Though it’s now a mostly forgotten tradition, Christmas was once a time for telling ghost stories around the fire. Telling ghost stories during winter was a folk custom that dated back centuries, but the 19th century, in particular, saw the holiday undeniably associated with ghosts. In Europe, anyway. When the Puritans came over, they left this tradition behind. Regardless, one famous yuletide spooky tale did manage to cross the pond to become a holiday staple; Charles Dickens’ 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol.
In the story, the miserly, frugal Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future to remind him of the importance of kindness and the joy of the holiday. The spectral visitations are heralded by a warning from the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley. The idea is to scare some sense back into Scrooge, to course correct his life; both with the otherworldly guides and insights into melancholic moments from his past. The Ghost of Christmas Past is described as an angelic spirit of burning bright light, and Christmas Present resembles jolly Father Christmas. While authoritative, neither are scary. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a silent, hooded phantom not unlike a Grim Reaper. The figure is meant to be a foreboding warning of imminent doom, a final push to scare Scrooge straight.
But as ominous as this spirit is, the most terrifying ghost of the story and its many adaptations is Jacob Marley.
Marley’s arrival offers up the biggest scare of the story; Scrooge is alone in his darkened chambers late in the evening, the perfect moment of quiet vulnerability that allows for maximum impact when it comes to supernatural surprise guests. Marley presents a familiar face twisted and transformed by death. He lived his life similar to Scrooge, which doomed him to purgatory in the afterlife. Bound by chains and heavy money boxes forged by greed during life, Marley is cursed to wander the Earth for eternity. Marley’s ghastly sight serves up the dual purpose of offering the first ghoulish jolt of the story and an ominous warning of where Scrooge could wind up if he doesn’t change his ways. Forget the forbidding spirit of Christmas Yet to Come; it’s Marley that elicits chills.
In the countless adaptations of Dickens’ story, the terror of Marley tends to translate well to screen. No matter the take on the familiar tale, be it through the lens of Disney or an adult comedy, Jacob Marley is one scary dude. Here are some of the absolute creepiest takes on Marley…
A Christmas Carol (1984)
George C. Scott (The Changeling, The Exorcist III) stars as Scrooge in this made-for-TV movie, so the horror bonafides are already in place with this adaptation. Scott’s performance is the most substantial reason to watch this version, but for the horror fan, it’s also one of the darkest and spookiest versions of the story. That includes Frank Finley’s (Lifeforce) take on Marley.
Scrooged (1988)
Richard Donner’s modernized and loose adaptation put Billy Murray in the Scrooge role (as Frank Cross), and offered up a quirky comedy-fantasy version that sets it apart from the rest. That includes John Forsythe’s Lew Hayward, a twist on Jacob Marley that trades money boxes for golf bags. Lew’s heavily decomposed figure is ghastly, and it’s highlighted by the mouse that scurries out from a hole in his noggin and the cobwebs that drape across his rotted body.
Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009)
That this is a Disney movie only makes this take on Marley even scarier; no one will be prepared for the nightmare fuel going into this movie. Seriously. Robert Zemeckis’ 3D computer-animated feature doesn’t hold back when it comes to its ghosts. Marley first appears in a jump scare involving Scrooge’s front door, knocking the miser off his feet. Then enter the chains, via 3D effect, once Scrooge has nestled into his chambers. None of that holds a candle to Marley’s confrontation with Scrooge. His eyes roll around in his skull in unnatural ways, he exudes haunting menace, and his jaw unhinges grotesquely, like a freaking snake.
If you ever wondered what would happen if that gauze wrapped around Marley’s head came off, well, this paints a graphic picture.
BBC’s A Christmas Carol (2019)
This more horror-centric take on the classic gives Marley a more prominent role to play and an active interest in Scrooge’s journey. Portrayed by Stephen Graham, this Marley isn’t as undead or ghastly as his counterparts, though chains bind him. But that doesn’t make him any less intimidating- he gruesomely loses his jaw as well. The actor even took the fake jaw home as a souvenir.