10 Most Terrifying Ghost Stories For Christmas

This entry is easily the most atmospheric tale of all, both in tone and technical brilliance. Set in Norfolk and dripping with Woman in Black-esque remote coastal scenes, A Warning to the Curious reunited some familiar faces from The Stalls of Barchester, both on and off screen. Clive Swift returns as Dr. Black (a stand in for M.R. James himself) and director Lawrence Gordon Clark adds to the pervasive sense of dread that was the cornerstone of the original series.

Unemployed amateur archaeologist Baxter has set his sights on finding the 'Three Crowns of Anglia.' According to legend, these medieval relics were said to protect England from invasion, their secret resting place feircely guarded by a local family, the Agers. The last, William Ager, died some 12 years prior, still sworn to protect the crown at all costs, even from beyond the grave.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out where this plot is going - upon discovering the crown, buried in a remote wood near the sand dunes, Baxter finds himself relentlessly hunted by the ghost of Ager himself. The locals are practically lining up to warn him; the innkeeper, the vicar, a local woman, most of whom swear to have seen someone in pursuit of Baxter, though the figure is suspiciously absent when confronted.

Beautiful sweeping vistas of the east coast and an almost Kubrick-like score effectively ramps up the tension as Baxter is pursued across the dunes, only to meet the same grisly end as his predecessors...