Ghost Stories For Christmas – Liverpool Central Library

‘Tis the season to be jolly…well scared by tales of the Supernatural, in the unsettling setting of Hornby Library, And Ramsey Campbell, our foremost horror writer (Stephen King is a fan), crowns the show with Calling Card, originally commissioned by the Daily Post in the 80s. Like the other three tales, it is atmospheric and scary: keeping you on the edge of your seat. And trapped there. The whole evening evokes an insidious feeling of constantly being watched, by something, caught up in an hallucination, or dream, nightmare, rather. Oh, I am going to sleep well tonight.

His offering indeed takes place at Xmas, while two of the others could be any time, and any place, worryingly, though locally set is alarming, far too close to home. We open with Strike, read by Samantha Alton, parts of which, I am assured later (even more worryingly), are based on things which actually happened. A little quiet to begin with, it picks up pace, full of everyday minutiae contrasting with sporadic disturbing moments, in the King tradition, and for me, the most haunting narrative. A student makes the most of having the house to herself for once, settling down for a peaceful evening with just the company of her faithful dog, Sheba, in the habit, last thing each night, of reaching under the bed to give her a pat…..

Penned by John Maguire, he is the next storyteller with the M. R. James classic, where even the title is worrisome: Oh, whistle and I’ll come to you, my lad. Costumed for the part in golfing gear, he brandishes the whistle. The thing about this one is that basically, the scary part is quite daft, yet terrifying none the less, with the compelling sense of catching sight of something out of the corner of your eye, and the dread of getting a proper look. But no spoilers, and I’m told you really should watch Jonathan Miller’s film version.

Dave Griffiths’ Comfort and Joy, read by the author, is, no, not a welcome change, although different because it goes in for gory details, and while all the tales are more frightening for a sprinkling of humour, this is satirical with digs at consumerism. Liam is such an unpleasant character; he deserves a comeuppance if not such a grim ending. Constantly belittling his unfortunate sister, and with no time at all for his baby nephew, Christmas spirit inspires him to buy a posh new tree with all the trimmings – for himself. She can have the old one which is much, much better anyway than hers. A decision he comes to regret.

Everything combines to create a highly professional, extremely engrossing evening. Horror after all is so difficult to get right on a stage because tension can lead to nervous laughter, guaranteed to break the spell, and ruin the atmosphere. And if you are unfortunate to miss this event, keep an eye out for future productions from Thingwall Players. www.artsgroupie.org

Reviewer: Carole Baldock

Reviewed: 15th December 2022

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★