Out of the Unknown (TV Series) To Lay a Ghost (1971) User Reviews

Terror In The Countryside

[ShadeGrenade · 8/10 · 23 March 2009]

The final season of 'Out Of The Unknown', again produced by Alan Bromley, eschewed the science fiction for which the show was renowned, concentrating instead on tales of psychological suspense. Bromley's reasoning was that, in the aftermath of the Apollo moon landings, science fiction no longer thrilled. He had apparently not noticed the continuing popularity of 'Dr.Who' and newcomer 'Doomwatch' over on B.B.C.-1, also the U.S. import 'Star Trek' ( still a comparatively new show at that time ).

'To Lay A Ghost' was by the talented Michael J.Bird, author of 'Who Pays The Ferryman' and 'The Lotus Eaters'.

Newlyweds Eric and Diana Carver ( Iain Gregory and Lesley-Anne Down ) move into a country house. Diana was raped when she was fifteen and has never slept with her husband. While developing photographs taken of her in the grounds, Eric notices what appears to be a man in the background, even though no-one else was in shot when the picture was taken. Diana develops a strange obsession with the house, talking to it as though it were a living thing and sleepwalking in the garden at around 2 A.M. Eric gets her to pose with a crossbow, and she tries to shoot him.

When a statue falls off a roof, he calls in Phillimore ( Peter Barkworth ), a psychic investigator. They learn that the house was inhabited years earlier by a madman who raped and killed two woman. Apparently his ghost is in residence...

A young ( and fabulously beautiful ) Lesley-Anne Down takes up the lead female role here. Three years later, she would move into Eaton Place in the I.T.V. drama 'Upstairs, Downstairs' as rich brat 'Georgina Worsley'. As 'Phiilimore' we get Peter Barkworth and as ever he does not disappoint.

This creepy story could not be made now because of the revelation at that Diana enjoyed her rape and has waited for years for the same thing to happen again. Her husband, disgusted, walks out. For years the fallacy existed that rape was pleasurable for a certain type of woman - Susan George's character in 'Straw Dogs' certainly seemed to be one, while Ian Fleming in 'Casino Royale' referred to 'the sweet tang of rape' - but times have changed. The ending ruins an otherwise impressive episode. The double meaning in the title was apparently intentional.

A murdering Ghost rapist haunts young couple in early 70's Britain.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 6 November 2010]

Out of the Unknown: To Lay a Ghost starts as fifteen year old schoolgirl Diana (Lesley Anne-Down) walks through some woods on her way home but is stopped & raped. Jump forward several years later as Diana & her successful photographer husband Eric Carver (Iain Gregory) move into a large country house, Diana having felt an instant connection & falling in love with it from the moment she first saw it. At first Diana & Eric are happy there but after taking photographs & having them developed Eric notices a strange man in the pictures neither he nor Diana saw at the time they were taken. Local paranormal investigator Dr. Walter Phillimore (Peter Barkworth) is called in & believes an evil ghost haunts the house & that it's feeding off Diana's sexual repression...

Episode two from the fourth & final season of the British produced television series Out of the Unknown this was directed by Ken Hannam & like season four as a whole To lay a Ghost abandoned the traditional sci-fi story in favour of psychological horror firmly based in reality, while To Lay a Ghost (a great title relevant in more ways than one...) may not be to everyone's taste I did quite like it's rather twisted theme & story. While not overly graphic the unsettling & nasty in tone opening sequence of a schoolgirl getting attacked & raped is a shocking start to what then seems like is going to be a straight forward haunted house with a bad past tale but the twisted very unpolitically correct ending in which Diana wants Eric to rape here because she enjoyed being raped when she was fifteen is bad enough but then add in the final twist as the rapist ghost gets to fulfil her fantasy after Eric flees the house & we have the sort of fifty minute horror show that surely would attract some very ugly headlines from the moral crusaders. In fairness To lay a Ghost isn't that graphic as the vulgar themes & plot twists are delivered through a tight script that includes several near death experiences for Eric while Diana is possessed several times too. All in all To Lay a Ghost isn't the most graceful or polished piece of British television history it is a nice change where the makers tried to be daring but ended up making something tasteless, vulgar, somewhat shocking & actually pretty good that doesn't seem to follow any rules of etiquette.

Originally broadcast during April 1971 this hasn't aged that well with some truly hideous 70's decoration & fashion, just look at those matching pink his & hers nightwear Eric & Diana wear during the first night. Quite nicely shot there's one scene at the end in which Eric runs down stairs after Diana tells him she wants him to rape her & he knocks the 'wall' which actually wobbles as he brushes past it. The filmed sequences on location look much better including a rundown old shed & a dangerous game of archery. The acting is alright, Lesley Anne-Down went on to have a long acting career but probably doesn't list this one at the top of her resume. To Lay a Ghost is the first surviving episode from season four of Out of the Unknown as the previous episode Taste of Evil (1971) was wiped & no longer exists, season four saw a departure from fantasy sci-fi to psychological horror & also saw a new bizarre title sequence featuring seemingly random images of an egg, a flame & a face along with some very forgettable new opening theme music.

To Lay a Ghost is a rather vulgar & somewhat unpleasant piece of horror television but I still liked it for it's morally outrageous twists & story involving schoolgirls being raped & ghost rapists on hand to satisfy their lust & desires. We are told that we shouldn't like stuff like this but I think most people will despite the questionable morals on show.

Mungo Jerry AND Lesley Anne Down?

[khunkrumark · 8/10 · 5 January 2019]

The first few episodes of this anthology were focused on sci-fi. Later episodes - like this one - favoured more supernatural storylines. At this time, independent TV companies in the uk were flush with cash. Much of it was spent on making spectacular telly. This is part of that library... at least what remains of it! Despite having money to burn, video tape was expensive and was often reused, erasing much of Britain's golden age of the small screen.

Ms. Down was just sixteen when she filmed this and was seventeen by the time it was broadcast in 1971. She's gorgeous and also does a super job here.

Diana Carver is raped by a stranger on her way home from school years ago, she is scarred by the incident. Despite this, years later, a successful photographer marries her, and they start their sexless life in a spooky old house.

Despite the allure of Leslie Anne Down, Peter Barkworth is the star here. His confident performance as a feast for the eyes. It's a magnificent display and legitimises a rather silly story about rapey ghosts and repressed sexual desires.

A great fifty minutes of telly!

Unbelievable plot

[anniewhitcomb-06675 · 5/10 · 22 February 2021]

Story jumps right into a school girl being sexually assaulted. Jump forward to her future married life and at first you think she's afraid of sexually intimacy because of this, but then the plot goes down the oh she liked being assaulted and wanted it again. Really? Come on! Not in a million years. This just an offensive male fantasy driven plot. I've loved all the other episodes of this show except this one. Do not recommend.

Strewth!

[BA_Harrison · 30 January 2024]

I had never heard of science fiction/supernatural anthology series Out of the Unknown until now - and To Lay A Ghost is certainly a contentious episode to begin with, with an ending that would be unlikely to get the go ahead today.

Lesley-Anne Down plays Diana Carver, who was raped as a teenager, and is now unable to be intimate with her new husband Eric (Iain Gregory). As if that wasn't enough for Eric to contend with, his new home turns out to be haunted, the ghost taking control of Diana, causing her to try and kill him. In desperation, Eric contacts an expert in the supernatural, Dr. Philimore (Peter Barkworth), who discovers that the malevolent spirit is that of rapist and murderer Thomas Hobbs, who was hanged in 1862.

The opening sexual assault on 15-year-old Diana is jarring stuff, but the episode soon settles into routine ghost story mode as the newlyweds settle into their home, only to find out that there is a presence that can only be seen when photographed. The arrival of Barkworth adds some much needed interest, but it is the finalé that makes this tale particularly memorable - for the wrong reasons! It is revealed that Diana actually enjoyed being raped and has been waiting for someone to repeat the experience; with Eric unwilling to do so, she looks to the ghost of Hobbs for satisfaction...

To Lay A Ghost is, for the most part, a reasonably entertaining tale, but the notion that a woman might enjoy being sexually assaulted is decidedly iffy, making the episode a problematic relic of the 1970s.