Count Magnus

“Count Magnus” is a British supernatural television film that aired on BBC Two on December 23, 2022, as part of the BBC’s Christmas holiday programming. This thirty-minute film is part of the BBC’s “A Ghost Story for Christmas” series and was both written and directed by Mark Gatiss. It is based on M. R. James’ 1904 short story of the same title.

Set in 1863, the story follows Mr. Wraxhall, played by Jason Watkins, a British travelogue writer, as he embarks on a journey to Sweden to gather information for a scholarly guidebook on Scandinavia. During his travels, he visits Råbäck Manor in Vestergothland, a mansion constructed in the early 17th century by Count Magnus De la Gardie. Wraxhall becomes increasingly captivated by the tales surrounding Count Magnus, a long-deceased nobleman notorious for his merciless behavior as a harsh landowner. Local lore speaks of him branding tenants who fell behind on rent payments and even resorting to burning down their homes if they encroached too closely on his land, often with the tenants still inside.

Nielsen (Max Bremer), the village innkeeper, regales Wraxhall with various accounts of Count Magnus, including a particularly unsettling one about the Count’s mysterious and sinister journey, known as the “Black Pilgrimage,” to the Holy Land, undertaken for nefarious purposes. This journey results in the Count returning with something—or someone—sinister in tow.

Totom Construction was commissioned by Production Designer Byron Broadbent to create a coffin for the BBC film. The coffin, with a carcass constructed from wood, is covered with authentic plaster molding enhanced with scenic paint techniques. The prop team skillfully aged the coffin while on location.

Filming took place at various locations, with the Hall Barn estate in Beaconsfield, South Bucks, serving as one of the primary settings. The temple adjacent to the house was used to represent Count Magnus’s mausoleum, where the coffin played a significant role. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, no scenes were filmed in Sweden.