10 Most Terrifying Ghost Stories For Christmas

If the usual Christmas schmaltz and unending warble of Mariah Carey is getting you down, fear not - there's a darker side to Christmas for horror fans.

Ghost stories are usually associated with Halloween, but this Christmas tradition has its origins in Victorian times. Dickens' A Christmas Carol first brought the supernatural to the festive season in 1843 and was later perfected by M. R. James, author of the most blood curdling tales of terror that you'll ever have the pleasure to read.

Whistle and I'll Come to You first aired on Christmas Eve 1968, and is a masterclass in slow burn horror. This black and white chiller spawned the Ghost Stories for Christmas series that would continue in 1971 and run for seven years. In 2005, the production was revived and continued under the well suited talents of Mark Gatiss, a huge fan of James's work and all things ghostly.

Despite the old fashioned style and low-budget restraints, these creepy tales are televisual delights, the traditional 'things that go bump in the night' tone makes a refreshing alternative to jump scares and CGI shocks.

So strap in, turn out the lights and prepare for a countdown of the ten most terrifying, most spine-chilling Ghost Stories for Christmas.

Lost Hearts is a total product of the '70s - low budget, overtly theatrical and with the Hammer quality of 'Home Counties Horror.' In other words, it's dated but immensely atmospheric. Mark Gatiss has cited this particular episode as his favourite, simply because it was the one that scared him the most as a child. Don't be put off by the Star Wars haircuts and Romero-style zombie make-up - what follows is disconcertingly graphic.

Young Master Stephen arrives at the country estate of his elderly cousin (twice removed), Mr. Abney, and finds himself doted on by the eccentric old man, who seems to take a particular interest in Stephen's age and health (his upcoming twelfth birthday alarmingly falls on Halloween). Stephen, meanwhile, is distracted by the appearance of two strange, bedraggled children whom haunt his dreams and the surrounding fields, replete with whispery encounters in every shadowy corner of the house.

If the prospect of creepy old bachelors taking in orphans is a bit distasteful, fear not - James reserves a gruesome fate for the decrepit alchemist, whose chief concern is removing the boy's heart for the purpose of gaining everlasting life. This is a somewhat trippy affair - the adolescent spectres belong in a Kate Bush video and the repetitive lullaby of a hurdy-gurdy completes the bizarre hippy-horror vibe.