Tom Ellis and Suranne Jones in The Secret Of Crickley Hall. Picture from the B.B.C.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Suranne Jones, Tom Ellis, Douglas Henshall, David Warner, Sarah Smart, Iain De Caestecker, Olivia Cooke, Maise Williams, Bill Milner, Kian Parsiani, Pixie Davies.
It seems odd that the premier 20th century British horror writer, James Herbert, has never had many adaptations of his copious amount and in most cases prestigious work. What has been filmed has been woeful at best and an affront to British Horror at its seedy worst. For the B.B.C. to pick up the option to one of the great writer’s latter works, the sadistic and suspenseful The Secret of Crickley Hall is a coup for both writer and television viewer.
Whereas almost without fail his American counterpart, Stephen King, has seen the vast majority of his books turned into films and T.V. mini-series, James Herbert is almost the forgotten man of the genre and yet some of his books, notably Domain, The Shrine, Nobody True and Moon should be seen as equal or greater than some of the stories created by the leading man of terror.
Uniquely British, James Herbert’s writing is ripe for television and in this adaptation by Joe Aherne, the opening chapter of three parts sees the sadistic, the bitterness and revulsion come through perfectly and with such a strong cast involved, it is possible to believe that finally television may see British horror and modern British writing as the goldmine that it is. Led by the incomparable Suranne Jones, Tom Ellis, the evergreen David Warner, the dominant personality that is Douglas Henshall and the talented Sarah Smart, the viewer is led into a world where the past is seeping through to the present and the situation is one of unnerving disquiet and mounting unease.
Although the premise of the story will leave some viewers affected from the very beginning, it nevertheless is a classic piece of compelling storytelling. Not only is The Secret of Crickley Hall beautifully shot but the actors that the show has its disposal are amongst the finest on television at the moment. Suranne Jones has made a huge name for herself since leaving Coronation Street. Certainly she is one of the very few actors to leave the programme and not look at all. Ms. Jones portrayal of the guilt ravaged mother is both shocking and overwhelmingly powerful as she struggles to keep her soul and sanity together.
She is joined by the tremendous Douglas Henshall as the malevolent Augustus Cribben. Mr Henshall is used to portraying characters that the viewer may find endearing but for those that caught him in the Sky Arts drama The Snipist will be familiar with the underlying sense of fear he is able to install in a viewer’s mind. One look from the haunted mind of the character he is playing is more than enough to suggest that he is one man not to cross in any way.
An excellent and decidedly creepy start to this new three part drama and surely now a case can be made for bringing the wealth of James Herbert’s back catalogue to the television screens.
Ian D. Hall