“Stigma” is a poignant short film produced by the BBC in 1977 as part of its “A Ghost Story for Christmas’ Series, directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and written by Clive Exton. The film was unlike any of the previous films in the Ghost Story For Christmas series in that it was the first to be an original story and the first to be set in the then-present day, drawing a lot of criticism as a result.
The film is about a family who moves into a cottage in the countryside. The cottage is located near an ancient megalithic stone circle, and one of the stones is present in the cottage’s garden. The family decides to remove the stone, and while doing so, an ancient curse gets unleashed. This causes the mother (played by Kate Binchy) to bleed uncontrollably, even though she has no wounds.
After the stone is finally removed, a skeleton is discovered buried there. The implication is that the mother’s body is reenacting the ritual execution of a witch who was buried under the stone centuries earlier.
The film also features Peter Bowles, one of Britain’s most renowned actors, on stage and screen. He is best known for his roles in films and TV series such as “Blow Up,” “The Saint,” “The Avengers,” “Only When I Laugh,” and his long-standing role in “To the Manor Born.”
There was a mixed response from critics. It was criticized for not being a Christmas story, as it departed from the tradition of adapting classic ghost stories. However, the film has developed a fan base over the years due to its exploration of supernatural events, the occult, and ghosts, which were popular themes during its time of release.
Watch the film below.
The Other Cinema 