Xmas horrors

So you think Christmas is all smiles and happiness and light? There are more than a few horrors to be had at Christmas time, as long as you know where to look. I'm not talking about desecrating the holiday, I'm just saying that Christmas has something for everyone, even me. Last night the GF and I watched the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol (1984). It's a great version that accurately portrays the ghostly visitors and the actual drama and terror in the Dickens' story.

Sure, everyone remembers Scrooge saying "Bah, humbug!", then being visited by three ghosts, learning how great Christmas is and why he should be good, and then Tiny Tim gets well and walks again. Fantastic. Not as many people remember the details: Scrooge was always reviled by his father because Scrooge's mother died giving birth to him; The first spirit exists merely to torment Scrooge with visions of his past, and it's quite obvious, in the 1984 version, that she loves every minute of his pain; When Marley comes into the room, he first has to untie the cloth that holds his jaw shut, and when he does undo the knot, his mouth hangs open with his tongue out. I can't tell you how many nightmares that gave me when I was a kid. In short, it's a scary ghost story, just as valid for the horrors it evokes as for it's message of discovering the meaning of Christmas.



While George C. Scott does a good Scrooge, I really prefer the Alastair Sim version of Ebeneezer. It doesn't hurt that this 1951 version of the story, Scrooge, is in black and white, which adds to the "olde tyme" feel of the tale, and I really love that. Scrooge also has a great Marley scene, and here it is!




Of course, Scrooged, starring Bill Murray, also has a fine Marley-figure. This one also bothered for me for a while after seeing it. (I couldn't find the Marley scene itself, so here's the trailer.)



And, last but certainly not least...my favorite version of Marley...Statler and Waldorf in A Muppet Christmas Carol.