The Tractate Middoth (2013)

On his deathbed vicar Rant makes a secret confession to his niece Mary Simpson. Some twenty years later young librarian William Garrett is asked by elderly John Eldred to locate a book ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Gatiss

Writers:

M.R. James (from the story by), Mark Gatiss

Stars:

Louise Jameson, John Castle, Eleanor Bron

Cast

Credited cast:
Louise Jameson	...	Mary Simpson
John Castle	...	John Eldred
Eleanor Bron	...	Mrs. Goundry
David Ryall	...	Dr. Rant
Roy Barraclough	...	Hodgson
Sacha Dhawan	...	William Garrett
Nicholas Burns	...	George Earle
Paul Warren	...	Rant's Ghost
Una Stubbs	...	Miss Chambers
Charlie Clemmow	...	Anne Simpson
Mathew Foster	...	Labourer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Messalina Morley	...	Female Student

Storyline

On his deathbed vicar Rant makes a secret confession to his niece Mary Simpson. Some twenty years later young librarian William Garrett is asked by elderly John Eldred to locate a book called 'The Tractate Middoth' but a mysterious cloaked figure takes the book from the shelves and Eldred panics and leaves. On a second attempt to find the book Garrett is confronted by the mysterious borrower, a rotting ghost, the encounter causing him to faint. He goes to the seaside to recover and, by coincidence, stays with Mrs Simpson and her daughter. He learns that she is the cousin of Eldred, who cheated her out of an inheritance when Rant died though a will in her favour was actually made and hidden in the pages of the Tractate Middoth . Eldred finally obtains the book but Rant, witnessed by Garrett, exacts vengeance from beyond the grave.

---

Genres:

Short | Mystery | Thriller

---

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The Lost Ghost Story with Mark Gatiss (2013)

User Reviews

A quality Ghost story.

The original collection of stories from the Seventies on the whole were great productions, each penned by the great M. R. James, sad;y they came to an end, thankfully in 2013 Mark Gatiss decided to adapt The Tractate Middoth. It is a super smart story, so much is crammed into the limited thirty five minute running time. It's slick, eerie, and best of all manages to capture the DNA of the original episodes, it could have easily been a failed bolt on to the series, but it feels very much a part of it. The acting is terrific, John Castle and Sacha Dhawan in particular give superb performances. The direction is slick and the special effects pretty good also. There is a great twist in the ending, it feels like it could have easily come from the Seventies. Really enjoyed, 8/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2013 (UK)

Also Known As:

Трактат Миддот

Filming Locations:

Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

35 min

Color:

Color