Mysteriet på Greveholm (1996– )

The Olsson family move into a castle that turns out to be haunted. The kids, with their dim parents oblivious to all the strange things that are happening, must solve a mystery involving a ghost, a robot, a skeleton and a princess.

Stars:

Gustaf Åkerblom, Linn Bülow, Hanna Malmberg

Cast

Series cast summary:
Gustaf Åkerblom	...	Ivar Olsson (24 episodes, 1996)
Linn Bülow	...	Lillan Olsson (24 episodes, 1996)
Hanna Malmberg	...	Melitta Olsson (23 episodes, 1996)
Anna-Lena Brundin	...	Astrid Olsson (22 episodes, 1996)
Peter Fridh	...	Leif Olsson (22 episodes, 1996)
Sven Ahlström	...	Jean (21 episodes, 1996)
Pierre Lindstedt	...	Staffan (19 episodes, 1996)
Andreas Andersson	...	Tidningsbudet Måns (12 episodes, 1996)

Storyline

The father of the Olsson family is responsible for many people's not being able to receive any TV broadcasts. Therefore, the family escape to an old castle in the country, to celebrate their Christmas there, away from all angry people and dangers. However, the three children soon discover that something's not right in the old castle. It seems haunted and it bears a centuries old secret. Many comical situations occur when the children try to investigate the haunting, but the parents don't understand what's going on.

---

Plot Keywords:

castle | children | ghost | haunted house | family relationships | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

1 December 1996 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Julkalendern 1996

Filming Locations:

Harlösa, Skåne län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sveriges Television (SVT), Malmö, Sveriges Television (SVT)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

15 min 15 min (24 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "ghost" effect was filmed by having the actors wear blue-colored, transparent cloaks, and then digitally entering the backgrounds of the scenes onto the blue cloaks. This gave it a spooky, half-invisible look.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Måns, paperboy: Ghoooooooosts!

---

Connections

Followed by Pelle Svanslös (1997)

User Reviews

An old favorite!

Wonderful Christmas Calendar they used to show from the 1st to the 24th of December back in 1995, later out on video. This is something as unusual as a children's show that adults can enjoy, with good jokes, good acting (even from the kids) and some smooth CG effects. As far as I know this is the biggest use of SFX ever in a Swedish movie or show. Not that that's saying a lot.

Anyway, the story is the Olsson family move into this castle, Greveholm, where they plan to spend a peaceful and relaxing winter. However things get complicated as the kids soon discover the castle is haunted by ghosts, while a pair of clumsy burglars try to rob the family and a group of Santa's gnomes frequently come to visit them. Lillan, the youngest daughter, also finds parts of what can only be a robot.

Unlike many Christmas Calendars (a phenomenon probably only known in Sweden), Mysteriet på Greveholm never drags or feels boring or recycled. Nothing is filler, everything that happens is more or less important to the plot, or simply hilarious. Did I mention good acting? Pierre Lindstedt's ghost Staffan, or any of the Olsson parents, definitely deserved some kind of award for their jobs. Outstanding and funny! The show is exciting to young kids, though not so scary they'll get nightmares. The ghosts happen to be quite mild-mannered, the real threat is someone else who also lives in the castle, hidden behind the walls...

MpG combines humor, excitement, supernaturality, science fiction, Santa Clause, Christmas, romance and well what more could you ask for? 10/10, the best Christmas show there is!