Marvellous every time I see it. I love the silences, the pacing and the lack of music. I remember watching it as a child at Christmas and having nightmares for a week. It reminds me of the Woman in Black - another chilling two-hander.
THAKS SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS. I saw this as a child on BBC2 late at night and I never saw it again until I found it by chance here on TH-cam. I've downloaded all 4 parts. They're going in my iPod. What a fantastic ghoststory!
There are many old stories, especially in my part of the world, of people who dream their own deaths. But this is the creepiest one it was ever my pleasure to be terrified by! Thanks for posting!
Thanks very much for The Signal Man, great ghost story. Also Woman in Black and Whistle and I'll Come To You are both great ghost stories. I must watch ' Ghost Story' I probably saw it in the seventies but don't remember it. Cheers, Deb.
This is what you call a 'proper' ghost story ! Atmospheric and chilling ! If you love this, watch another great ghost story ( also in the series called 'ghost story' which was on weekly shown by bbc2 I think in the 70's ?) same great atmosphere with the wonderful title, ''Oh whistle and I'll come to you my lad''. It was a short ghost story by MR JAMES. I have re-read it, superb !
Thank you for uploading this. Its an excellent film in itself, not to mention a very faithful adaptation of the spine-tingling original. Denholm Elliot and Bernard Lloyd's acting are the finishing touches!
ive been a signalman for near 35 years worked some right spooky boxes in the 70s 80s old lever frames nights in the middle of knowhere as a young lad you locked the door with anythng you could find against it .. as to this its not well made as a signalmans prospective re to many floors with bells - single line - rules ect but the stories a good one and the box is a real old fashioned one . watched this many times still good as the first time ....
Love this film. One of the creepiest thing I've seen so far, so atmospheric. The only thing that doesnt quite hold up today are the dramatic zooms but its got a quite campy charm to it.
For all of those who don't get the story, I recommend you read the synopsis on Wikipedia, then the actual short story, and THEN watch the movie. It all makes a lot more sense that way. I read the story before anything else, and it confused me so much I didn't even realise that there were ghosts involved. The synopsis explained everything so I reread the story and then knew what to expect when I watched the movie.
Programmes like this, the MR James ones and Children of the Stones make me wish I could erase my memory of them and experience them for the first time again,and again especially at Xmas.
Ooooh, that was spooky!! I remember when I was a kid, I had this cassette tape of these narrated scary stories. And one was called, The Signal Man (I had no idea it was Dickens). To this day, for some reason, I sometimes hear in my head, a man's voice yelling "Helllo down there! Look out! Look out!" That story stuck with me for years and I am just now seeing this televised version. I feel like a doof for not knowing it was Dickens.Thanks sooo much for uploading! It was such a scary treat :)
The dying scene isn't meant to be realistic, because a graphic death would spoil the atmosphere. This is a PROPER ghost film, not a graphic "horror" movie.
I try to figure out what the meaning is in this film but the truth is it doesn't matter. It leaves you wondering what happened thus keeping things just as unsettled. You might even wonder if that was really a ghost or something else foretelling what might happen.
@ShaurntheSheep No the driver wasn't the ghost. The thing he saw wasn't even a ghost really, it's more like a vision, something only he can see. When he saw the thing by the tunnel entrance it was like he was getting a preview (and a warning) of his own death. It was somehow being communicated to him from the future to the present.
You would think, after seeing the ghost for the third time, the FIRST thing the signalman would do would be to set all his signals to Danger, to essentially close his section of the line until he was sure that whatever danger he was being warned about would be averted.
@trema006 She was leaning too far out of the window and lost her balance. Since the train was going full speed, the sudden stop when she landed on the ground probably caused her to break her neck and kill her instantly.
I've been trying to classified The Signalman for some years, now. QUESTION: A phantasm is the "ghost" of a living person, living in the present (otherwise the person would be dead); the "ghost" the signal man saw was the train operator's phantasm; however, this "phantasm" was from the future! So, was this a story about some sort of time clairvoyance or quasi-phantasm of the living? Can phantasms travel through time? If so, then the 'phantasm" from the future is not the phantasm of the present signal-man. So what is it?
StruttinSuccess I think it’s left vague on purpose to heighten the effect. We aren’t sure if the wraith was a vision from the future trying to warn him, or a demon trying to lure him into harms way.
oh my god i can't believe how bad they did the 'dieing' scene!! i am reading the text for school and i actually found it quite scary but the end is just pathetic! i am very diappointed! :(
Wow, you completely missed the point. Maybe you should read the short story. The existence of the ghost really doesn't matter, it exists if you believe it does. It's all in interpretation.
unfortunately this wasn't half as scary as I thought it would be. I read the story when I was quite young and eventhough I couldn't remember most of it the story itself, I still knew how scary it was. This film didn't touch me at all, though the actors were great. but maybe youtube kinda ruined it for me cause it stopped working all the time -.- thanks for the upload!
Thanks for posting this - a sensible and atmospheric adaptation with nothing over-stated.
Marvellous every time I see it. I love the silences, the pacing and the lack of music. I remember watching it as a child at Christmas and having nightmares for a week. It reminds me of the Woman in Black - another chilling two-hander.
THAKS SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS. I saw this as a child on BBC2 late at night and I never saw it again until I found it by chance here on TH-cam. I've downloaded all 4 parts. They're going in my iPod.
What a fantastic ghoststory!
That face terrifies me every time, I had nightmares of it as a kid
There are many old stories, especially in my part of the world, of people who dream their own deaths. But this is the creepiest one it was ever my pleasure to be terrified by! Thanks for posting!
Thanks very much for The Signal Man, great ghost story. Also Woman in Black and Whistle and I'll Come To You are both great ghost stories. I must watch ' Ghost Story' I probably saw it in the seventies but don't remember it. Cheers, Deb.
This is what you call a 'proper' ghost story ! Atmospheric and chilling ! If you love this, watch another great ghost story ( also in the series called 'ghost story' which was on weekly shown by bbc2 I think in the 70's ?) same great atmosphere with the wonderful title, ''Oh whistle and I'll come to you my lad''. It was a short ghost story by MR JAMES. I have re-read it, superb !
Thank you for uploading this. Its an excellent film in itself, not to mention a very faithful adaptation of the spine-tingling original. Denholm Elliot and Bernard Lloyd's acting are the finishing touches!
ive been a signalman for near 35 years worked some right spooky boxes in the 70s 80s old lever frames nights in the middle of knowhere as a young lad you locked the door with anythng you could find against it .. as to this its not well made as a signalmans prospective re to many floors with bells - single line - rules ect but the stories a good one and the box is a real old fashioned one . watched this many times still good as the first time ....
Sounds spooky!!! Bless you for your years getting the trains along.
Love this film. One of the creepiest thing I've seen so far, so atmospheric.
The only thing that doesnt quite hold up today are the dramatic zooms but its got a quite campy charm to it.
I vaguely remember watching this on TV and having chills down the back at the conclusion. Quite good drama for the time.
I saw this in primary school (Year 5) the teacher thought is was a great story to show the class i'm still have the mental scars today, i'm now 18!
For all of those who don't get the story, I recommend you read the synopsis on Wikipedia, then the actual short story, and THEN watch the movie. It all makes a lot more sense that way. I read the story before anything else, and it confused me so much I didn't even realise that there were ghosts involved. The synopsis explained everything so I reread the story and then knew what to expect when I watched the movie.
Programmes like this, the MR James ones and Children of the Stones make me wish I could erase my memory of them and experience them for the first time again,and again especially at Xmas.
LScouser8 me too.
always one of my favourites -great to see it again
so what happens in the film i don't understand
Brill. I cycle past the mouth of this tunnel everyday, It was filmed on the SVR in Kidderminster.
Ooooh, that was spooky!! I remember when I was a kid, I had this cassette tape of these narrated scary stories. And one was called, The Signal Man (I had no idea it was Dickens). To this day, for some reason, I sometimes hear in my head, a man's voice yelling "Helllo down there! Look out! Look out!" That story stuck with me for years and I am just now seeing this televised version. I feel like a doof for not knowing it was Dickens.Thanks sooo much for uploading! It was such a scary treat :)
Hi brillant version of a classic ghost story ive read many times ,have never seen this adaption before ,thanks so much for posting ,
We only got half way through watching this in class, and i was great so i couldnt resist watching the rest, a bit sad though.
The dying scene isn't meant to be realistic, because a graphic death would spoil the atmosphere. This is a PROPER ghost film, not a graphic "horror" movie.
A must see film at christmas time. As Dickens would have probably said 'God bless us one and all'.
Absolute quality! Cheers for the upload.
I found perticually interesting when 5764 survived a head on collision and was the engine that was linked to every other disaster.
oh ma gherd that was sooooo disturbing!
He looked everywhere and was puzzled by the omen or banshee but not to himself as the one to die.
My sister and myself too, I remember it well! And the vibrating bell...... goose bumps!!
I try to figure out what the meaning is in this film but the truth is it doesn't matter. It leaves you wondering what happened thus keeping things just as unsettled. You might even wonder if that was really a ghost or something else foretelling what might happen.
Next
The Green Man
@ShaurntheSheep No the driver wasn't the ghost. The thing he saw wasn't even a ghost really, it's more like a vision, something only he can see.
When he saw the thing by the tunnel entrance it was like he was getting a preview (and a warning) of his own death. It was somehow being communicated to him from the future to the present.
that story is fit for king although its freaky its got the hairs on me standing at shun
- - - blimey!!!! - - -
You would think, after seeing the ghost for the third time, the FIRST thing the signalman would do would be to set all his signals to Danger, to essentially close his section of the line until he was sure that whatever danger he was being warned about would be averted.
think i'll have to read the book.....i did suspect the ending though
5:46 that was my exact same face when i read the story! Spooky!
The movie makes the story very actual.
@trema006 She was leaning too far out of the window and lost her balance. Since the train was going full speed, the sudden stop when she landed on the ground probably caused her to break her neck and kill her instantly.
I've been trying to classified The Signalman for some years, now. QUESTION: A phantasm is the "ghost" of a living person, living in the present (otherwise the person would be dead); the "ghost" the signal man saw was the train operator's phantasm; however, this "phantasm" was from the future! So, was this a story about some sort of time clairvoyance or quasi-phantasm of the living? Can phantasms travel through time? If so, then the 'phantasm" from the future is not the phantasm of the present signal-man. So what is it?
+StruttinSuccess Fantasy. Anything can happen.
StruttinSuccess I think it’s left vague on purpose to heighten the effect. We aren’t sure if the wraith was a vision from the future trying to warn him, or a demon trying to lure him into harms way.
oh my god i can't believe how bad they did the 'dieing' scene!! i am reading the text for school and i actually found it quite scary but the end is just pathetic!
i am very diappointed! :(
What happened at 1:35-1:38, it looked as if the spectre came to him.
How very sad. :(
@Ponz67 Read the Book
Is this video messed up, like squeezed in sidways? Or is it my PC? The rest were OK, just Part 4.
I don't get the end, was the driver the ghost
great spooky tail
It’s weird too see so many comments from people studying this 8-10 years ago and think about how old they all are now, if they are even still around.
the sound at 4:46 ftw
does anyone know what the significance is
well that ending was totally wrong :P
aguante metallica dije
I went cold :L
why was the narrator surprised after what the train conductor told him in the very end??
Karen Talks he was an unbeliever. He wanted to believe it had a rational explanation.
Wow, you completely missed the point. Maybe you should read the short story. The existence of the ghost really doesn't matter, it exists if you believe it does. It's all in interpretation.
Would you suggest how you'd alter the screenplay? Will help in my short film adaptation. Thanks
i dont get it
unfortunately this wasn't half as scary as I thought it would be. I read the story when I was quite young and eventhough I couldn't remember most of it the story itself, I still knew how scary it was. This film didn't touch me at all, though the actors were great. but maybe youtube kinda ruined it for me cause it stopped working all the time -.- thanks for the upload!
I thought the signalman would have beard (?)
In real life the bloke who played the station master died of AIDS. Thats true.
i hated studying this in school lol worst filmm ever ha