| Author | Message | ||
     Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
Spotted these being shown early morning on ITV3 so I taped a couple of episodes last week. I'm not sure of the overall story quality but they're fascinating for catching current stars in very early supporting roles. Pierce Brosnan was in one as a murder victim for this psycho woman who tied men to beds and cut their hearts out. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.12 |
Carpathian Eagle Zed & I know all of these by heart. The very first victim in that episode is played by Barry Stokes who was in Norman J Warren's 'Prey', a rubbish sex comedy called 'The Ups & Downs of a Handyman' and the mighty and critically unassailable 'Hawk the Slayer' | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.47 |
I love 'Children of the Moon' (?) with Diana Dors. This is one of my favourite ever tv shows. I don't think there's a bad episode, although some are more effective than others. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.182.233 |
'The Two Faces of Evil' (I think that was the title) scared me most when I watched these as a youngster back when they were first shown on television. It's still pretty creepy, many years later. | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.47 |
Is that the one with the hitch-hiker, Huw? That's a great episode. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.182.233 |
That's the one, Steve! The hitchhiker with the 'orrible fingernails. Really creepy. | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.47 |
It's scary on many different levels, Huw. I love the idea of the creature taking over the Dad. I also like the episode where an adulterous couple shoot the husband, only for him to return from the grave. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.12 |
Which was indeed 'Visitor from the Grave'- the only one to be written by 'John Elder' I loved 'Two Faces of Evil' as well. 'Witching Time', 'Rude Awakening' (Denholm Elliot in recurring nightmare) and 'Mark of Satan' (is hospital orderly possessed or schizophrenic?) were all highlights. | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.47 |
I remember being disappointed by the Peter Cushing one ('Silent Scream' ?). I forgot about the Denholm Elliot episode. That was a good one. What about the horrific 'The House That Bled to Death'? - you shuld have seen the ashen faces in the playground the day after that was broadcast. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.12 |
You really can't get away with dumping 30 gallons of stage blood on a load of five year olds these days! I didn't think the Cushing one was very good. That was the one that was meant to be directed by Terence Fisher but in the end Alan Gibson (now also no longer with us) made it. | ||
| Coral (Coral) Username: Coral Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 90.220.218.237 |
Definitely spooked me when I was small! The Two Faces of Evil was the one that really left a lasting impression though, I can still remember the feeling of sick discomfort it gave me, akin to that caused by Theatre of Blood and Dr Phibes, to this day. "She" gave me that feeling too, when Ursula Andress walked into the fire once too often, shudder. In "The Witching Hour", was the witch played by Patricia Quinn, the actress who played Magenta in Rocky Horror, or am I thinking of something else? | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.12 |
No Coral you're right - it was Patricia Quinn as Lucinda something or other. Other notable cast members were Ian 'Most Banned Man On Video in Britain at One Time' McCulloch as a GP and Only Fools and Horses' Grandad (Lennard Pearce) as a vicar! | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.241.143 |
Zed & I know all of these by heart. Oh, indeed my fond friend. I adore this show - one of the best TV shows ever and certainly the best theme tune ever. I watch it often on DVD. There isn't a bad episode in the bunch, and the best ones are simply amazing. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.12 |
Zed - when we next have an intimate moment I must play you my arrangement of the HHoH theme on the piano - it ranges from the melancholy to the bombastic. Have you just finished writing for the night? I have  | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.47 |
I bought the theme music on 7" vinyl when I was small (no wonder I was picked on at school, when the other kids were buying Duran Duran or Wham), and I used to play it on my record player in my bedroom, just to reimagine the opening credits. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.241.143 |
John - you keep teasing me with that! I must, must hear it. No writing for me this evening. See the other thread for my viewing habits. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.194.231 |
Lord P - I think you should make a 'greatest hits' CD of your favourite horror themes and include it in your next book. I'd love to hear it... | ||
| Coral (Coral) Username: Coral Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 90.220.218.237 |
Ditto  | ||
| Richard_gavin (Richard_gavin) Username: Richard_gavin Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 69.157.37.29 |
I like this series too. It's definitely flawed, but the best episodes are pretty chilling. My favourites are 'Guardian of the Abyss', 'Children of the Full Moon', 'Rude Awakening', and 'The Two Faces of Evil'. The last of which is a very Ramsey Campbell-type story, I think. I agree about the theme song. C'mon, John, give us those horror torch songs. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.87.15 |
Guardian of the Abyss has been spoken of fondly on here a few times before. As with all such shows, HHoH is uneven but great fun. I'm too old to have seen it as a lad - Night Gallery was my teenage watching - but I still like it a lot. | ||
| Richard_gavin (Richard_gavin) Username: Richard_gavin Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 69.157.38.133 |
Night Gallery is my all-time favourite show, Mick; although it was well into syndicated reruns by the time I began watching it. I'm so glad that the first two seasons are now out on DVD. | ||
| Niki Flynn (Niki) Username: Niki Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.32.69.29 |
I got the DVD box set of this one for Christmas a couple of years ago and adored it. (I had a deprived American existence before I came here and got exposed to British horror - now I'm a total convert!) I'm surprised no one's spoken up for The Thirteenth Reunion, which is one of my favourites. Other favourites: Children of the Full Moon, Two Faces of Evil, The House That Bled to Death and Mark of Satan. I did enjoy The Silent Scream but only because of Peter Cushing. It's too predictable and weakly played, but hey - Peter Cushing. **sigh** Visitor From the Grave I just can't take seriously - Blake as the swami? LOL There's a good synopsis of everything here, incidentally: http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=5235 | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.241.143 |
The Mark Of Satan is superb. Two Faces of Evil is a belter, too. Thanks for that link, Niki. makes me want to rewatch them all over again. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.142 |
I've only got them on VHS, which shows how long it is since I watched them Of course for real masochists there's the truly awful follow-up series Hammer House of Mystery & Suspense which was rightly a disaster but sadly put paid to HHoH Part 2 | ||
| Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey) Username: Ramsey Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.93.21.74 |
"Zed & I know all of these by heart. The very first victim in that episode is played by Barry Stokes who was in Norman J Warren's 'Prey', a rubbish sex comedy called 'The Ups & Downs of a Handyman'..." - in which Bob Todd played the kinky colonel. He came to the Liverpool press show of the film and demonstrated the character's trait on the (lucky or unlucky, depending on your tastes) publicity girl. At least, I think so - I wasn't looking. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.142 |
But did you see the film Ramsey? I remember a review of 'Ups & Downs' that said 'I know it's impossible to believe but someone has actually managed to write a theme song that incorporates the title!' Needless to say when it eventually turned up on Channel 5 in a memorable season of movies that also included all of Stanley Long's 'Adventures' films, Derren Nesbitt's 'Amorous Milkman' and other utter tat, I had to see the movie for myself to see if it was true. Well for that and Valerie Leon. | ||
| Niki Flynn (Niki) Username: Niki Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.32.69.29 |
And doesn't Barry Stokes sing the theme song himself? (Not that I've actually heard it, you understand. Or seen the film. Or own a VHS copy.) | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.142 |
Yes he does!!!! (And I'm seriously impressed with that display of knowledge of such British 70s crap movie minutiae, especially seeing as you've somehow managed to accrue it without seeing the movie  ) Did you know there was also a tie-in movie paperback of the film? That featured several pages of stills from the movie? | ||
| Niki Flynn (Niki) Username: Niki Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.32.69.29 |
Clearly I didn't or I'd not have read that either. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
Victoria wood was in one the other night | ||
| Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey) Username: Ramsey Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.93.21.74 |
I did indeed see the film at the press show and didn't glance away once. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.32.199.230 |
I did indeed see the film at the press show and didn't glance away once Well that would seem to make three of us (at least three who are willing to own up to it!) | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.163.176.9 |
'What about the horrific 'The House That Bled to Death'? - you should have seen the ashen faces in the playground the day after that was broadcast' Been watching these with the kids. I put HTBTD on for them thinking they'd be petrified; all they did were to be pleased to see a pair of tits and laugh like drains at the blood scene. Sigh... I have to say, this is one ropey show to go back to. I just keep looking at the shops and the cars, the 70s/80s surface minutiae. We did like the fingernail bloke ep, though - the behaviour of the bloke and kid was just so odd, and i'm glad none of it was really explained. | ||
| Nathaniel Tapley (Natt) Username: Natt Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 78.144.207.170 |
I saw The Two Faces Of Evil a couple of years ago. It was the first HHoH I had seen, and I was amazed by the production design. It was a whole night when ITV2 showed almost nothing but Tales of the Unexpected and Hammer House of Horror that led to me developing In The Gloaming. In fact, this month's episode ( http://bit.ly/9gLg4r ), now I come to think of it, almost certainly owes something to Two Faces Of Evil. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
Oooo, just seen this thread as it's recently been resurrected. Made me go all nostalgic. I *loved* Hammer House of Horror, and even enjoyed a little of Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, though it did let the side down considerably after HHoH. Some stories which stick in my mind: Children of the Full Moon (scared me to death, that one) Rude Awakening (probably my favourite) The Two Faces of Evil and Mark of Satan - definitely two of the best Agreed that Silent Scream was only good because of Peter Cushing - he made everything he played in, no matter how bad, excellent One that I can't remember the name of - think it might have been HHoM&S too: the one with a haunted tennis court And now I've got the theme tune playing in my head - great stuff ... | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
Funny I was just talking the other day about 'The Two Faces Of Evil' on The Happening thread. The DVD box set of this incredible show is one of my most prized possessions. I'd rank the episodes roughly: 1. The Two Faces Of Evil 2. Children Of The Full Moon 3. Charlie Boy 4. The Silent Scream 5. The House That Bled To Death 6. The Thirteenth Reunion 7. The Mark Of Satan 8. The Carpathian Eagle 9. Rude Awakening 10. Visitor From The Grave 11. Guardian Of The Abyss 12. Witching Time 13. Growing Pains But they're all of a very high quality... worthy of cinema release imo. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
You guys have inspired me to launch another nightly rewatch of this series (for the fourth time) in reverse order as listed above: 'Growing Pains' is, for me, certainly the weakest of the series but still has several things to commend it - not least the incredibly sexy Barbara Kellerman (with her hair down - wow!) and the genuinely creepy performance of young Matthew Blakstad as the adoptee possessed by the vengeful spirit of his new parents dead son. Best scene was the discovery of the toy bunny rabbit lying gutted and twitching. A lot of the rest of it is pretty dire to be honest... but, hey, that music and production design! | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'Witching Time' is good frenetic fun in an unintentionally funny kind of way - works more as an OTT spoof than anything truly scary imo. The cast is top notch, though, with Jon Finch, Prunella Gee(!), Patricia Quinn, genre stalwart Ian McCulloch (Survivors, Zombie Flesh Eaters, etc) & even Grandad Trotter (Lennard Pearce) throwing themselves into their roles with gusto. Best scene our hero David Winter's first discovery of time travelling 17th C. witch, Lucinda Jessop, in the barn - when she seems to rise impossibly out of a black patch in the straw. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'Guardian Of The Abyss' marked a big step up in quality with a strong, if clichéd, storyline involving a modern day satanic cult utilising John Dee's original scrying glass and a carefully prepared sacrificial victim to summon the demon Chorozon in corporeal form. All very Dennis Wheatley. Another quality cast of familiar faces with Ray Lonnen, Rosalyn Landor, John Carson (great villain!), Paul Darrow (ditto) & Barbara Ewing (always had a thing for her!) all hamming it up nicely. Best scene the black magician Charles Randolph's casual hypnotising of our hero in his own home and the whole final sequence from when poor Allison rings that bell... | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'Visitor From The Grave' actually now seems weaker than I remembered from past viewings. The plot is stodgy (as well as full of holes), the acting hysterical and the pace sluggish so I'm gonna knock it down a couple of notches to 12th. Hammer here fell back on one of their old standbys - "is the rich heiress to a fortune mad or is someone trying to drive her mad" supernatural/psychological potboiler with a 'twist ending' you can see a mile off. Kathryn Leigh Scott, Simon MacCorkindale, Gareth Thomas (unintentionally hilarious as the swami), Mia Nadasi & Stanley Lebor do the best they can. Best scene the climactic seance with disembodied head shouting "I shall be revenged!" - had me in stitches. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.143.133.88 |
Ah, yeah - crap that one. Petrifying when you were, um, 17 though.  | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
'Rude Awakening' got things back on track with a delicious and very funny slice of macabre black comedy starring Denholm Elliot, in fine bewildered form, as the sleazy estate agent, Norman Shenley, trapped in a recurring nightmare from which he cannot awaken. The whole episode is completely bonkers and great fun with Lucy Gutteridge as the sex interest in a variety of different archetypal guises (the schoolgirl was my fav... down boy!), Pat Heywood hilarious as the battleaxe wife he dreams of murdering (ha ha) & creepy James Laurenson as his implacable nemesis, Mr Rayburn. Best scene the final sequence in Shenley's office is a textbook example of how to bring all the disparate elements of the nightmare to a marvellously satisfying conclusion and a masterclass in acting from the incomparable Mr Elliot. A joy to watch! | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 109.79.33.192 |
The bedroom set in that one was a masterful evocation of claustrophobia. I did feel so sad for Denholm Elliot, though, clearly in the closet and having to pretend to be interested in all that '70s totty. Poor chap. I have a tape of him being interviewed at the 1987 Oscars and his companion looks like it might be his sister. So much unnecessary torment in so many lives. Anyway, yes, that IS a bonkers ep. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
Such a natural actor... one of the very best of his era imo. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
Oooo, Denholm Elliot - love him. He was always so brilliant in everything he appeared in. "Rude Awakening" is my favourite HHoH. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
'The Carpathian Eagle' is a uniformly excellent psycho thriller, in fact much better than many feature length Hammer movies. Anthony Valentine (always a favourite actor of mine from those days - his death scene in 'To The Devil A Daughter' is one of the most shocking in horror cinema imo) is perfectly cast as the world weary homicide detective investigating a string of murders of amorous men by a sexy female serial killer (shades of 'Basic Instinct') who carves their hearts out with a sacrificial dagger. Suzanne Danielle is the very essence of alluring predatory femininity in the role - you would and take your chances! The supporting cast is also top notch with Sian Phillips (Livia) particularly notable as a mad old countess, who may know more about the murders than she lets on, and there is an early appearance by a very young (and not at all suave) Pierce Brosnan. Best scene the bloody denouement at the end of a romantic evening when the murderess takes her revenge for an earlier betrayal, ker-chuk! | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
'The Mark Of Satan' is the first of the truly great episodes that transcends its TV origins. Watching it again last night I was struck for the first time how like the work of Ramsey Campbell it is (particularly 'The Count Of Eleven' with those number obsessions) in its thoroughly convincing depiction of a young morgue attendant succumbing to paranoid delusions of diabolic conspiracies that gradually take over every tortured minute of his life and drive him to bloody murder. Peter McEnery, as poor mad Edwyn, gives a powerhouse performance that is the best acting of the entire series - pathetic, shifty, chilling and heartrending (comparable, for me, to Anthony Perkins in 'Psycho'). Georgina Hale is disturbingly sexy as the scheming minx upstairs who leads Edwyn astray, Emrys James is memorably barmy as the motormouth doctor who inadvertently(?) feeds Edwyn's delusions with his inane prattling and mad theories, Anthony Brown is perfect as the concerned vicar who may be his only hope and Annie Dyson plays the requisite domineering mother. Best scene the unexpected murder in the kitchen, and its matter-of-fact aftermath, has stayed with me ever since I first saw it. Like all the episodes that follow this is one of the finest TV horror productions ever made imho. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'The Thirteenth Reunion' is as gripping a grand guignol narrative as Hammer ever produced with every element done to perfection. Julia Foster is wide-eyed and wonderfully sympathetic as the intrepid Fleet Street reporter, hopelessly out of her depth, while delving undercover into some shady goings on at the sinister Chesterton Clinic. At first planning an exposé of their brutal weight loss regime that involves extreme psychological abuse of the patients in order to shame them into stopping eating (bad enough) she soon stumbles upon something much, much worse and instead of going straight to the police sees her chance to "make it big" with the scoop of a lifetime. Bad mistake... There are more familiar faces than any other episode (all in great form) with Dinah Sheridan as the hard-nosed editor, Warren Clarke as a bit of love interest, Gerrard Kelly as the nervous whistleblower, James Cosmas as the hulking instructor, Richard Pearson & Kevin Stoney as a pair of cheerfully malign doctors and, best of all, George Innes & Norman Bird as two of the creepiest undertakers (and then some) you will see anywhere. The 'Pan Horror' style plot is all the more enjoyable for its very predictability because the treatment is so flawless. Best scene there are loads (with plenty of gore) but for me the brilliantly creepy and understated dinner party at which everything is hinted at without being shown is as sublime a bit of pure horror as you will see anywhere. Chilling fun!! | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'The House That Bled To Death' was a direct and still scary response to the hysteria surrounding the "events" at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville and a certain house in Enfield, North London which makes it the most contemporary feeling of all the episodes - most of it reminded me of watching an early episode of 'Brookside' with added gore. The twist ending is beautifully cynical and caught me out the first time I saw it while also repaying repeat viewings to pick up on all the clues I missed. Perhaps, now I think about it, not quite as memorable as the last two episodes but still a superior haunted house yarn with a host of familiar faces; Nicholas Ball (Hazell), Rachael Davis(!), Pat Maynard, Brian Croucher (who seemed to be in everything at this time) & Milton Johns (permanently shifty) all acquit themselves well but it is the little girl actor, Emma Ridley (the spit of Carol Anne in 'Poltergeist'), who makes the greatest impact as her sweet innocence succumbs to the evil presence in her family's new home - the scene of a hideously bloody murder. Best scene for me is the creepily understated prologue in which we get to see the previous tenant's casual preparations for what is to come but the blood drenched birthday party (with its echoes of 'Carrie') also doesn't half stick in the mind. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.131.109.189 |
I liked the little scenes of the girl losing it, little throwaway scenes they seemed at the time. For some reason it made me quite randy that Julia Foster was going to get eaten in that other story. | ||
| Paul_finch (Paul_finch) Username: Paul_finch Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 195.93.21.74 |
I seem to remember THE HOUSE THAT BLED TO DEATH being the best by far of that series, because I thought that, in purely narrative terms, it was the most coherent and well structured, and thus made for a totally satisfying viewing experience. For some reason, I'm just not as sold on the rest of the series as other posters on here seem to be. To start with, I seem to remember hearing that the production company, Chips, were actually nothing to do with Hammer, but had bought the rights to use the name. That may be incorrect - I'm not totally sure, and itself it's not a criticism - but I don't remember being as blown away as I'd expected to be when I first heard the show was coming out. I remember liking THE TWO FACES OF EVIL and THE MARK OF SATAN, thinking them both hugely creepy, but as for RUDE AWAKENING and VISITOR FROM THE GRAVE, I thought they were both ridiculous. The main thing I recall about CARPATHIAN EAGLE was an unknown Pierce Brosnan being on screen for about one minute, and Suzanne Danielle's extraordinarily long, tanned, shapely legs gettng a good airing at every opportunity - to the point where it became rather silly. That said, I'd love to see another series. In any antho - book, film or TV - there are always a few you don't like, and you can usually forgive that if there are also a few that you love. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Oh no, the series was a pure Hammer production through-and-through - right down to using the same directors, scriptwriters, technicians and actors as appeared in their films. Each one of them looks and feels exactly like a 50 min long Hammer movie which is what makes them so rewatchable imo. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
'The Silent Scream' is simply one of the most superb horror tour-de-forces ever seen on TV imho. Everything in the production is as close to flawless as makes no difference and I am only glad the immortal Peter Cushing got such a fitting Hammer send-off. The old trooper is at his most gimlet-eyed chilling (pure Grand Moff Tarkin) in this one as the Nazi concentration camp doctor living a new life as a mild-mannered, harmless old pet shop owner, secretly continuing his sinister experiments in the basement with none other than Brian Cox (brilliant as ever) & his sexy wife, Elaine Donnelly, as his hapless victims. The old theme of innocent individuals held captive by a madman behind the facade of sleepy suburbia - and no one knows they are there - never fails as a riveting narrative and every scene here is simply superb from the opening laying of the bait, to initial capture, attempts to rationalise and bargain with their captor, increasingly desperate realisation of the seriousness of their plight, wonderful scenes of mental sparring between the old guard (Cushing) and the new (Cox), acts of perverse cruelty designed to break the spirit, following of routine while planning futile attempts to escape, frustrating enquiries from outside that raise audience expectations only to lead nowhere and the final release of tension in all-or-nothing breakout and showdown. Here we even get the added bonus of a brilliantly satisfying double twist ending topped with the most haunting final shot of the entire series. Out of all that the Best Scene has to be the one with the adorably cute boxer pup (yep, that one) that switches from incredulous joy to scalp-prickling horror in an instant and never fails to elicit cries of "Jesus, no.. go back, go back..." from me - once seen, never forgotten! A perfect little gem of televisual terror!! | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
And so, on the back of 'Beasts', I'm into the last three episodes... 'Charlie Boy' is, for me, the most thoroughly entertaining narrative of the series being a prime slice of pure EC horror with a satisfying dollop of 'The Omen' thrown in for good measure. A grotesque African voodoo doll brings death and destruction - in the form of a series of well orchestrated freak accidents - to a group of English toffs after one of them, in a drunken rage after being cheated out of his inheritance, stabs a group photo followed by the doll while calling out for "justice" - as you do. Cue each one of them in turn, from left to right in the photo, meeting a grisly fate with "our hero" the last in line. What could be more wonderful a set-up than that and the execution happily does justice to the premise with disbelief turning to a growing sense of urgency at how to break the hex as each new victim falls. The cast are all excellent, throwing themselves into the story with abandon - Leigh Lawson, as the idiot responsible, growing ever more desperate in his futile attempts to withdraw the blade from the Charlie Boy idol, Angela Bruce as his black girlfriend providing the requisite touch of Africa, Marius Goring as the expert who tries to advise on how to break the spell & Michael Culver as slimey as ever as the hated older brother. Best scene the unforgettable riding "accident" in which the latest victim is graphically impaled on a horrendous piece of ploughing equipment after jumping over the wrong fence - shluuurr-chuukk, uuuurrrggg, vomiting fountains of blood, etc... Magical stuff!! | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.72 |
Okay, chaps, I've got this to watch now, Hammer House of Horror, and though I watched it as a child, I'm now stuck as to which episode to start with. Any recommendations? | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
Scroll up. | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.22.234.38 |
'The Silent Scream' - so that's where King got his idea for "Apt Pupil". | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
I doubt it; they're nothing alike. | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.204.111.249 |
The Two Faces of Evil. Frank, you'll shit yourself. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.55 |
Is that really a recommendation - watch this show and have smelly laundry and a nasty stain on the sofa? | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
It's not my kink either but I'd actually love to see something that scary! (If it wasn't genuinely life-threatening, that is.) | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
And don't start with the best, Frank. The running order in the DVD box set is pretty good and you end on a high note with "The Mark of Satan"! | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.72 |
Okay, Kate. I'll take your advice, but tempted to try out Steve's recommendation of 'The Mark of Satan'. Ehhhh...I'm like a kid at Xmas with too many presents to open. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
The way I've been doing it, Frank, is to start with what I consider the weakest, 'Growing Pains', and end with the strongest, 'The Two Faces Of Evil'. I listed them further up the thread. This is my fourth time of watching the series, including when it was first broadcast, and I still consider it the best of all the British TV anthologies - of cinematic quality imo. Next up I got the classic 'Children Of The Full Moon' which I may watch in a double bill with 'During Barty's Party'. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.72 |
You see, Steve, that's what I intended to do, but Steve B made me think 'start there' and then Kate made me think hers was the more sensible choice, while yours echoes my original thoughts and...yes, Frank, calm down, just go and watch the damned thing. This is what happens when I have a free day. So, Hammer House of Horror first, then two hours of writing, and then a bike ride. I should be feeling much better by then. | ||
| Mark_samuels (Mark_samuels) Username: Mark_samuels Registered: 04-2010 Posted From: 86.133.23.20 |
"The Mark of Satan" (9!!!!) and "The Two Faces of Evil" (manicure and dentistry) are definitely the high points of the series, imo. I'd save the best until last. Mark S. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.72 |
I started with 'The Two Faces Of Evil'. The opening music for all it's early 80's guitar inspired riffing, used to frighten me a child, but none more so than the traditional spooky visuals which accompanies it...simple but quite likely to make me think it's brown trousers time...an oft used repetitive phrase of mine, but one which I think suffices the experience in hand. | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.153.167.211 |
The sequel series 'Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense' was discontinued (a rights issue I think) after it's initial DVD run sold out, making this set extremely rare. It fetches over 150 quid now on eBay! It's not quite as good as the original 'Horror' series by all accounts but still one for Hammer fans (me) to lust after. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
Bollocks!! The times I had that box set in my hands and said, maybe next month...  |