My love of the horrible and fantastic goes back to the shows I was watching on British TV as a kid in the 1980s. CHILDREN OF THE STONES, a seven-part ITV serial shown in 1977, was a little early for me so I never ended up seeing it back in the day, but have just rectified that with a watch of the Network DVD release. It's widely regarded as a landmark tale of the supernatural, one that made an impact on every kid who watched it at the time, and it blends scientific fact with rural folk horror to truly interesting and involving effect.
Sure, the budget is low, the special effects limited, and some of the performances are a little stiff, but this feels very much like one of the superior Pertwee or Baker DR WHO serials of the era. It's a well-written and intelligent exploration of magic versus science, drawing in ley lines, stone circles, astronomy, astrophysics, and the nature of good and evil to fine effect. BLAKE'S 7 star Gareth Thomas leads the adult cast members alongside a wonderfully eccentric Freddie Jones and an urbanely sinister Iain Cuthbertson, and the kids are pretty good too. Influences range from THE WICKER MAN to VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, but this has a look and feel all its own, and the weird chanting on the soundtrack just adds to the spooky feel.
Sure, the budget is low, the special effects limited, and some of the performances are a little stiff, but this feels very much like one of the superior Pertwee or Baker DR WHO serials of the era. It's a well-written and intelligent exploration of magic versus science, drawing in ley lines, stone circles, astronomy, astrophysics, and the nature of good and evil to fine effect. BLAKE'S 7 star Gareth Thomas leads the adult cast members alongside a wonderfully eccentric Freddie Jones and an urbanely sinister Iain Cuthbertson, and the kids are pretty good too. Influences range from THE WICKER MAN to VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, but this has a look and feel all its own, and the weird chanting on the soundtrack just adds to the spooky feel.