The Signalman
The Signalman
| 22 December 1976 (USA)
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A traveller comes across a signalman stationed by the exit of a railway tunnel in a deep cutting. The traveller becomes familiar with the signalman, and finds that he is troubled by an apparition which appears by the tunnel.

Reviews
FeistyUpper

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Maidexpl

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

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KnotStronger

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

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Brenda

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

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Prismark10

The Signalman is an adaptation of a Charles Dickens short story. I watched this several times over the years, the first time I was still a kid.It has an eerie haunting presence mainly because the way it was shot and lit. It is enveloped with atmosphere and great acting from both its stars, Denholm Elliot and Bernard Lloyd.Set presumably in the 19th century, Elliott plays a signalman haunted by a spectre which seems to warn him of some impending doom. The traveller (Lloyd) staying in a nearby inn tries to give him a rational explanation to it but unsure whether the signalman was one step away from insanity.It is a simple ghost story that spooks you out because it was wonderfully directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark.

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pdmb

This is one of the greatest things the BBC has done. The Signalman was typical of the BBC's 'Ghost Story for Christmas' - windswept and lonely landscapes, very few characters, and use of subtle shocks. It was also untypical in that it was one of the only non-M.R. James tales used in the series, coming as it did from the pen of Charles Dickens.It is the tale of a lonely Signalman in Edwardian England (I think, difficult to be sure of the exact time at which the adaption is set) who is haunted by an apparition who materialises just before a tragedy occurs on the line. A traveller, who is staying at an Inn nearby, tries to look at the situation rationally, telling the signalman that he is clearly a victim of his own imagination in this secluded and lonely spot. Of course, the 'spectre' is not in his imagination and the traveller is not able to prevent the final tragedy when the signalman is killed by a train.The apparition itself, if you look at it with a cynical eye, is merely a person in a cloak and a blue cardboard face mask, but Boy is it effective! In fact, I would say it is infinitely more effective than any of the crap emanating from Hollywood in recent years, where subtlety is not encouraged. The two actors, Denholm Elliot and Bernard Lloyd are excellent. Elliot in particular is wonderful as the haunted signalman, helpless to know what to do in the face of forces beyond his limited understanding.Overall, if you want to see how ghost stories can be done effectively without insulting the audience's intelligence, then watch this. The British Film Institute (BFI) have recently released in on DVD.

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bootboyd

I saw this a long time ago when it was re-run on television. I can't say much except that it scared the wits out of me. Denholm Elliot was a revelation. Always one of the great British character actors, he has a melancholy stillness that hangs about him like the fog that fills this film. Spooky.

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Matt-195

BBC adaptation of a Charles Dickens ghost story about a lone Signalman (Elliott) who is haunted by the image of man who appears at the mouth of the railway tunnel to warn of impending disaster. One of the best entries in the "A Ghost Story for Christmas" series, the horror is conveyed through Elliott's state of mind after witnessing an horrific mid-tunnel train collission, and is enhanced by bizarre tonal 'music' and a sense of total isolation. Best viewed late at night, The Signalman has stood the test of time and the image of the eyeless screaming phantom (complete with blue skin!) is enough to send shivers down the spine of even the likes of M R James.

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