"The Tractate Middoth" is a British 36-minute live action short film from 2013, so this one will have its 5th anniversary next year. It was written and directed by Mark Gatiss, an Emmy winner for Sherlock, and he adapted the original work by M.R. James for the small screen here. If you hear the name of the latter, then you realize probably right away that this is among the most recent installments to the long-running British Ghost Stories for Christmas series that existed in the 1970s already. This BBc production features a bunch of actors that may not be well-known to non-English audiences, but nonetheless they still seem to be enjoying prolific careers, some also appeared on the previously mentioned "Sherlock". But just as overrated as Sherlock may be (starring the incredibly overrated B. Cumberbatch), just as overrated is also this little film we have here. Yes it is fairly atmospheric and the actors aren't bad (not great either though). I'll give them that. But the story struggles with authenticity on more than just one occasions and I am of course not referring to the inclusion of ghosts as this is the center of it all. I am referring to a librarian, who gets the hell scared out of him and still we are supposed to believe he keeps investigating in this spooky matter. Also how he does end up at the two women's house is a bit dubious and very much for story's purpose than convincingly realistic. I have not read James' original work, so cannot say if the problem lies there or in the adaptation here, but as a whole it is still a weak outcome, even if not a failure I guess. I give this little tale a thumbs-down. Not recommended.

The Tractate Middoth is one of James's weaker stories and although I was looking forward to a recent adaptation of his work I was surprised that this was the story Gatiss chose.Unfortunately, despite really wanting to like this, I found it absolutely dreadful. I really thought Gatiss would come up with something good but the whole thing reeked of a student production. The acting was horrid by everyone involved other than the lead and the way it was directed was very poor, significantly the end sequence with the ghost. The whole thing felt like a horrible cliché with no thought given to atmosphere or originality. The open-ending was just pure cheese. I also really wish Gatiss hadn't shown us the face of the ghost as it was totally ineffectual.I think if a 10 year old happened to watch this they might have found it enjoyable and grow up with vague fond memories of a ghostly short film at Christmas time (when it was screened) only to seek it out in adulthood and be eminently disappointed.A good example of how James's work should be adapted is Whistle and I'll Come To You from 1968, which is a fabulous, atmospheric, well made short film. And of course there is the brilliant Night of the Demon (1957). The Tractate Middoth pales in comparison.

THE TRACTATE MIDDOTH deserves commendation purely because it's a traditional ghost story and an adaptation of an M. R. James story to boot. Unlike the previous version of WHISTLE AND I'LL COME TO YOU, which starred John Hurt and unwisely tried to update the story to the modern day (very unsuccessfully, I might add), THE TRACTATE MIDDOTH is extremely traditional and true to the original story.It's a labour of love for writer/director Mark Gatiss, who turns out to be a better writer than he is director. It's not that his direction is poor, it's just rather straightforward and perhaps slightly too subtle, even when adapting an author known for his subtlety. The story adaptation also has a few flaws, including some rather large coincidences, but then it does have to all tie up neatly in a rather short running time.The period look and feel is spot on, and the plotting is quite a bit of fun. Most importantly, it feels true to the classic adaptations of the '70s, even if it is a lesser being. The horror does feel very gentle and the two 'scare' sequences aren't entirely successful, but I'm just happy that the BBC are going in the right direction for once. Let's hope Gatiss gets to do another one next year!

During the Seventies the BBC made a habit of broadcasting A GHOST STORY FOR Christmas, mostly written by M. R. James and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. This continued a tradition established by James himself, who initiated precisely the same ritual during his lifetime as he read out a newly-created story each Christmas to his intimate circle of friends. Directed and adapted by Mark Gatiss, THE TRACTATE MIDDOTH revives that tradition; it concerns Garrett, a young librarian (Sacha Dhawan) who works at an Oxbridge college and is asked by elderly user John Eldred (John Castle) to locate a book, "The Tractate Middoth." This book appears to have been taken by a mysterious borrower who turns out to be a rotting ghost. Garrett encounters this specter and is thereby unwittingly drawn into a dark family story of resentment and revenge. Gatiss' adaptation updates the material to the Fifties, which enables him to create a thriller in the style of the MAN IN BLACK series (which Gatiss revived on radio) or the Edgar Lustgarten mysteries for Merton Park Studios. The adaptation establishes a sense of security through the presence of familiar elements - notably the Oxbridge locations, and the presence among the cast of stalwart character actors such as Roy Barraclough, David Ryall and Una Stubbs. As the action progresses, this sense of familiarity is gradually dismantled, culminating in a violent denouement. We are left in no doubt what will happen, but Gatiss stages it in an unexpected manner in the middle of a rural clearing on what looks like a fine late summer's day. The adaptation contains some notable cameos - for example Barraclough as a librarian insisting on absolute silence in his premises (even though there doesn't seem to be anyone there apart from Garrett and his friend George Earle (Nicholas Burns); and Castle's John Eldred, whose increasing anxiety is suggested by his breathless delivery.