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Casting The Runes [1979] | ![Casting The Runes [1979]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519QVCIImTL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Actors: Edward Petherbridge, Jan Francis, Iain Cuthbertson
Studio: Network
Category: DVD
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £6.93
You Save: £3.06 (31%)
New (6) Used (1) from £6.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 3936
Format: Pal
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 50
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5027626276546
ASIN: B000TP4FT8
Release Date: August 27, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Dated December 2, 2008
This adaptation was made before I was born, so for my fellow "twenty-somethings" this film is incredible dated. Not least because the story has evidently been brought forward into the then present day, so if you are hoping for some old early 20thC charm then forget it.
I personally got this dvd for the extra feature "Mr. Humphries Inheritance" which was one of my favourite James ghost stories, this is a short production made for schools to show the dramatic importance of music in TV dramas. Definitely better than the main feature, but VERY short.
If like me you are new to M.R. James and looking for these sorts of thing having not seen them before, I suggest to avoid this one at all costs.
Great Story - Poor Version July 31, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Casting the Runes is one of the best stories of possibly the greatest Ghost Story writer, MR James. Filmed moderately successfully in the 50s as Night of the Demon, here we have another modernised version of a true classic story.
Unfortunately its just not a very good one. Iain Cuthbertson, a fine actor, is given almost nothing to do, apart from a risible scene where is disembodied laughing head is superimposed on a globe.
Elsewhere the acting is adequate but the story is needlessly changed and unfortunately usually in a poorly realised direction such as the bedroom haunting sequence.
All in all an ill advised adaptation of a story that deserved better.
 Disappointing in the extreme June 20, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
M R James' ghost stories are unbeatable; I love this genre. However, this adaptation is very disappointing. It may be partly a victim of its age, as it is very "1970s", but some good actors are used very badly and like another unhappy reviewer, I turned if off before the end. The additional material is more interesting, but not worth buying the DVD.
Time has not been kind to this story June 6, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I first saw this back in '79 and possibly because I was a lot younger then, I thought it was great. Having watched it again, it does come across as rather weak, particularly when comparing it to the old black and white classic "Night of the Demon". In the next paragraph there are going to be a couple of spoilers, so for those of you who haven't seen it and wish to, please skip the next paragraph.
For one thing, I couldn't understand why Carswell had to be 'American'. In the original film he certainly wasn't and I've heard various stories that his character was based on Aleister Crowley, who, strangely enough was ..... English!!!! Iain Cuthbertson is a great actor but why he was forced to put on an American accent is beyond me. The other thing I found quite ridiculous was the huge spider in the 'victim's' bed. Again, referring back to the old black and white film, the experiences that the victim had were more 'suggestive' rather than obvious. The final thing that I found a total contradiction - when Carswell goes to the desk at the airport terminal he has no idea that his victim takes the place of one of the other assistants. He knew well in advance about her coming to his house (as his housekeeper announced "Mr Carswell has been expecting you", but had no idea she would be at the airport. Surely an inconsistency here?
I think the whole plot, and again I apologise for making constant comparisons between this version and the original "Night of the Demon" film, was weak and didn't keep you gripped in suspense. There's a lot to be said for these old black and white classics - if I had to make a choice between seeing this version again and "NOTD", I know which one I'd opt for! Good old Dana Andrews - you show 'em how it should be done!!!
 Look Out! March 28, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a superb DVD. The main story, Casting The Runes, is an adaptation of the (same name) story by M.R. James, adapted by Yorkshire Television in 1979, I believe. An earlier version of the tale was made for the big screen in B&W in 1957: Night of the Demon, later cut by 13 mins and retitled Curse of the Demon for the American market. The 1979 version is shot in the (then, prior to global warming lol!) snowbound winter landscapes of Northern England and keeps the attention throughout what is a quite Spartan or sparse production. Stylish.
This DVD also contains two other items, both interesting: Mr. Humphreys And His Inheritance comes first and was, apparently, made to teach schoolchildren about the use of music in filmed drama, though it is my bet that few would remember to listen out while watching this well-scripted, tight little gem from about 1972.
The last item was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be: a biography, made in 1995 and lasting about an hour, about M.R. James: a Cambridge don who became Provost of Eton College after WW1 and who wrote ghost stories and tales of the occult ostensibly to amuse friends, but (it is averred) really because he believed in the supernatural but was unwilling to publicly acknowledge that belief. Really gripping in its treatment and in its detective work. A biography of this quality would (probably could) not be made by the kind of TV companies and personnel around today, as standards continue to slide, or is that too cynical?
Buy this.
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