19 reviews
Like most of the people who have commented on this series I found this programme very haunting, not scary so much as disturbing or unsettling. I was older than most of the people who have posted so far, twelve in 1972 (& strangely like one of the above was convinced this prog. was from the late 60's) & also couldn't remember the name of the series. I tracked it down a few years ago & last year discovered that all 6 episodes do still exist in some form but only one in it's original colour form. It was shown on ITV btw not BBC as someone has said. Last night I finally watched one episode for the first time in 34 years that I managed to obtain from a collector on DVD. It was very poor quality b/w but fascinating to see. It was the final episode which was good as I couldn't remember how it ended and if the boy got out of the house (but won't spoil it for anyone lucky enough to see it again). The rocks had reached right up to the house. I had forgotten the eyes! There was strange radiophonic workshop type electronic noises (rumblings and whirrings) throughout the scenes in the house which may be what provided some of the chills that people remember. In fact they even drowned out some of the dialogue but this may be just down to this DVD not how it went out on air. The acting has not held up well by today's standards or even compared to say 'Timeslip' from the same era of kids drama. There was still something imaginative and strange about the programme though that lingers.
- clivecrump
- Oct 10, 2006
- Permalink
- PlocktonTurnPointt
- Jul 11, 2018
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I'd even forgotten the title in my search for details about this series, was it really 31 years ago?! I remember rushing home from school to see it even though it frightened this seven year old to bits. I was thrilled when Paperhouse was released but it all seemed so different, a bit more "grown-up", different illness (I think Marrianne had a broken leg in the series and not glandular fever)and missing the stones with one eye if I remember rightly. The ever-encircling stones gave me nightmares but still I watched and Marrianne was given an indelible pen at one point so she couldn't erase her drawings! I must track down the original book by Storr to see which dramatization is more faithful, I so wish the UK series was brought back as I would dearly love to see it again (I'd probably be still hiding behind a cushion)!
I'm glad to find this listing - I remember watching this as a child, and there were some memorable scary moments - when the voices start coming out the radio.
I'd recommend the Catherine Storr book, even for adults!
Latest: The DVD is being released by Network in May 2009.
Just as an additional comment, I tracked down the sequel (book) Marianne and Mark which is somewhat harder to find than the bestselling Marianne Dreams, from which this programme derives. Marianne and Mark is quite a curious book, because although it is clearly the same Marianne and Mark from the earlier story, the author seems to push back the early happenings as though it were make belief. Marianne, now a teenager, seems to have dismissed the events as being induced by her sickness.
I'd recommend the Catherine Storr book, even for adults!
Latest: The DVD is being released by Network in May 2009.
Just as an additional comment, I tracked down the sequel (book) Marianne and Mark which is somewhat harder to find than the bestselling Marianne Dreams, from which this programme derives. Marianne and Mark is quite a curious book, because although it is clearly the same Marianne and Mark from the earlier story, the author seems to push back the early happenings as though it were make belief. Marianne, now a teenager, seems to have dismissed the events as being induced by her sickness.
The somewhat fusty memories of this programme still gives me the jitters, it scared me silly, I had quite a vivid imagination as a child and everything was thrown into turmoil when i watched this chilling masterpiece, ( I didn't want to look out of my window at night), What scared me so much about Escape into night? ... THE STONES... they were seriously evil, and you can guess that many nightmares followed, A classic 'KIDS' TV programme from when they had to rely on the story and not the effects to keep the audience glued to the box. If you thought doctor who was scary, (and it was), this was 100% more creepy... having said that ... I wish it was on DVD so i could watch it again, I have recently purchased children of the stones on DVD and that was fairly creepy too. come on independent television, Cash in on an old favourite while you can. p.s. The ORIGINAL book is still available MARIANNE DREAMS by CATHERINE STORR, published by FABER & FABER, ISBN 978-0-571-20212-6
- mazmik1212
- May 17, 2007
- Permalink
How frightening can a stone be? I watched this TV series as a child growing up in New Zealand during the 1970s. Creepy, sinister and haunting are how I'd choose to describe it, even 30-mumble years later. Having said that, I just had to watch it every week.
The story is about a young girl who is trapped in her home due to an illness that immobilizes her. She draws pictures that she eventually realizes come to life in her nightmares. She can influence her dreams by changing the drawings but the effects are not always as desired. The monsters in this story take the form of rocks about the size of arched tombstones and have two disquieting features. First is an eye that doesn't let you off the hook. And second is the way that in each dream they are bearing down on the house, getting closer and closer to carrying out some evil intent.
Remember how you felt watching Ridley Scott's "Alien" the first time? Cast that tension into a child's world and you have a sense of "Escape into Night".
The story is about a young girl who is trapped in her home due to an illness that immobilizes her. She draws pictures that she eventually realizes come to life in her nightmares. She can influence her dreams by changing the drawings but the effects are not always as desired. The monsters in this story take the form of rocks about the size of arched tombstones and have two disquieting features. First is an eye that doesn't let you off the hook. And second is the way that in each dream they are bearing down on the house, getting closer and closer to carrying out some evil intent.
Remember how you felt watching Ridley Scott's "Alien" the first time? Cast that tension into a child's world and you have a sense of "Escape into Night".
- kohinoor_noblespirit
- Dec 31, 2007
- Permalink
- dog_of_the_moon
- Apr 21, 2008
- Permalink
This was a superb series and scared the hell out of me when I watched it 31 years ago. Based on the novel Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr it was far superior to the film Paperhouse which was also based on it.
- Animal1701
- May 22, 2003
- Permalink
- mfcoder-imdb
- Jun 20, 2008
- Permalink
- mike-613-161182
- Apr 7, 2015
- Permalink
Never mind The Exorcist, just thinking of this programme today I, a grown up woman in her 50s, get wobbly knees and dread in my stomach. I seem to remember it made me cry when I watched it at age 7-ish. I really don't think I'm up to watching it again.
- mish-02364
- Aug 2, 2019
- Permalink
Yes, I too saw this excellent series I was only about 11 at the time, but it stayed vividly in my memory - utterly disturbing and very scary.
In response to 'geffers' - the series was originally aired in the UK on the ITV network, produced by ATV (later to become Central TV) in 1972 - so nothing to do with the infamous BBC purge.
It is known that Thames TV (another ITV programme provider of the time) had a similar 'cull' of some of their children's TV - but this goes back to about 1970-71 - this itself shouldn't have affected the ATV-produced Escape Into Night production.
Let's hope its out there in the VT archives somewhere - maybe we'll get a DVD release one day...
Peace,
PG.
In response to 'geffers' - the series was originally aired in the UK on the ITV network, produced by ATV (later to become Central TV) in 1972 - so nothing to do with the infamous BBC purge.
It is known that Thames TV (another ITV programme provider of the time) had a similar 'cull' of some of their children's TV - but this goes back to about 1970-71 - this itself shouldn't have affected the ATV-produced Escape Into Night production.
Let's hope its out there in the VT archives somewhere - maybe we'll get a DVD release one day...
Peace,
PG.
I was very pleased to find that Escape into Night has been released on DVD. This is certainly one of those programmes which I remember only vaguely but that had a very lasting impact. Like others, I could not remember what it was called so it took some searching to find. I originally found the film Paper House and watched that as Escape into Night had not at that point been released. The Paper House film though was not as dark or sinister as I remembered the TV series.
Watching Escape into Night again though I was not disappointed. Yes, it is obviously low budget but this is a programme which shows that you do not always need to spend a lot of money to create atmosphere and a gripping storyline. It has actually been given a 12 rating in the UK, showing how such drama would probably be considered too disturbing to be shown a teatime nowadays. As I originally watched it in black and white, it was how I remembered it. The starkness of B&W just added to the experience.
It's not just the stones that make the story so unusual, it is also the fact that it is about two children who are ill in bed and are trapped by their circumstance, finding a way of escaping through dreams. For a child, being confined to bed rest is so restrictive and feels never ending. This series captures that feeling perfectly. One of the things that children will think about when watching this is how to cope if the ability to walk is taken away, really mixing up the emotions.
I also got a surprise when I realised that it was filmed on Barr Beacon, not far from where we live. I hope that there are no stones left around here!
Watching Escape into Night again though I was not disappointed. Yes, it is obviously low budget but this is a programme which shows that you do not always need to spend a lot of money to create atmosphere and a gripping storyline. It has actually been given a 12 rating in the UK, showing how such drama would probably be considered too disturbing to be shown a teatime nowadays. As I originally watched it in black and white, it was how I remembered it. The starkness of B&W just added to the experience.
It's not just the stones that make the story so unusual, it is also the fact that it is about two children who are ill in bed and are trapped by their circumstance, finding a way of escaping through dreams. For a child, being confined to bed rest is so restrictive and feels never ending. This series captures that feeling perfectly. One of the things that children will think about when watching this is how to cope if the ability to walk is taken away, really mixing up the emotions.
I also got a surprise when I realised that it was filmed on Barr Beacon, not far from where we live. I hope that there are no stones left around here!
- lawrencegabb
- Mar 16, 2010
- Permalink
- Arthur-nose
- Apr 29, 2008
- Permalink
My wife and I were talking about what made things scary for kids, and how we had both been particularly disturbed (insert joke here) by movies where there seemed to be no rules and anything could happen. That led me inevitably to this movie, which I must have seen on TV when I was about seven while living in New Zealand and which has stuck in my mind for 30+ years since. It's an interesting contrast to what people usually think of as scary movies but often forget within weeks or months. There's no gore, really very little action of any kind, but it puts those subtle hints in the back of your mind that ultimately leave you looking over your shoulder or come back to you in dreams for a long time. If you can imagine the idea of a psychological thriller for kids, this is it.
After searching for many years I finally found out what this brilliant series was called!
Like others I was scared to death of this programme but would rush home from school to watch it. The thing I remember most about it is the rocks with eyes that used to stand guard round the house. Many's the night I would wake up in the middle of the night and stare into the darkness of my bedroom and not dare to look out of the window in case those rocks were out there..I would love to see the programme again but I read that some of the episodes are missing from the archives...
Like others I was scared to death of this programme but would rush home from school to watch it. The thing I remember most about it is the rocks with eyes that used to stand guard round the house. Many's the night I would wake up in the middle of the night and stare into the darkness of my bedroom and not dare to look out of the window in case those rocks were out there..I would love to see the programme again but I read that some of the episodes are missing from the archives...
- bonearrowgroup
- Feb 18, 2004
- Permalink
I remember a show like this from my childhood, but thought it was earlier than 1972 (somewhere between 1968 and 1971). It featured a girl and boy walking through a dark, scary dream world in their pyjamas/gowns where the scenery was all theatre-like painted backdrops. ESCAPE INTO NIGHT sounds so like this show but the timing isn't quite right and the atmospheric painted scenery isn't featured. Does anyone else remember a television show around 6 or 7pm at night with 2D drawn/painted scenery, for example the trees in the forest, in the late 60's early 70's?
I remember the girl had long dark hair.
I think it may have also featured a house, but I particularly remember the flat 2d painted trees in the dream woods.
Anything anyone can tell us about this show would be much appreciated.
Was there another dramatized version of Marianne Dreams around the end of the 1960s?
I remember the girl had long dark hair.
I think it may have also featured a house, but I particularly remember the flat 2d painted trees in the dream woods.
Anything anyone can tell us about this show would be much appreciated.
Was there another dramatized version of Marianne Dreams around the end of the 1960s?
Like many others, I remembered this programme but had no recollection of what it was called. I do remember being scared but engrossed and never missing the show. I don't remember the radio but will never forget those boulders! I do admit to drawing pictured myself in the hope that it would take me into an alternate universe but not scary like that but full of ponies, princes & princesses. Amazing how this programme affected so many of us where we remember it and still get goose bumps! Dr Who was one of the others I remember watching as a young child (yes, still watch it) and combined with this programme, made for a memorable childhood! Does anyone know the exact year this was aired?