I've never had a problem with watching black and white movies or television shows, DT.

I know this marks me as a rarity (I can hear you thinking, "What else is new?"), but watching black-and-white never really bothered me. Heck, I'll still watch The Lone Ranger if it's on.

Perhaps it's fate. If that's the one, then you have the best film version of the story ever made. And I have seen tons of comments on places like Amazon.com, imdb.com, rottentomatoes.com as well as so many sites dedicated to Dickens' story (and movie sites) which praise this movie as the quintessential one for fans of the work. That, hands down, it leaves all the others, including more recent releases, in the dust. That is high praise, considering how long ago it was made. And that, for many people born in the 80s and after, watching a black and white movie seems to be something they would be pained to do.

Rotten Tomatoes' synopsis of the movie starts with this (and most of the comments from users and professional critics support the 84% rating it received there): "Widely considered to be the definitive of the many film versions of Charles Dickens' classic novel is this 1951 British adaptation, starring Alastair Sim (entitled "Scrooge" in its U.K. release)."

Amazon's editorial review starts off with this (and again, user comments support it): "Alastair Sim's tour-de-force performance as the ultimate miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, has almost single-handedly made this beloved version of Charles Dickens' story into one of the best-loved Christmas films of all time. Some of Britain's best filmmakers united behind Sim, who was joined by a delightful cast of accomplished and acclaimed English actors; creating what many today believe to be the best and most faithful production of Dickens' immortal tale."

Etc.

Yeah, I think that is the one I have; I'll have to dig through my boxes of DVDS (all tucked away since I don't have time to watch them right now) and double-check, but I think it was from 51. Who knew?

The version I based it off of was made in 1951 (the only one made in the 50s, if I am not mistaken). It starred Alastair Sim in the lead role. The movie is titled "A Christmas Carol" in the U.S. release, and "Scrooge" in the U.K. release. The packaging varies according to the year it was reprinted.

Actually, I probably should have left Lost Tapes out of it, but it's a faux Found Footage series dealing with a range of creepy creatures including a few supernatural ones. It was, admittedly, notoriously ill-rated, but it resonated with me for some occasional fits of brilliance (you would probably disagree), and, more on-topic, because it was about as close to horror movies as anything I care to stick in my brain.

Bringing it back to the comparison, I think the closest they had to this ghost was a hellhound (also known as a Black Shuck, among other names), but that was more of a guerilla type scare; the Ghost of the Future was more like something from Poe's work. This kind of nudges over the line by making it look as if the ghost is about to actually attack Steele rather than just intimidate him like in your story. That and the supernatural feel of the picture (emphasized by the fact that the angle of the ghost's body looks semi-erect and the fact that, as I think you noted, it kind of looks like a subtle blend of characteristics) were probably what brought the show to mind, but I digress.

On perhaps a more relevant note, I think I may have a copy of the Christmas Carol rendition you based this on at home (would you believe I found it on the curb after the World's Largest Garage Sale?). Which year did you say your version of choice was made?

Dragon Tamer, what is "Lost Tapes"?

I've seen almost every episode of Lost Tapes, and nothing I saw was this creepy; nothing.

I'm impressed.

It was visible on the computer I used, but oh well. Thanks!

A bit hard to discern the figure against such a very dark background, but I cannot argue that. It is, after all, in keeping with his nature. Well done, M!