Casting the Runes

Loosely based on the short story by M.R. James - previously adapted for film in Jacques Tourner's classic Night of the Demon - was adapted for television by BAFTA-nominated playwright Clive Exton, and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, who also helmed the "Ghost Story for Christmas" series. When a TV series devoted to debunking mediums and mystics lampoons infamous demonologist Julian Karswell (played with exquisite menace by Iain Cuthbertson), its producer (Jan Francis) and cast soon find themselves threatened by mysterious, malevolent forces. Its unsettling opening scene of a man frantically fleeing a largely-unseen creature masterfully establishes the tone of this eerie tale.