy sound track, aided by some creepy radiophonic murmurings, makes you so hypersensitive that you'll have to keep fiddling with the volume.
Kneale's intriguing reminiscences on the commentary - he doesn't believe in the supernatural, you know - and a printable script complete a great package.
But just bear in mind - it'll stay with you.
Full of enthusiastic acting that derives from the school of "Shout, shout and shout again" (stage star Bryant, great though he is, is perhaps most guilty of projecting to the gods), The Stone Tape has lost none of its power to chill, 30 years on.
Kneale expertly feeds the imagination, lights the blue touch-paper and retires. There's no wrap-up resolution and the grand climax (this was the era of Jon Pertwee's Doctor Who, remember) boasts a succession of effects that don't come with "special" on the box. But the atmosphere is the thing. The extremely noisy sound track, aided by some creepy radiophonic murmurings, makes you so hypersensitive that you'll have to keep fiddling with the volume.
Kneale's intriguing reminiscences on the commentary - he doesn't believe in the supernatural, you know - and a printable script complete a great package.
But just bear in mind - it'll stay with you.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Why "Once seen, never forgotten"? Because that's the effect this superb BBC film had on me. Even today, I still remember seeing it in '72 on TV. It has stuck with me ever since and has even influenced my own writing for children. I agree 100% with other reviewers who lament the passing of the BBC's ability and willingness to mark each new year with a superbly produced story of ghosts or the supernatural - and in 'The Stone Tape' you get both, plus a hefty dose of sci-fi. The fact that the production is now dated, somehow adds to its atmosphere, so pray that no double-barrelled geek with 23 degrees in media studies thinks "Ah - just imagine what we could do today with digital effects. Let's re-make it." Who needs it when you've already got a Grade One story; a Grade One script; Grade One direction and acting; and a storyline that never lets you see old houses in the same way ever again. So - if you want a truly classic tale to unsettle you on a dark winter's evening as the winds swirl and the doors creak - then this is it. Five stars seems mean.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Admittedly rather dated but still creepy and iconic
I had faint memories of The Stone Tape really scaring me when I first saw it as a young lad and was eager to see if it had stood the test of time. The verdict? Read more
Published 5 months ago by Cartimand
A Hauntological Masterpiece
I saw this, for the first time, only recently & was VERY impressed. Now almost 4 decades old, The Stone Tape overcomes it's all-too-evident vintage by virtue of a disturbing... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Rooksby
oooh dear - I'm not sure
Afraid I have to disagree with practically all opinions here. I think Nigel Kneale
quickly went off the boil after the Quatermass trilogy. Read more
quickly went off the boil after the Quatermass trilogy. Read more
Published 14 months ago by W. A. Buckley
Don't be distracted by how dated it is
I can see why this is considered a classic. The story combined technology and the supernatural long before the 'j horror' films of the last two decades did (such as 'the ring',... Read more
Published 18 months ago by GJ_Reading
It costs how much?
I can't get over these prices. Is the cover gold leaf? Anyways - it's written by Nigel Kneale - had to see it - wasn't disappointed. Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2009 by Roger Gay
A lot of SHOUTING
Simply put this film is worth a lot although I would not spend to much money finding out what its like try for example to loan it from a friend or perhaps rent it from Amazon. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2008 by Christian Mc Donnell
Not at all what I remembered
Sadly this is one of those programmes that was probably best left to memory. It really scared me as a young child and so I was quite excited when it came out. Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2007 by Gabriel
Haunting, in more ways than one......
It stays with you, The Stone Tape, once you have seen it it won't let you go. The premise is very simple but also very clever: a team of scientists researching new recording... Read more
Published on 18 July 2007 by Gregory S. Buzwell
Adequate but poorly realised speculative fiction
I should start by saying that I am a big fan of Nigel Kneale's fiction. Ever since seeing "Quatermass and the Pit" when I was a youngster I have been captivated by two things that... Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2006 by Anthony Green
Shockingly bad horror
Sheer torture. This hokum could have been condensed into forty minutes and might have been more watchable for that. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2006
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