Supernatural (1977 TV series)
| Supernatural | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Horror |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Pieter Rogers |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Production company(s) | BBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 11 June – 6 August 1977 |
Supernatural is a British anthology television series that was produced by the BBC in 1977. The series consisted of eight episodes and was broadcast on BBC1. In each episode, a prospective member of the "Club of the Damned" was required to tell a horror story, and their application for membership would be judged on how frightening the story was. Applicants who failed to tell a sufficiently frightening story would be killed.
Overview
Series deviser Robert Muller, who also wrote seven of the eight screenplays, said: "The idea was to tell the kind of Gothic tale that we don't have on television, something akin to the old horror films of the 1920s and 1930s. What we get now are thrillers set in modern times with lots of blood and violence. There is no blood and no violence in this series. They are tales about ghosts, vampires, werewolves, that sort of thing. Highly romantic and highly charged with fear and menace."[1]
Although each episode was a stand-alone story, episodes 2 and 3 shared a cast and linked plot. These two episodes starred English actress Billie Whitelaw, who was married to Muller. She said: "Robert wrote the story with me in mind, but I said I would not read it until it was sent to me by a producer or director. I wanted the thing kept on a professional footing. During rehearsals we never discussed the play at home, and in the rehearsal room I would never address Robert directly if I had any query or suggestion. I would always go through the director."[1]
Vladek Sheybal won the Dracula Society's prestigious Hamilton Deane Award for the best dramatic performance or presentation in the Gothic horror/supernatural genres for his performance in "Night of the Marionettes".[2] Sheybal played "Herr Hubert", an Austrian innkeeper with life-size puppets in a story based around Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
British cult TV magazine Action TV Online said of the series: "Though literate scripting and a collection of high calibre acting talent benefited the series, it was let down by static direction and frankly boring plots and has never been repeated since first shown."[3] However, in 2014 the series was partially repeated around Halloween, on BBC Four.
Episode list
| Serial # | Title | First transmission (UK) | Director | Writer | Cast notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ghosts of Venice" | 11 June 1977 10:10 p.m. | Claude Watham | Robert Muller | Starring Robert Hardy and Sinéad Cusack. |
| 2 | "Countess Ilona" | 18 June 1977 9:55 p.m. | Simon Langton | Robert Muller | Starring Billie Whitelaw, Ian Hendry, Edward Hardwicke, John Fraser and Charles Kay. |
| 3 | "The Werewolf Reunion" | 25 June 1977 9:55 p.m. | Simon Langton | Robert Muller | Starring Billie Whitelaw, Ian Hendry, Edward Hardwicke, John Fraser and Charles Kay. |
| 4 | "Mr Nightingale" | 2 July 1977 9:50 p.m. | Alan Cooke | Robert Muller | Starring Jeremy Brett and Lesley-Anne Down. |
| 5 | "Lady Sybil" | 9 July 1977 10:00 p.m. | Simon Langton | Robert Muller | Starring Denholm Elliott, John Osborne and Cathleen Nesbitt. Osborne was better known as a playwright and screenwriter and author of the 1956 play Look Back in Anger. |
| 6 | "Viktoria" | 16 July 1977 9:40 p.m. | Peter Sasdy | Sue Lake | Starring Catherine Schell, Judy Cornwell and Lewis Fiander. |
| 7 | "Night of the Marionettes" | 30 July 1977 9:55 p.m. | Alan Cooke | Robert Muller | Starring Gordon Jackson, Kathleen Byron and Vladek Sheybal. |
| 8 | "Dorabella" | 6 August 1977 9:45 p.m. | Simon Langton | Robert Muller | Starring Jeremy Clyde, John Justin, Ania Marson. |
DVD release
Supernatural was released on 18 November 2013 as part of the British Film Institute's Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film celebration.[4][5] The 2-disc set contains four episodes on each disc, presented in the original transmission order.
Companion book
A companion book, Supernatural: Haunting Stories of Gothic Terror, was published to coincide with the series, with each screenplay adapted as a short story.[6] The cover of the first edition comprised a photograph of Whitelaw taken during the production of "Countess Ilona" and the tag-line "Now on BBC-TV." The adaptations are:
| Title | Corresponding TV episode | Adapted by |
|---|---|---|
| Dorabella, or In Love with Death | "Dorabella" | Rosemary Timperley |
| Lady Sybil, or The Phantom of Black Gables | "Lady Sybil" | Mary Danby |
| Heirs, or The Workshop of Filthy Creation | "Night of the Marionettes" | Brian Hayles |
| Countess Ilona, or The Werewolf Reunion | "Countess Ilona" & "The Werewolf Reunion" | Roger Malisson |
| Viktoria, or The Hungarian Doll | "Viktoria" | Sue Lake |
| Mr Nightingale, or Burning Masts | "Mr Nightingale" | Robert Muller |
| Gall, or Ghost of Venice | "Ghosts of Venice" | Rosemary Timperley |
References
- 1 2 Eastaugh, Kenneth (18 June 1977). "Weekend Broadcasting: Previews". The Times (London). p. 10.
- ↑ "The Hamilton Deane Award: 1977". Dracula Society. 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ↑ "Supernatural BBC 1977". Action TV Online. 2005. Archived from the original on 21 February 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2013. (archived at Wayback Machine)
- ↑ "BFI unveils Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film". BFI. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ↑ "BFI DVD/Blu-ray releases announced for autumn 2013". BFI. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ↑ Muller, Robert, ed. (1 June 1977). Supernatural: Haunting Stories of Gothic Terror. London: Fontana Books. ISBN 9780006150237.
External links
- Supernatural (1977) at the Internet Movie Database
- Supernatural at the British Film Institute
- Supernatural at Action TV