Out of the Darkness 1985: Wish I Could Remember Unforgettable Plague Film

SPOLIER ALERT: Clearly I’ve found the name of the film, but there are still mysteries to be solved!

BACK when I was at primary school during the 1980s, the ABC (Australia’s version of the BBC) used to screen a kids ghost mystery thriller repeatedly during the school holidays.

The film was about some children who go to live in Yorkshire and come across the ghosts of children who died in the Bubonic Plague. I also remember that we also saw it on a school excursion to the Geelong Performing Arts Centre.

My sisters and I thought it was fantastic and there were a couple of silly quotes that we used to recite all the time and cack ourselves in amusement. One was: “You killed them, you killed them all?” and “What would you do if you saw a ghost? I’d do the same as you, I’d wet me knickers!”.

But don’t let the laughs fool you. The film was atmospheric, spooky and very scary in parts. Ghost films made for children have the potential to be great – especially those made in the UK during the 1970s.

Restricted by what they could show due to age restrictions, the film makers had to rely on the story to keep the audience interesting rather than splashing around blood and guts.

I would love to see this film again, but as you have probably realised, I don’t know the name of the movie.

So today I am starting a campaign to find these films.

I have no idea what the film was called or where I can find a copy. I don’t know any of the actors and I am probably not even remembering half the plot correctly.

There is this film and another TV show, that was particularly spooky and had an effect on me too, that I would like to find. Here are brief summaries you might recognise:

THE FILM is about the kids who go to Yorkshire and come across ghosts of children who died during the Bubonic Plague. It might also involve time travel, but I think I am mixing that up with The Amazing Mister Blunden (1972) which is an amazing spooky film and one I should re-view for The Spooky Isles one day. There was definitely a bit in the film I remember with the kids seeing things happening the past from the plague days.

THE TELEVISION show episode is about a jar which was covered in a mosaic. The mosaic had an Egyptian or Greek princess or something like on it. The story behind it was the princess went blind looking at the sun. So every time someone moved the jar towards the wall, some mysterious force would turn it back towards the light. It think the mosiac might have been made with broken plates, which had some link to evil. I think it was one of a number of episodes in a kids spooky series, that was screened on school holidays. (I found it – it’s Shadows and the episode was called The Eye!)

So if recognises any of these shows, or in fact, know of any great 1970s British ghost stories television shows for kids, please send me aa comment. I am desperate to find these films and find out what they were really about. And if I can’t find them, it would be great to find some other ones to fill the void that I have been missing.

UPDATE 31st January 2012: Since posting this, I have had a few messages and have been told it is “Out of the Darkness” which more than rings a bell. Today, I thought about searching You Tube and this came up, which is great! I definitely remember the mist scene and the boy saying: “Don’t leave me!” in his northern accent. The scene is still sends a shiver up my spine. Now all I have to do is try and find a copy of the whole film!

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