Omnibus Whistle and I'll Come to You (1967–2003) Online

One of a spate of M.R.James adaptations that the BBC shot from the late 'sixties to the early 'eighties. All of them were memorable but this is comfortably the best. Michael Hordern is the hapless academic who goes to the coast for a short holiday and accidentally awakens something unnatural while pottering around in the remains of a Templar preceptory.

This isn't a story about a monster, though, but rather something that stays at the edge of perception. The supernatural events are alternated with the mundane day to day life at the boarding house where Hordern is staying. Everything seems commonplace but he -- and the viewer -- are troubled by the feeling that there are some things that should be left well alone. Finally, his nightmares become concrete and... Well, see the TV adaptation if you get the chance or read the short story upon which it is based (in which form it has the addendum of "my lad" on the title).

I'm not in the habit of handing out scores of ten with abandon but I can't think of anyway that this could have been improved. Unlike some of the other adaptations, Miller resists the urge to gild the lily, staying close to the original storyline and the production is all the stronger for it. James would certainly have approved. I just wish the BBC had the courage and imagination to make things like it now.

Eighteen years ago, when I was ten, I watched a short black and white film that my mum had recorded from the TV. It chilled me and my friends at the time, and the image of a frightened man in a room, and being chased down a beach, has stayed with me ever since. I've often wondered what it was, and then recently Channel 4 showed the 100 most scary moments, and there it was. And now I've finally got hold of the DVD, and it scared me all over again. The professor's nightmares are especially chilling. The sparing use of sound, the misty black and white, the use of close-ups, all these combine to make what could be quite ridiculous into something quite unsettling. The final scene in particular is horrible. I think it touches on fears we have all had at night of strange sounds in the dark, and the unmistakable feeling of a presence in the room. The way Michael Horden portrays these fears is brilliant. I love the way he is reduced from a philosophising academic to a terrified, murmuring, inarticulate shell of a man. He doesn't run around screaming like so many ghost story films tend towards. He is simply afraid and rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend the supernatural goings on right in front of him.

I challenge anyone to watch this short film and not feel afraid, and uncomfortable.

This was the first in a series of BBC adaptations of M.R. James's famous ghost stories, and was directed by Jonathan Miller for the equally famous Omnibus productions. It was followed by a sequence that were made more or less on an annual basis through the 1970s, and the BFI has issued them all in a very attractive box set.

Miller, and Michael Hordern as his lead actor, did a great job and this film still grips the viewer. It holds its own as a ghost story and the recreation of a Norfolk hotel and its staff and guests is impressive. Jonathan Miller discusses the film in a short interview though he has disappointingly little to say about it. Unfortunately the same quality evaded the later films, most of which were directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. He produced much more workmanlike versions lacking the original camera shots and telling atmosphere that Miller achieved in 1968. But some are better than others and Clark did work with some good actors. Of the last entry in the 1970s run, The Ice House, directed by Derek Lister, the less said the better. The same applies to the misguided attempt to make a new version of 'Oh whistle' in 2010.

"Whistle and I'll Come to You" is a real oddity.

This video was released by the BFI as part of its new Archive TV series along with "The Stone Tape". While "The Stone Tape" is instantly accessible sci-fi drama this is a different story altogether.

Written by M.R. James, "Whistle" tells the rather sad story of a bachelor lecturer who enjoys a holiday by the sea. While out on his travels, the man comes across an old wooden whistle which he proceeds to blow. From this point forward his nights are restless, his dreams full of weird visions of something chasing him.

This paranormal drama is well directed by Johnathan Miller on wonderfully grainy 16mm film. Indeed the stock is so scratchy as to render the sheet, chasing the professor along the beach, almost unrecognisable.

Michael Horden's wonderfully understated performance complements the stark, dreary beach scenes very well. Horden, playing here an introverted bachelor with no capacity for conversation, is a revelation, particularly in the chilling final scene which cleverly mixes slow-mo film with distorted sound effects.

"Whistle" certainly takes a while to get used to. In this day and age, a film with such a slow pace would never get released and it's more or less over before it's started, but give it a shot and watch and re-watch to appreciate this mysterious gem.

I would say that this is the best screen adaption of M.R. James's best ghost story. It follows the original story tastefully avoiding the temptation to update the plot by sensationalising it or overdoing the supernatural events that take place. Nor does it suffer from the BBC dramatization syndrome of the 60s and 70s that they are essentially set-bound.

Miller's adaptation is filmed on location and is refreshingly cinematic in appeal. Instead of trying to follow the story's dialogue word for word, it focuses instead on conveying the mood of the story. There is no music added to accompany the drama. Silence permeates the film, heightened by the sparse dialogue and attention to sounds such as the clinking of cutlery and chairs being moved. Amidst this we hear the rambling thoughts and mutterings of the main character - Professor Parkins played by Michael Horden. All of this conspires to convey the existential loneliness of Parkins somehow trapped in a world of the infinite and undefinable symbolised by the beautiful black and white photography of a remote region of the Norfolk coast. Hordern does an excellent job of bringing the fidgety, crusty college professor character to life, and is a sheer delight to watch as he mumbles and reflects his way through the long scenes, often alone.

One of the reasons the adaptation works so well is because the original story was very visual, often describing the images appearing in the imagination of the professor. Miller has recreated these visuals exactly as I had imagined them when I first read the story as a boy. But the main reason this is so good is because all the right ingredients are there. A great story, good cast, and good direction.

No fancy special effects needed.

I couldn't approach this with quite the level of enthusiasm as some of the others here after just one watch. I decided to watch it a second time and then I began to pick up on more, and thus began to appreciate it more. It may be too slowly paced and subtle for some tastes, but I think the majority of horror fans will find it a rewarding 42-minute view, if only for three very creepy sequences, the desolate locations and Dick Bush's gorgeous, haunting black-and-white photography. It opens with brief voice over narration that gives us a little history on source author James as well as an overview of his story, which is said to have been written as a warning about the dangers of "intellectual pride." Professor Parkins (Michael Hordern) is looking for some peace and solitude, so he goes to stay a spell at a quaint little hotel that's close to the ocean. During a trip to the beach he wanders into a small ancient graveyard, finds an old whistle and brings it back to his room. He cleans it and notices an inscription that promises that whoever blows it will be paid a visit... by someone. Being an academic and realist, and thus a supernatural skeptic, Parkins decides to blow the horn despite the warning and ends up getting more than he bargained for.

The first 15 or so minutes are spent with Hordern wandering around the hotel and incoherently mumbling, babbling and groaning to both himself and the staff. On my first watch I found this incredibly irritating and had no clue what the point of it was. Now I realize it was to illustrate his inability to relate to or socialize with "normal" everyday people. To become immersed in academia and intellectual pursuits is often to alienate yourself from the rest of society. After awhile you just can't relate and simple things like basic interaction or making simple casual conversation during a small dinner become awkward and difficult. Though these scenes do have some purpose, I have to admit I felt they were a bit overlong to the point of trying one's patience at times.

However, when it comes to striking and chilling imagery, this one hits a home run on many occasions, which is impressive for a film with such a short run time. As the professor starts to leave the beach after obtaining the whistle, a silhouetted figure stands solemnly behind him as the sun is setting and the waves are crashing. The lack of a music score or a reactionary sound cue makes it even more chilling. There's also a brilliantly set-up nightmare sequence which make excellent use of clipped dialogue and manages to make a piece of cloth horrifying. And then there's the finale, which I won't go into, but it's also pretty darn creepy. The beach locations are excellent, partially because they're not cluttered. Aside from a few poles in the sand and some tall wavering grass blowing in the wind, it's a beautiful yet blank pallet that makes certain images (the mysterious figure, a tombstone) stand out in a striking and ominous way.

Fans of such films as THE INNOCENTS (1961) and A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS (1972) should enjoy what this brings to the table.

Professor Parkins (Michael Hordern) is a bookish intellectual academic, who craves solitude, he books in to a remote hotel by the English coast, frequented by holidaying golfers. He isn't very interested in the hotel staff or the other guests and barely recognizes they are there, due to his very deep thinking processes. He flat out and rather rudely rejects an offer to play a round of golf from a breakfast guest, instead mumbling that he has better plans. These plans involve a good brisk walk, a stroll on the beach and a visit to the local cemetery, stopping only to partake of a jolly old packed lunch. Parkins is at home uncovering the long abandoned graveyard, removing the moss and reading the names of centuries old locals, he stops every so often to sit in the nearby sand dunes, eating a sandwich and generally looking about and taking in the sights, all the time seemingly enjoying his inaudible conservations with himself. On one of these trips, he finds an old artefact covered in mud and sand, he brings it back to his room and after cleaning it, finds that it is a whistle with a Latin inscription on it, which translates as "Whom is this that is coming" to which Parkins flippantly replies, "let's blow it and see" Almost immediately Parkins becomes aware of unsettling noises amidst the sudden wind that blows outside. He dismisses them at settles down to sleep for the night.

The following morning over breakfast he gets into a discussion on the existence of ghosts with the same cordial guest he has spoken to before. Parkins revels in upping the ante by intellectualising the conversation and the argument, sitting back in his chair he is arrogant and impressed with his own adept skill at debunking the conventions of the supernatural.

Back on the beach, he spots a solitary stationary figure, he repeatedly looks back in the figures direction and its lack of movement seems to startle Parkins, who scurries back to the hotel. His sleep is now becoming unsettled and sporadic, as strange noises and rustlings waken him every so often. As well as this he is having terrifying dreams of being chased, that haunt his every sleeping moment. As an academic he struggles to come to terms with these unexplainable irregularities.

This is another fine M.R.James adaptation of his 1904 work Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad, this time adapted by all round talent Jonathan Miller. Miller's introduction tells us that this is a ghost story but that it is primarily a moral tale, a warning against intellectualism, that tells us, those who crave solitude can miss out on seeing the whole picture and do so at their own peril. This is very much reflected in this haunting tale. Parkins is very much wrapped up in his work and his own head, that his committal to science and fact, blinds him to the dangers he is in, with devastating consequences. Ghost stories tend to work best in black and white and Miller wisely chooses monochrome to present his work. In tone, it is very reminiscent of other genre classics like The Innocents, I even detected some Chiaroscuro visuals that would not look out of place in a Lang film. Miller's main device is to keep the dialogue to a minimum, this has a very unsettling effect on the viewer, as during these pauses, we scan Parkin's very still bedroom for a visual image to add to the horrifying noises we hear, as such the terrors are in our head, as we await a chilling moment, that may or may not be revealed. Like most of James's works, the film is notable for it slow pace and attention to detail, there are no lazy jump scares here, so when the spectral figure does eventually appear, the simplicity of its execution is quite terrifying and I can honestly say it did make my hair stand on end, I haven't been this unsettled in quite some time.

Hordern a fine stage and screen actor, is excellent as the forgetful and withdrawn professor, his constant conversations with himself and his inaudible indecipherable mumblings, can become a little irritating, but they are perfectly suited to the character, in any case proper audible and probably irrelevant dialogue might just have distracted from the great doom laden atmosphere that slowly builds. As Ghost stories go this is superb, mumblings aside, its damn near perfect.

Amazed to discover this has been released by the BFI, - for a rather hefty £20. I've been intrigued by this, not least by the comments on IMDb. I thought this was quite different from the story by M.R.James, Jonathan Miller characterising the Professor as the typical, socially inadequate, bumbling Academic, someone who has obviously spent too much time alone in his Ivory Tower. He really is quite funny at times (the breakfast scenes in particular I found very amusing) - and quite annoying. Make no mistake, this is first and foremost a character study and Michael Hordern is quite brilliant as Professor Parkins. The story or supernatural element is very low key, so much so that we are left with the distinct impression that it could all have taken place in the Professors' increasingly distracted mind. That said, the rustling of the sheets is still creepy. The location is excellent and suitably chilly, the lack of music accentuating the visuals. The ending was perhaps too abrupt for my liking but effective nonetheless and it is certainly worth seeking out for Hordern's performance alone. There are some excellent sleeve notes by Kim Newman, too.

I have read partisan levels of division on this notorious short. I will add my view to the debate.

The 'success' of the piece, if that's what garners acclaim or opprobrium depending on your perspective, is for me in the images that linger long after the film itself finishes. Most films finish and you think, just.....nothing. Nothing stays with you - nothing comes back to you, it's just THERE. Here however, for me, odd moments return to the mind's eye and can have an unsettling effect, as if the director (shackled now to being a 'cultural' stereotype of the highest order who will polarise opinion faster than you can say Melvyn Bragg) knew that these few images were what would remain, and this only - the beach and the claustrophobic room. It's appealing to childhood fears - there's someone there at the door who will help you. There's someone there...you're OK, or are you? You're on the beach. You notice it, you feign ignorance, you know, you fear, you think it's after someone else. No, it's after you. It could be Hemingway, couldn't it?

I think this is the real essence of horror. No horror film will be bedecked with 90 minutes or so of abject terror, that's not the idea. The zeitgeist is in what stays after, weeks, months, sometimes years after, moments when you have to relieve yourself in the night, walk downstairs in the dark, conjuring up some half baked idea that there's someone/thing 'in the room' - at moments like this, which, let's face it we all have and are now trying to deny, images of Hordern on the beach, with that THING behind him, will leave you wondering if it will come closer, and, more worryingly, if it will come for YOU, my friends....

I remember first hearing this on the radio 1948 and I can still recall the tricks my imagination played every night when bedtime came around. The T.V. version which I have seen a couple of times, is among my favourite "spook" films. If it is ever aired again, and I certainly hope it is, viewers should not be distracted as the portent can be misunderstood. I have always been a fan of the good supernatural films and I compiled a list of other good films of the genre. A Warning To The Curious, The Familiar, A Fatal Night,The Cat People, The Creeper, Night Comes To Soon, Horror Hotel, When Aunt Ada Came To Stay, The Hungry Glass, The Grim Reaper. You will no doubt observe that only one of the films I have listed was in colour. I think that black and white seems to create a more creepy atmosphere although the colour segment in Dorian Gray was absolutely necessary, the shock value of that scene would have been diminished without it. The Norliss Tapes and most of the Night Strangler Night Stalker series had some genuinely creepy scenes and are among my favourites.

As some reviewers have pointed out, it is a slow film, nothing in particular happens for much of the duration. However it is so well shot, eerily so, that the slowness works in its favour. In fact it perfectly sums up the main characters life until he discovers the whistle.

The dream sequences, while brief, are the most genuinely terrifying scenes I've seen in a film, like something out of a nightmare. The sound effects are gruesome too, like he can't get the words out.

If you're after blood, gore and music-video editing, this isn't for you. But if you want to feel unsettled, it's perfect.

Spoilers Ahead...

Based upon the great novelist, M. R. James' short supernatural tale, Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad, this early crafted BBC effort from director Jonathan Miller (director of many Shakespeare TV adaptations) still retains effectiveness today despite its lack of action. It is a character-based piece about the sexually repressed, pompous, prudish and introverted Professor Parkins (played wonderfully by Michael Hordern). During one of his ‘trudges' through the Norfolk dunes, he discovers a whistle on an ancient Templar burial ground. Disrespectfully he takes it back to his two-bedroom hotel for inspection. Disregarding the Latin inscription warning on the whistle, he blows it. Subsequently he suffers nightmares of an ominous figure following him through the dunes and begins hearing rustling in the empty bed opposite him. It all eerily culminates with an invisible figure reaching out for him from under the sheets. Whether or not it's all his twisted imagination or an actual haunting is subject for debating. ‘Do you believe in Ghosts?'

The lack of music and obscure use of dialogue emphasises our lead character's seclusion from the ‘real' world' and relates the viewer to him on a basic level; he mostly groans and moans opinions instead of speaking them coherently. A constant aura of unnerving atmosphere pervades the mere 40 minutes of this recently released BFI DVD, but without a doubt for lovers of the British supernatural this is definitely interesting viewing.

I'd heard about how good this was for years. It even got a no-extras DVD release at full price over here because it's got such a good rep. When it finally got repeated on BBC Four last night, I actually stayed in to watch it (with digital TV you can't tape stuff while you're out: you have to have the channel you're taping on, which I guess is why it hasn't taken off).

I should have gone out instead.

It's terrible. Not just dated, tho I doubt this was ever much cop. No, it's both boring and laughable. There's 20 minutes of mumbling like a bad Erik Sykes silent movie before the plot starts, and then it's just Michael Hordern having trouble sleeping because he has dreams of being chased by a tea towel on the beach. Then - horror of horrors - the tea towel turns up in HIS BEDROOM! I've not read any of M.R. James' stories, tho one of them was the basis for the excellent Night of the Demon, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. But the makers of this pretentious arty overlong piece of nothing deserve no mercy. This really is just junk.

M.R.James's ghost story is a justified classic, with a memorable story and characters and a resolutely chilling atmosphere that sticks with you even on multiple readings. This is the quintessential version of this wonderful story, not only maintaining the chilling atmosphere but also the story's ambiguity, and it is far superior over the hugely disappointing(both as an adaptation and on its own merits) 2010 version despite John Hurt. Here, the production values are great, with good locations and settings and the photography has a thankfully cinematic feel to it rather than feeling stage-bound. I loved the silences and the sparse dialogue that further enhanced the atmosphere already there, and the narrative is as coherent as ever. Michael Hordern is truly excellent here too. Overall, wonderful and a must for any other fans of the story. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The most disturbing aspect of this wonderful film is that, forty years on, the chances of seeing a production as ethereal or one that demands so much from the viewer on 'mainstream' television, as this was in May 1968, is nil.

In 1968, works by Harold Pinter, Dennis Potter and remarkable one-offs like this were commonplace on British television, but now we all live in a Michael Jackson/Madonna/computer-generated imagery theme park. Jolly good!

Alas, the BBC of the 21st Century, the 'Brave New World', would be frightened out of their wits (more than the Professor) to attempt anything as uncompromising as 'Whistle And I'll Come To You'.

After all.......nothing happens. And where's the dire soundtrack, where are the darting camera tricks, the clawing sentimentality and, anyway, might it not offend somebody?

Try 'pitching' this to someone at Broadcasting House in 2009 and see where it gets you.

Sad, isn't it.

A university professor, arrogantly believing he holds all the answers to life, the universe and everything, faces the ultimate horror during a vacation at a quiet coastal village in Norfolk when he encounters something beyond all rational explanation.

'Oh Whistle And I'll Come To You, My Lad' was my introduction to the world of M.R James through the medium of this wonderful t.v adaptation. It encapsulates perfectly the James mode of storytelling, and through the excellent directorship of Jonathan Miller, expertly brings to life the chilling short story written decades earlier.

Miller seems to grasp the author's approach to drama effortlessly. James belongs to the old school of literary macabre, where, like Lovecraft, the horror derives from what is unseen save for a few tantalising details. Much of the drama is down to the buildup of suspense and atmosphere and the audience is largely left to draw their own conclusions in the theatre of the mind. This is precisely what we get in the teleplay, shot on location in Norfolk, where the scenery and incidental sounds do much of the work. This is especially important given that the lead character, self-assured and largely solitary, does not engage in a great deal of dialogue. The less-is-more approach is wonderfully effective: much of the tension comes from nightmarish dreamscapes and strange objects tantalisingly kept in the distance, and the lack of continuing verbal commentary allows for wonder and suspense to build to great effect. And indeed the true horror is psychological: that which cannot be qualified, a true terror to one who thinks they have reality fully understood. The monochromatic nature of the film lends to the bleak and cold surroundings of the Norfolk coastline, although as viewers were to find in the BBC's next James adaptation, 'A Warning To The Curious', full colour is by no means more comforting.

Headlining the cast is the legendary Michael Hordern, a good deal older than the Professor Parkins of the text, which unfortunately loses the idea of arrogance in one so young, but Hordern is such perfect casting and fits the character so well that you can forgive the change. The other principal lead of the Colonel, played with great understatement by Ambrose Coghill, also finds his part reduced in the teleplay, although his chief role as the person who suggests to Perkins that the realm of knowledge may be greater than he thinks, is crucially intact. Indeed, I may just be nitpicking - Miller's assured hand preserves the essentials of the storyline and ensures that things move at a consistent pace, realising the ambiguous supernatural elements with skill to a satisfying conclusion.

Any fan of classic horror would be doing themselves a disservice to pass on this marvellous visual retelling of one of M.R James's most celebrated ghost stories. Inevitably, it will be remade someday, but I will be very surprised if anyone can top Jonathan Miller's wonderful monochrome masterpiece.

WHISTLE AND I'LL COME TO YOU

Aspect ratio: 1.37:1

Sound format: Mono

(Black and white - Short film)

Whilst on sabbatical from his studies in a lonely seaside hotel, an ageing professor (Michael Hordern) finds an old whistle on the beach, and is later besieged by nightmares which seem to leak into his waking reality...

Not so much a ghost story as a warning against 'intellectual pride', Jonathan Miller's adaptation of M. R. James' short story has long been viewed as a classic shocker; it turns out to be nothing of the kind. Academic critics may enjoy the slow-burning narrative as Hordern's introverted professor - emotionally stunted by a lifetime spent buried amongst books - is challenged from his scientific complacency by an accumulation of supernatural details, but casual viewers will be bored stiff by the leisurely pace and apparent lack of plot (one l-o-n-g scene involves nothing more than the main character sitting on a sand dune, eating a sandwich and muttering to himself!). Hordern's performance is, of course, immaculate, and the movie benefits from 16mm origination (rather than videotape, the norm for BBC productions of its day), but it amounts to little more than a fuss about nothing. Made for TV, but screened theatrically in some venues.

There's no doubt that this is a pretty creepy film. The black and white and the extreme closeups of the quite demented professor's haggard face, as he cringes in his narrow cot in a foetal position; terrified by the noises coming from that supposedly unoccupied bed in the corner, yet not daring to turn around to see their horrible cause. Michael Hordern had fun with this one: portraying the professor's eccentricities, his autistic relationship with other guests, his truly revolting table manners and his evident terror of the supernatural.

When the maids ask him which bed he'd be sleeping in tonight, since he appears to have been sleeping in both, we know there is a shock to come. And sure enough, when he inspects the other bed the sheets are all tangled and revoltingly stained. The professor turns his back, muttering that they should 'fix it'.

Perhaps I am insensitive, but although the film is undeniably creepy I believe it misses the mark in becoming downright horrific. It's one of those many occasions in modern artworks wherein the ultimate interpretation is left to the audience, that responsibility being abdicated by the writer who merely 'suggests' that this must be a profound and conclusive tale but where we are left alone to make it so. An army of critics, as ever, stands ready to lend assistance:leading a pack of loud supporters whom we are reluctant to challenge, for fear of ridicule!

I should rate the 1961 Jack Clayton film "The Innocents", an adaptation of Henry James' "Turn of the Screw" as far more creepy and visually shocking - and totally conclusive. But from the story that Jonathan Miller had to work with, this is a fine interpretation and he plays the horrific atmosphere for all it is worth and to considerable effect.

-Spoilers ahead- Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe I was not in the

mood. Maybe it was too warm today. I was bored to pieces by this

even at 42 minutes way too long "short subject". After the movie

was finished I read the liner notes on the cover and checked twice

if I really got the same film. Hummm. The plot was the same, but

there was absolutely no tension to speak of. Probably nice if you

know the original short story on which the film was based upon,

but as a cinematic experience it's overly blunt. The motives of

sexually repressed behaviour resulting in dementia where not at

all presented here. Nor is a blanket on strings something to be

frightened of for a second. Gimme CARNIVAL OF SOULS any day...

Montague Rhodes James (1862 –1936) was in his lifetime a noted academic who became Provost of King's College, Cambridge and Headmaster of Eton College, but outside the academic community he is best remembered nowadays as perhaps the most celebrated author of ghost stories in the English language. As a lover of James's stories I was surprised to discover that only one feature film has ever been based on his work, the 1957 British horror movie "Night of the Demon", loosely adapted from his "Casting the Runes". His stories have, however, occasionally appeared on television. I remember from my childhood that between 1971 and 1975 the BBC used to dramatise one every year under the title "A Ghost Story for Christmas", although "Whistle and I'll Come to You" is not one of this series. It was adapted by Jonathan Miller in 1968 for the television arts documentary programme "Omnibus".

It has been said that the classic Jamesian tale generally includes the following key elements:

1. an atmospheric setting, often in a historic town or remote part of the countryside 2. a gentleman-scholar as protagonist 3. the discovery of an antiquarian object that acts as the focus for supernatural forces.

"Whistle and I'll Come to You" includes all three of these elements. It is set in a small town on the Suffolk coast, probably during the 1930s. (James said he had Felixstowe in mind when writing the story. Coastal Suffolk was also the setting for his "A Warning to the Curious", also filmed by the BBC). The protagonist is Parkins, an elderly Cambridge Professor, who arrives at a hotel in the town for a short holiday. (In James's story Parkins is on holiday to play golf, but here he explicitly states that he is not a golfer). It is the finding by Parkins of an old whistle in the ruins of a local abbey which sets in motion the ghostly happenings with which the tale is concerned.

The film is much more faithful to James's original than "Night of the Demon" was to "Casting the Runes", but even so it omits a number of elements from the original work. It does not, for example, include James's opening dialogue between Parkins and some of his Cambridge colleagues, or the boy who complains of the ghost "I seen it wive at me from the winder". (James's transcriptions of regional dialects are not always convincing; that reads more like cockney than East Anglian speech). Miller pares the tale down to its bare essentials to leave a film only some forty minutes long. Even the title is abbreviated; James's title was "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad".

I think that Miller's approach was the right one. This particular story is probably too sparse to be the basis of a full-length feature film, but works very well in this short format. Because "Omnibus" was shown on BBC1, the film was shot in monochrome. (Between 1967 and 1969, colour programmes were only shown on BBC2). Nevertheless, Miller's stark black-and-white photography is admirably suited to the eerie nature of the story and to the haunting beauty of the Suffolk landscape.

A brief introductory voice-over informs us that James intended his story to be about "intellectual pride", and this is borne out in Michael Hordern's excellent performance. His Parkins is, on the surface, an unworldly bachelor academic, but underneath an arrogant intellectual snob. In the original story Parkins is an scientific rationalist who makes it quite clear that he does not believe in the supernatural. In this version, however, he never quite says so outright. When asked by a fellow-guest at the hotel whether he believes in ghosts or an afterlife, he does not simply say "no", but rather indulges in a lot of complex word-play of the "it all depends what you mean by….." variety, ending with a bon mot inverting Shakespeare's famous line from Hamlet. "There are more things in philosophy than are dreamt of in heaven and earth". Parkins seems inordinately pleased with this line, showing that what he undoubtedly does believe in is the power of his own intellect.

Sceptics are generally only introduced into ghost stories so that they can be proved wrong, and subsequent events serve to convince Parkins that Shakespeare may have right all along. Without giving too much away, I can say that in the final scenes Miller achieves much from little, creating an atmosphere not necessarily of terror, but certainly one of doubt and uneasiness. Has Parkins seen a ghost, or has he been frightened by a figment of his own imagination? The question is never definitively answered, but then it never needs to be. In a ghost story mystery and ambiguity work better than outright certainty. This is a fine example of the genre. 8/10

Just watched 'Whistle and I'll Come to You'. Wasn't that impressed, really. It's nowhere near as involving as the subsequent M.R James adaptations - the "A Ghost Story For Christmas" series in the early 1970s. "Lost Hearts" and "A Warning to the Curious" are much better.

Even though the duration is just over forty minutes, it was still a challenge to stay awake during this one. Hordern's acting is convincing enough, but it's really boring to watch after twenty minutes or so. The direction is over-the-top, having lots of unnecessary dissolves which are presumably supposed to provide suspense, but failed on me.

It might've been worth watching if the final scene had been genuinely gripping, but it wasn't. I thought there'd be more to come, but the credits started rolling.

The film is also introduced by unnecessary narration and doesn't do justice to James's story.

I first saw this while working as a film researcher and was blown away by it. Obviously made in black white because of when it was made but adds to the feeling of our individual isolation when coping with experiences he can't grasp from the eating at the hotel to his sandwiches on the beach. These slow burning scenes are all essential to the arrival of the terror.They all have a feeling of loneliness and dread. It captures James' use of a sense of a godless world or pagan past to connect with other forces They are simply beyond logic.The wonderfully multi-skilled Dr Jonathan Miller's direction is superb. Just look again at the dream sequences and the use of sound towards the end. Michael Hordern once again gives a solid performance.

I do urge you to watch it, in the dark to get its full effect

As part of the BBC's 'Omnibus' strand, this 'television movie' had an introductive voice-over from the man who adapted the story, Jonathan Miller. Beginning with two unsmiling maids making up a pair of beds in a hotel somewhere on the East Coast, all filmed in crisp black and white. Then we are introduced to the terrific Michael Hordern playing Professor Parkin, a scholarly isolationist making his way toward the building. He is confronted with the mighty Proprietor (the excellent George Woodbridge, veteran of many early Hammer horrors). Stilted and awkward their opening pleasantries are, the Proprietor's words become mangled and incomprehensible when pointing out the amenities. Oddness is immediately confirmed from these two, lending the proceedings a disjointed quality all of their own often exemplified by Parkin's separation from the other guests, who are all otherwise gracious enough. Parkin's world acknowledges them, but is content to remain apart.

During his 'trudge' across the windswept beaches, Parkin happens across a whistle made of bone obscured by sand. He is intrigued, keeps it, and begins to feel the presence of 'another.'

Hordern is excellent throughout, his private irritation at the stubborn haddock on his fork, or the sand that clings to the whistle as he tries to examine it, convey a man completely relaxed and comfortable with his complete lack of social interaction. His brief conversations are interesting because he could quite easily be eulogising with himself rather than with whomever he is sharing a scene. His terror is equally private, which allows us the possibility that it exists in his mind alone. And yet, when we are allowed glimpses of it, it is fittingly obscure and well-realised and quite unnerving.

Parkin's strangled, guttural half-cries at the climactic moments are successfully reminiscent of the noises we sometimes make when emerging from a nightmare. His terror is palpable and disturbing.

Utterly terrifying. Truly. As a horror flick fanatic from an early age, there's very little in the genre that actually scares me anymore. I mean, REALLY scares me. Most horror/thrillers just entertain me, but that heart pounding 'scared' is virtually impossible to get out of me. Enter, Whistle and I'll Come To You. The tone is set early on. A fairly desolate inn near seaside cliffs, where a lonely old academic has chosen to take a holiday. The character is a sweet old man, but not the most socialized. He's stuck in his academic world, can't seem to properly converse with others, and is very staid in his opinions that everything has a scientific basis and explanation. You can literally watch his descent into madness as he grows more and more isolated and unsure of himself and his surroundings. I love that you never really know what he summoned with that whistle he found by the grave. Was it a demon, a ghost, or just the scariest thing an old man can ever face...senility/dementia? As to the scares, this film triumphs where many horror films of today fail. It really IS terrifying. There were two scenes that I thought would cause my poor wee heart to come out of my chest! A truly frightening little tale. Perfect for a late night scare!

I received the DVD of Whistle And I'll Come To You as a gift; had I bought it, I might feel ripped off. A good story should have a beginning, middle and an end; this film is composed entirely, it seems, of middle. It has serious pacing issues (as I might say if I was from Hollywood), and the acting is quite over-the-top. The ending is disappointing, inconclusive and easily foretold.

So why not 1/10? The photography is very good, and the film does have roughly two and a half genuinely spooky moments. It's also good to see a film taking on such a challenging subject as the nature of apparitions, rather than just relying on frightening the audience. However, this doesn't rescue it.

I shall be getting hold of copies of "Ghostwatch" and "A Warning To The Curious" from the same series (BFI Archive TV), on the strength of the other two DVDs I received ("The Stone Tape", which was everything "Whistle..." was not, and "The War Game"). If you haven't got this one yet, I wouldn't bother. Wait for it to be shown on BBC4 again.