Why I like M R James

When I was a child, my parents would let out our house in Cornwall to holidaymakers. During the summer, we lived in a large caravan at the other end of the garden and late-night TV featured black-and-white horror stories on the Saturday night. My sister and I would watch these in our beds in the dining area of the caravan. Most of these were more entertaining than terrifying but there was one that had a genuine hide under the bed clothes moment. This was a film called "Night of the Demon". The Demon was really just a man in a rubber suit but you could see him coming a mile off and he was huge, preceded by a terrible whistling up of the wind. And if you are the last person to have touched a piece of paper upon which was written certain runes, then you would surely die at the hands of this monstrous Demon.

MR James had provided the inspiration for this story many years before. It translated pretty well to the 1950s setting of "Night of the Demon", which either shows how sound his original concept was or how carefully the script writers adapted his short story "Casting the Runes".

Another brilliant adaptation of one of his short ghost stories was "A Warning to the Curious". This was the BBC ghost story for Christmas based on the MR James tale of the same name. It didn't need a big budget. The idea was everything and I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't either seen the adaptation or read the original story.

By the time I saw "A Warning to the Curious" (were wonderfully evocative title that is!), I have found other MR James stories collected in ghost story and colleges and selected tales of horror. It's pointless to argue whether ghost story the horror story begin and end. For me, MR James is a master of both. In my exalted opinion, his exquisitely archaic language and themes of the musty pages stand out and work together to create an extraordinary affect that is remarkably consistent. There's often an undercurrent of mischievous humour and although things often look black for the heroes and heroines, usually everything turns out all right in the end.

I have a collection of his ghost stories and often dip into it. The stories have no real surprise for me any more but I still enjoy reading them and it's always interesting to study the work of a master. I now envy anyone who comes across "The Tractate Middoth", "Canon Alberic's Scrap Book", "Count Magnus", "A View from a Hill" and "The Uncommon Prayer Book" for the first time.

Even the titles make you squirm with delicious terror!

His stories are as English as Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. One or two occur abroad but the scholarly gentlemen who stumble across some ancient artefact or text and incur the wrath of some supernatural agency are all ways British. Montague Rhodes James had a strong sense of location and a great perception of human nature. But what sets him apart is his ability to build up suspense. He sets up a promise and not only delivers that promise that goes beyond the reader's expectations. At least, he does as far as this reader is concerned.

It would be wonderful to think that I can emulate his style but I find a short stories impossible. MR James' ghost stories are perfectly formed. Although his language is often flowery, each word adds to the overall effect. In life, he was a distinguished mediaeval scholar and he would often read these stories to friends and students.

What has become known as the Jamesian style can be summed up by James himself. "If I'm not careful, this could happen to me!" He certainly knew how to press the right buttons and he does it with such a deft touch and in a cleverly calculated sequence.

HP Lovecraft cited James as a major influence on his own work, which could explain why I enjoy both riders so much, but MR James has not had such a widespread influence on other forms of art. The Coral are reputed to have entitled the song "A Warning to the Curious" and there have been numerous British television adaptations of his stories but "Night of the Demon" remains the only MR James film.

It's a great film, though. A few years ago, I learned that Jacques Tourneur, the Franco-American director, was against explicitly showing the Demon. As a youngster, barely into his teens, this was what made the film for me. The Demon was wonderfully portrayed and more horrible than, at the time, I could've ever imagined. Tourneur originally planned to simply suggest the Demon and its appearance at the beginning and end of the film was at the insistence of the producer, Hal E. Chester. Tourneur and Chester quarelled pretty well throughout the making of the whole film and the Demon's realisation was something of an afterthought.

I never guessed this and still think it's a brilliant film.