Sometimes the old house has a life of its own.
-Are You Being Served Again, S1, E5
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This summer it has been very blustery. Thunderstorms in the late evenings and mornings, cloudy skies- all the weather that is just perfect for spooky cozy mysteries! Of course the British do this best so I’ve been reading Agatha Christie books like crazy, and watching all the fun movies and shows in this lovely genre. I have tried to put links wherever possible to free versions of everything in this post. It is current as of its publishing date only. Things on the internet aren’t forever, or even as long as a VHS lasts these days…
Favorite Television
Are You Being Served, Again? (aka Grace & Favor) (not available streaming, but is on DVD)
S1 E5 where the staff experience a bad storm and ghostly happenings at the manor (last half of the episode and
S2 E6 where the staff accidentally uncover a mummified cat in the wall and invoke all sorts of spooky happenings
Are You Being Served? (available on Britbox and some episodes on YouTube)The original to the above show- full of laughs and cozy fun. Love most of the episodes.
AETV’s Thriller (not the Boris Karloff Thriller) (available on Amazon Prime and free platforms like plutotv, plex, and tubi- type in “Thriller tv”) where each episode is a stand-alone story with consistently good writing by Brian Clemens. Lots of eerie spookiness, twists, and surprises, a great show with very few disappointments. Many episodes are slow burns, and moody. Some episodes are movie-length.
My favorites are:
S1E1 Lady Killer-a charming man has sinister plans for his new wife
S1E2 Possesion- Buy an old house and find a body in the basement- what could go wrong?
S1E5 The Colour of Blood- a woman goes to meet a client she’s never seen to hand over money and a house, but an impostor shows up
S1E8 File It Under Fear- a serial killer is on the loose and a librarian and her staff try to solve the mystery without becoming the next victims
S2E1 Only a Scream Away- I ADORE Hayley Mills and she is so sweet and yet in so much danger…
S2E4 One Deadly Owner- a model buys a used Rolls Royce only to discover it’s haunted and the last owner is missing
S3E1 A Coffin for the Bride- this one is very funny and has a great plot
S3E2 I’m the Girl He Wants to Kill- Ann knows the serial killer that just killed her neighbor, now sheis in a deadly cat-and-mouse chase for her life, but can a handsome policeman save her in time?
S4E2 Nurse Will Make It Better- a spoilt girl becomes a paraplegic after a riding accident and makes a deal with he devil. With the great Diana Dors this one is surprisingly fun!
S4E3 Night is the Time for Killing- this one reminds me a lot of “The Lady Vanishes,”
plus there is a great rocking horse in the luggage car (It shows up a couple of times in these episodes). It reminds me of the rocking horse on the Tom Adams’ cover for Agatha Christie’s Postern of Fate.
S5E1 If It’s a Man, Hang Up- great thrills as a model starts to get prank calls that are more and more threatening
S6E1 Sleepwalker- I really like this one. It has a great plot and is very interesting, plus the rocking horse shows up again…
S6E2 The Next Victim- a woman in a wheelchair is being stalked in her building by a killer- another great cat-and-mouse episode
S6E5 Kill Two Birds- two girls on vacation become entangled with convicts- reminds me a lot of the great movie “The Strange and Deadly Occurrence”
S6E6 A Midsummer Nightmare- who killed a young girl years ago? A detective is hired to find out, but she soon becomes the next target
Hammer House of Horror– (Available on Amazon Prime and free on plutotv) another with mostly good episodes ( a few of all of these are sometimes a flop) with my favorites being:S1E2 The Silent Scream- an ex-con falls into the hands of an ex-Nazi pet shop owner (Christopher Lee) who has other plans for him
S1E4 Rude Awakening- a real estate broker daydreams about many things until he can’t tell what is real. Great weid 70s interiors and costumes!
S1E9 Children of the Full Moon- lots of spooky house vibes!
S1E11 The House That Bled to Death- probably the best one in this whole series- a movie-length episode with lots of spooky stuff going on..
Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected– (Available in complete series on YouTube) again very good, a little in the morality tale side but very fun.
Here are my favorite episodes:
S9E4 The Verger- Patricia Rutledge and her illiterate Verger hubby open a teashop after he is let go
S3E6 Parson’s Pleasure- Sir John Geilgud is a crooked antiques dealer after a Chippendale commode
S3E1 Flypaper- probably the most creepy episode
S1E5 The Landlady- watchout, she’s very lonely…
S6E11 The Tribute- old, rich biddies getting some comeuppence
S2E8 My Lady Love, My Dove- the great Elaine Strich- a hilarious episode! Cards, a feather duster…
S3E2 A Picture of a Place- an old farmlady turns the tables on pickers with a fake Constable painting
S4E1 Would You Believe It?- crooked archeologists find Lot’s wife, briefly
S4E8 Never Speak Ill of the Dead- buddies convince a friend they understand why he killed his wife, only he hasn’t!
S5E3 Operation Safecrack- Sam, “The Touch” safe cracker is offered a very large sum to crack an impossible safe
S5E5 Stranger in Town- a strangely dressed man comes to town, but he has a secret motive…
Last of the Summer Wine-(available on Britbox, and Amazon Prime) “nowt will spook thee” but they are so cute and funny and cozy. The mid-90’s episodes are the best. Also it is amazing to hear people actually speaking in older English. For years I ended my evenings and went to sleep after watching this show on our local PBS. I haven’t been able to watch PBS in over 12 years- it got so awful.)
As Time Goes By– (available on Britbox) a couple of spooky ones in this series like when they hear noises in the empty house next door.
Keeping Up Appearances– (available on Britbox) again, not spooky at all, just very, very funny! I love Patricia Rutledge, she is truly a British gem of acting. Also, I’ve been told by many people that my Mom is like Hyacinth- she definitely has a Hyacinth side to her personality sometimes!
Miss Marple (all the Miss Marples!) I think there have been 3 TV versions. The first series starring Joan Hickson is my favorite.
S1E1-3 The Body in the Library- it all started here (Oh yes, there was a small but part in a Margaret Rutherford movie from the 60s, “Murder, She Said!” with Joan Hickson as a maid.) Col. and Dolly Bantry are woken with the news that a maid found a body in their library!
S2E2-3 Sleeping Murder- my favorite Marple book and a very good adaptation!
S3E1 4:50 From Paddington- my other favorite Marple book and episode!
The Agatha Christie’s Marple series (available on Britbox this is becoming a thing, huh?) is a re-boot with Geraldine McEwan. She has a different, more scatty take Lol on Marple but these are very enjoyable. Favorites are:
S2E1 Sleeping Murder- again my favorite book, this adaptation is fun
S2E3 By the Pricking of My Thumbs- I adore Tommy and Tuppence and this is an adaptation of their novel with Marple coming in to help Tuppence. I think this is a really good adaptation, but it does have some very odd side stories and things going on. It’s long, but very good.
I’ll be honest I haven’t watched the other 4 seasons bc I didn’t have access to them before but they are available now so I will! Julia McKenzie takes up for Ms. McEwan and is a great version of the spinster sleuth!
Poirot– (yes, you know by now: available on Britbox) haven’t seen these in a while due to them being on a streaming platform I don’t sub to, but I remember seeing them on cable TV back in the day and liking them. I see that they are on Britbox now after being on AcornTV forever so I will have to watch them again!
Favorite Movies
I will try to put YouTube links when movies are available. Most are. My favorite vintage horror hosts are New Castle After Dark.
https://www.youtube.com/@newcastleafterdark405
The vintage 60s Miss Marple Movies with Margaret Rutherford– Murder Most Foul and Murder She Said! are my favorites, but I love all 4 of them. (Available on DVD and to rent/buy from Amazon Prime) Margaret Rutherford is one of my very favorite actresses and she has such a great face and a presence. I wish there were more movies with her, but she spent most of her life in the theatre.
The lovely 80s Hercule Poirot movies with Peter Ustinov- Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile are favorites (available on Amazon Prime and many many other free streaming platforms). You have to see Ustinov “swimming” complete with a 1920s bathing costume!
Old Hammer Horror Movies
Some of my favorites are:
The Old Dark House 1963 (remake- fun and bonkers!) this one is so weird, but in a such a great way, like scratching and finding an itch!
The Curse of Frankenstein 1957- this movie, and its monster, truly shocked me when I saw it. (available to rent on Amazon)
Hands of the Ripper 1971- daughter of Jack the Ripper? Ok! (It won’t play here, but click inside and it will take you to it on YT.)
Horror of Dracula 1958- goodness I just love Peter Cushing. (Available to rent from Amazon Prime, etc)
Old Amicus Horror Movies
And Now the Screaming Starts– very bizarre, but interesting plot with lots of spookiness! A newlywed woman is terrorized by a ghostly presence.
The House That Dripped Blood- Amicus really shines with their anthology movies- they are so great! This one is one I watch again and again.
The Torture Garden– I’ve seen this one recently and really enjoyed both the premise and the bookends!
Asylum- a VERY spooky little set of stories with great practical effects!
Other Movies
Some Favorites Are
Die, Die, My Darling!– loved this one for a very long time thanks to my Mother-in-Law who has excellent taste in British movies! It has a creepy Victorian house and a crazy old lady who needs a sacrifice… (available for rent on Amazon, appleTv, etc)
The Uncanny– a new fave, an anthology of cat stories, but nor just any cats, supernatural cats!
Noises Off!– I put this one on here cause its funny, not spooky, but worth it. Michael Caine and Carol Burnett! (Available for rent.)
The Last of Sheila– a great movie with lots of mystery twists and Hollywood poking at itself with many famous actors. (available to rent)
Sleuth– this one will have you bouncing back and forth like a tennis ball. Great plot, great twists and bonus creepy puppets and automatons (just like in “The Fun House” Tobe Hooper’s movie about carnies)
Picnic at Hanging Rock– I’ve spoken many times about my love for this movie. It’s the whole beautiful vibe of it and the music. Its so haunting. The book is just as beautiful too! (Available to rent on the usual platforms.)
Road Games– a new favorite found last summer, Aussie again, very fun and Hitchcockian! (free with ads on YouTube). A truck driver, Stacy Keach, is following a serial killer, but then loses him and his lady hitchhiker, Jamie Lee Curtis
Dark Places– a creepy old house, inherited by an outsider and a disturbing disappearance…
The Stone Tape– what if stones recorded horrible things from the past? A group of research scientists for a corporation move to an old house to re-fit it for manufacturing and find a horrible scream…
The Woman in White– This Wilke Collins book is so long, but so good. It was supposedly the first mystery book ever written. Collins was best friends with Dickens and boy could they churn out words! This version is my favorite and is full of charm, creepiness, terror, and beauty.
The Creeping Flesh 1973- very spooky, what if you could bring back the dead?
The Lady Vanishes– the 30s Hitchcock and the 80s J. Arthur Rank versions are both great. What if you made friends with a lady on a train and she disappeared? What is no one believed you that she ever even existed? Thankfully one person does and together they run into all kinds of trouble! Each version is just a little different but they are both so very good!
The Oblong Box– more spooky Victorian fun!
Seance on a Wet Afternoon– a wonderful performances by Kim Stanley who just knows she is psychic and comes up with an insane stunt to prove it and the great Richard Attenborough who must temper his wife and save a life before they both descend into her madness.
And so many more! You can’t go wrong with the New Castle After Dark YouTube channel.
Hope you have a wonderful summer! (We still have a month to go!) With spooky fun creepiness to you from Kansas Street,
-Jaime
Life on Kansas Street 