The main plot before we got to the snuff movie piece reminded me of the first segment of a 1971 anthology horror film by Amicus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ho..._Dripped_Blood

I have an original 1970s cinema quad bill poster to this film and framed at the bottom of the stairway leading up to the loo. As I direct newcomers to the house as to where the loo is they always give the bill a double-take after they've read the title of the feature, then look back me with an unsure chuckle, usually with me giving them a slightly unhinged look in my eyes back at them as I point up the stairs.

Shearsmith and Pemberton never disappoint with their tales of the bizarre and the macabre. I love that they pay so much attention to detail. I've enjoyed all of their Inside Nr. 9 tales and this one was no exception.

I've often wondered when watching The League Of Gentleman/Psychoville/Inside No. 9 whether Gatiss, Pemberton and Shearsmith have considered doing a full-blown horror project.

Last night's episode made me wonder again.

Ok. I loved seeing Rula Lenska, very underrated.

I thought this was great! brilliant twist

Twas excellent as usual.

The movement of the cameras was spot-on for a 70s tv show. Very very well done.

The LoG Christmas Special in 2000 "Yule Never Leave" was very much like an Amicus anthology as it had three segments and a framing story

Gatiss already has. Crooked House (2008). He also wrote the the 2013 adaptation of The Tractate Middoth.

I really enjoyed this Xmas special.. Watched it with my daughter..She saw something would be happening off camera from the start.but..Eurrgh! They do well with 30mins..It has to be said.. I could easily have watched it stretched out for an hour! The 70's play with the commentary was done well..Even all the subtitles as we are hoh!

Absolutely loved this. As soon as it started with the authentic graphics and camera work I was straight in with it. Can't wait to see the rest of the new series.

I loved some of the little details, such as the Rula Lenska character not being on her correct mark and stood too close to the other character, and the narrator credits the genius of the performer by moving slightly to get into a better frame for the camera.

The reason I enjoyed details like this is because it probably happens a lot in 70s television and you sort of let it go unless like here there is someone to point these errors out to you.
Which I know was fiction obviously, but it's going to make me more aware now when I watch any old 70s television to see if I can spot mistakes in the framing or the blocking.

Not only do Pemberton and Shearsmith make good television, they also appeal by bringing out the geeky side of anyone who has one.

It's a shame that 12 Days of Christine wasn't repeated this Christmas though, because for me that should be shown every Christmas.
I also haven't seen the LOG Christmas Special for a long time too. I don't know why they don't show things like this more regularly over the festive period, but they will make substandard filler instead.
Theoretically Christmas television should be amazing due to the amount of quality from previous years which could be shown. But for some reason they just don't do it. And I don't why.

This was fabulous, it really captured the genre well, the devil was definitely all in the detail.

Little things like cameras and boom mikes coming into shot; Pemberton going to slip his hand into his pocket and missing, eventually getting it in on the third attempt; lip-gloss on the female leads; rubbish acting from the child actor; the glare effect of naked flames on, presumably, videotape; then the stock external footage on film... Brilliant.

Funny you should mention that, as right now I'm watching a really old black and white repeat of The Good Old Days (which is just finishing this very second). Not that I normally watch this show but I'm just curious about watching something this old. And on it they had naked flames, and I notice that as well as a bit of flare, video surrounding a naked flame goes black.

Mindblowing! Only Reece and Steve would be able to make this show. What a brilliant homage to '70s TV, particularly the old horror/anthology tales, as well as being...something else, which turns it back into TRUE horror, as opposed to just honouring it!

Oh, is that how they got it so spot on? I was wondering how remarkably accurate it was. About 5 minutes in I suddenly noticed it was 4:3 aspect too, as I'd been watching old programmes on channels like Dave etc during the week, so hadn't immediately clocked it.

Brilliant show as ever.

Because the Sun and Mail would be trotting out their usual story about how Christmas is all repeats, repeats, repeats with even more venom. That's why! You can please the anti-BBC lobby none of the time already. No sense in adding more fuel to the fire.

I don't care whether or not they got the sheer crapness of 1970s budget films spot-on, I thought it was very poor and not at all entertaining. I watched it on iPlayer after seeing some good reviews and was hugely disappointed – probably the worst one of an otherwise mainly-good series.

Both of those were very good, it's a shame the Beeb didn't show any MR James stories this Christmas

I really enjoyed this. Certainly had the look and feel of an old episode of Tales of the Unexpected.

Thought it was smug and slight and up its own arse. Gareth Marenghi did it better. I am a huge fan of crusty old 70's film and TV as well.

The trail flares from lights and flames is due to the length of the old Marconi cameras, some were just above 2ft in length from lens to signal feed at the rear. It's the video signal bouncing back and forth several times. As cameras got shorter in length with technology, the trail flares became shorter.

Were you not able to separate the production techniques and the over-acting and melodramatic techniques of the talent to that of today's techniques?
This was a marvel masterclass on how to do (or not to do) multi-camera studio production and all involved got it bang on.

It's funny how we've all experienced the slow transition of multi-camera recordings from the 1970s and 80s to single-camera recordings from the 90s onwards without much notice in production at all... but as soon as we're presented something in the old style, it's immediately noticeable.
We're in another phase today with the advent of standard to HD and the acorn of 4K happening as we speak but many still do not notice the slow transition.

I think you're looking at this production from the wrong angle and not in the mindset of the piece. It's in two Acts (the first should be viewed with nostalgia for those old BBC anthology productions, eg. Dead of Night (1972), Supernatural (1977) or ITV's Thriller (1973), Beasts (1976) etc.). It lured us into a false sense of affection.
Just as an enclosed set to protect many actor's modesy, Act II was the changeover of the final and rushed ending. It had to be short, it had to be quick, intensifying the real shock. The horror sunk in as the credits rolled.

Loved how he turned up an oil lamp and the entire set lit into brilliant light haha.
Seen that so many times in old shows and movies.

Thank you for informing me with an explanation. It's reassuring to know that there are people on here who can help you because they know more about a subject than you.

I don't think they're smug or up their arse. I usually find that to be the case when somebody tries to send something up because they think it's cool to be sarcastic towards anything old. So no I don't think that is the case here. These people appear to have a genuine affection for the old style material they're playing with.

For them to be so into these old horror things suggests to me a genuine love for the TV of old. I don't think smugness comes into it at all because that usually sends the message to me that the creators have no respect for the material they're referencing.
These guys will really love Tales of the Unexpected and Hammer House of Horror and other similar television series.