What makes it different from others?

Please don't spend money on this.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I've only recently begun appreciating the works of M.R James and this BBC TV series is an ideal place to begin."Lost Hearts" is a gripping story that focuses on the somewhat eccentric and sinister activities of a boys cousin as the former is an orphan who has been sent to live at his cousin's country estate.I enjoyed this episode all the way through as each scene bears relevance to the plot.

Lawrence Gordon Clarke was behind the BBC's wonderful "Ghost Stories for Christmas," a series of creepy tales (most borrowed from the writings of M.R. James, though 'The Signalman (1976)' was a Dickens adaptation) to enjoy on a quiet, wintry Christmas night. 'Lost Hearts (1973)' is one of the lesser-known entries, but nonetheless proves a handsome ghost story with more chilling atmosphere in 35 minutes than most feature-length horror movies. Stephen (Simon Gipps-Kent) is a young orphan sent to live with Mr Abney (Joseph O'Connor), a kindly, doddering old scholar. From the moment he arrives, Stephen begins to see and hear apparitions of two children – a boy and girl of his age – whose intentions are obscure. Stephen comes to learn that the children are former orphans taken into Mr Abney's home.One thing Clarke does very well is create mood without even a hostile ghost ('The Sixth Sense (1999)' and 'The Others (2001)' would do this very well decades later). The two children, their faces pale and their fingernails talon-like, stand cross-armed outside the house, silent sentries; the boy plays an instrument called the hurdy-gurdy, and walks with an unsettling, lopsided toothy smile. Perhaps the film would have been even better had Clarke withheld the children's identity until the final act. By introducing the previous orphans – not just through dialogue, but images, as well – he humanises them, and their intentions immediately become less sinister. It would have been more effective, I think, if we didn't understand until the last moment that the ghosts were, in fact, trying to warn Stephen, not harm him.

Young Stephen comes out to the countryside to stay with his cousin, the eccentric old Mr Abney. Alone with Abney and his two staff, Stephen hears of the other children who have stayed at this house before him thanks to the kindness of Abney. When he thinks he sees them he responses to their signals for silence by not mentioning it to any of the adults, however when a boy and a girl come for him and night and reveal themselves to have no hearts. However is it just the dream that the adults assure him it all is?Shown again recently on BBC4 as part of their season of ghost story films leading up to Christmas, this was easily one of the better of them. The foundation of the film is the wonderfully non-threatening Abney, a kindly uncle for the world even if he is a bit eccentric. However, the viewer will keep asking, if he is so cheerful and kind, why is Stephen seeing these two ghostly figures in trees and windows? The questions are what held my attention but the strength of the film is in using them to create an uncertain air that is quite creepy. On top of this are thrown two white faced children who predate Ringu and the like by many decades. They move so effectively and simply that it is just roundly unnerving. Wisely director Clark doesn't shroud these two characters in horror but instead makes them innocent, smiling and cheerful – making them seem all the more creepy.They are not great child actors but they work this well. Gipps-Kent is a solid lead and avoids being cute or overly confident but the film is dominated by the eccentric wonderfulness of O'Conor as Abney. His turn keeps things quite upbeat and makes the mystery and the ghosts seem just that bit more creepy. Overall then this is a great little ghost story. Modern viewers may feel a little bit like it has done better elsewhere (it has, in recent Japanese horrors) but it is worth remembering that this film came many decades before and is just as creepy now as it must have been then.

Another of the "Ghost Stories for Christmas" that the BBC ran back in the '70s - those were the days. Clocking it at just under forty minutes, LOST HEARTS is nevertheless a fine adaptation of the short story by famed author M. R. James. Here we have the bare bones of a ghostly tale, stripped of any of the fat that might have been added had the tale been made into a full-length film, and once again a fantastically eerie watch.The story is set at a large countryside mansion complete with creaking floor boards and long, deserted passageways - a fine setting for a ghostly tale if ever I saw one. The haunting itself takes the shape of a pair of ghost children, who appear from a distance watching the main character rather like THE WOMAN IN BLACK did sixteen years later. These children have blue, dead skin, and open chest cavities where their hearts have been removed (hence the title). Although their appearance seems to be indebted to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, the ghosts still pack one heck of a punch and are entirely creepy and disturbing to watch - especially when the camera moves in close on their grinning faces.The story is a concise and good one, with an inevitable finale looming ever closer. It turns out that Abney is an occultist who believes he has found the secret of immortality - but needs to burn the heart of a young child to achieve that end. You can easily guess the outcome of the man's actions, but it's still gripping stuff. Simon Gipps-Kent plays the young Stephen, and is one of the best child actors I've seen. His performance requires him to act terrified a lot of the time and he does this well, along with being inquisitive and strong-minded. Joseph O'Connor puts in a great portrayal of a mad old man, and comes across as more than sadly pathetic than terrifying. The ghost kids are great, and the supporting actors and actresses make good of their minor turns.LOST HEARTS is a film that brings out the melancholy and eeriness of the old British countryside, whether it be at a flowing stream, a churchyard, or the deep woods. It captures a forgotten Victorian era which is often overdone in bigger-budgeted movies which become unrealistic and too slick-looking. Here, the setting is fine, and the music greatly adds to the atmosphere. LOST HEARTS is a creepy and forgotten little film recommended to all true horror fans who like their chills to be old-fashioned and macabre rather than gory and in-your-face.